I have to admit: before travelling to Croatia, I had no idea what the traditional cuisine would be like. As Dubrovnik was a coastal city and nearby to Italy, I assumed it would be similar, offering fresh pizzas, pasta and other authentic Mediterranean food. Seafood, mezzes and ice cream all came to mind when I thought of the city on the Adriatic Coast. Actually, I love ice cream so I was hoping it would be an integral part of Dubrovnik’s culinary scene!

It took me a while to grasp the culture of Croatia. To me, the city of Dubrovnik had a Mediterranean influence throughout and its Old Town reminded me of small towns in Tuscany, with its charming buildings and cobbled streets. There wasn’t one building which stood out per se, it was more the entire vibe of the Old Town that was reminiscent of the quaint streets in Siena and Lucca, especially the more rustic-looking buildings. Nevertheless, the Old Town has its own identity and history. A welcome bonus was the Croatians’ warmth and friendliness (not unlike the Italians).

It wasn’t until I immersed myself in the wonders of Dubrovnik that I realised, that even though there was a Mediterranean influence, Croatia had plenty of renowned dishes and snacks that deserved to be tried and tested. Croatian restaurants are hard to find in the UK, which is a shame, so Croatia is where you need to go for authentic Croatian cuisine. The most famous dish has to be the black risotto (also known as crnirižot). Other popular dishes are anything with truffle in them (mainly truffle pasta or risotto) and the burek (a traditional pastry). Pescatarians will appreciate the heavy focus on seafood, especially oysters and mussels. I would describe the Croatian cuisine as a mixture of hearty and fresh. The heartiness includes the heavy and rich dishes such as those that rely on the truffle, whilst the freshness is most apparent in the classic seafood.

This cuisine is unexpectedly and unpretentiously romantic, similar to Italian. Both cultures share a passion for food and drink. The meals are events in themselves, rather than a pit-stop en route to another engagement. It’s the type of food I can imagine is consumed after a long day’s work. I can picture couples collapsing onto the sofa after a hearty meal, perhaps finishing off the bottle of Croatian red, letting the potent mix of wine and rich food work their sensual magic. Who needs a trashy rom-com to get you in the mood when you’ve got bold and sensuous cuisine and wine! It’s the type of food that demands to be tasted, not so much in dainty bites but big mouthfuls. It’s the sort of carb-heavy food you need before a night of passion, especially during those cold winter nights.

A new city always fills my heart with curiosity. I love to experience everything there is to see and also dive into the food scene. We arrived in Dubrovnik around the afternoon and the first stop meant ice cream, despite the poor weather. The funny thing we noticed is that everyone, including tourists and locals, would eat ice cream in the warm sunshine and when it was raining.

We chose Peppino’s Gelato Factory. I assumed it was a one-off place, however, they were a common chain in the city but this didn’t affect the quality of the ice cream, Peppino’s ice cream was a winner. What I loved most about this ice cream shop was the sheer selection of flavours ranging from standard to premium, and the matching prices. There had to be every flavour under the sun from the standard chocolate, pistachio and strawberry to premium flavours such as Kinder Maxi King. The prices ranged depending on the standard flavours and premium flavours, but it would still only cost a couple of pounds. I’m a massive chocoholic which means whenever I choose ice cream, I pick flavours with some sort of chocolate addition to them. I opted for the classic chocolate and the Kinder Bueno Premium flavour – and I got my sugar fix from them. When I compare the ice cream here to England, this gelato place itself went above and beyond. At home, we have all the standard flavours, such as chocolate, vanilla and hazelnut, in our seaside towns. However, more distinctive flavours such as tiramisu or mango sorbet aren’t as common. Peppino’s was an inside counter where you’d grab an ice cream and go.

By the time dinner wrapped around, we were hungry after a morning of travelling and an afternoon getting to grips with our bearings. Being the typical Italian I am, I fancied pasta and the Old Town boasted a strong presence of Mediterranean restaurants, including plenty of Italian spots. We opted for Spaghetteria Toni because it was famous for being the best Italian in the area and I wanted to see if it was up to par. Despite the rain, we sat outside under the shelter where many other tourists and locals sat enjoying their dinner. It’s funny because you couldn’t imagine us eating our dinner in the rain in England! Luckily, the canopy prevented our food from getting splashed. Although, what I loved was the particular aroma in the air. It was a combination of rain, heightened by the old, damp stones on the buildings surrounding me, and freshly cooked Italian food lingering in the air. Eating in historic surroundings makes the dining experience more special.  

I didn’t get a full look of the interior. However, the outside featured dark, wooden decking style chairs, black tables and dimmed lighting under the canopy, and was surrounded by the classic cobbles. There’s just something about walking home on glistening cobbled streets after a splendid dinner … The restaurant was in the Old Town, a few minutes’ walk from the famous Stradun and near our apartment. This area was touristy (but not in a garish Leicester Square/Times Square way) but because we went at the beginning of the season, it didn’t feel claustrophobic; there were more locals than tourists visiting the restaurants and wandering the streets.

We discovered on the next morning breakfast isn’t a big deal in the city. Again, I expected it to be like Italy where you’d go to a bakery and buy a pastry to-go or head to a local coffee shop. Yet, we found not many to be open or really, not a huge amount around. Instead, the evening restaurants would open in the earlier hours and serve a typical continental breakfast, such as bread and jam, ham and cheeses for instance (I think mainly for tourists). Because of this, we used our apartment and had breakfast there before we went out each day.

Just before lunchtime, we were feeling a little peckish and waltzing through the Old Town and came across the Holy Burek, a tiny eatery selling the famous burek. The decoration was surprisingly very modern with a neon sign at the entrance and hanging from the ceiling, marble flooring and wooden countertops. We could also see them preparing the bureks behind the counter! I’m not entirely sure how old the eatery was as it didn’t state it anywhere, but from what the guy working there told us, their experience dates back to his great-grandmother. The burek is the oldest Baltic pastry and is very famous in Croatia. It has Anatolian origins and can be found in the cuisines of the Balkans, Mediterranean, and across other countries in Eastern Europe and Western Asia.

In this shop, the owner explained to us in many places throughout the city, they don’t make the burek the traditional way and he uses his great, great grandma’s recipe to curate the pastry, to taste as authentic as possible. Their menu only included a few options, which I always think is a good sign. It shows they know their craft and do it well. The burek flavours included everything from cheese to veal and mushrooms. I can confirm the burek is delicious. I got the spinach and cheese and my sister, the leek and cheese. It’s a thin and long pastry, filled with an array of different options and wasn’t too heavy or greasy, considering it’s a pastry. Given my first impressions eating a burek, I definitely would eat again. The burek was pretty cheap, the equivalent of a few pounds and came exclusively on its own.

I always love dinner on holiday because it means a slightly bigger deal than breakfast or lunch as you can go all out. On the second evening, the sun was high in the sky and the vibe in the air was everything. It had that summery feeling about the place. Locals and tourists alike filled the restaurants and bars along the Stradun, the main street in the Old Town. We couldn’t take our eyes off one of the restaurants because it was so bright and modern, and people had the biggest smiles sitting there. Either the food there was amazing or the people were unusually cheerful! We decided to explore!

Called SNEK by coNGo, the establishment had more of a European bar feel than a classic restaurant, but I liked it regardless. It was modern, openly planned with various food on the menu, not only Croatian specialities – and overlooked the buzzing vibe of the Stradun, reminding me of summer in Spain and Italy. Inside, the seats were colourful and cosy sofa-style chairs, whilst the outside offered wooden-style seating and tables. I say it had a combination of tourists and locals in the bar, but it was one of those places suited more to tourists.

We decided to delve into their tapas menu and honestly, I was blown away by the quality of the food. It wasn’t a uniquely Spanish restaurant as all the dishes were across the Mediterranean, not only exclusive to Spain. Everything I ate in this city was always incredibly fresh and restaurants obviously took their food seriously. We had deep-fried prawns (Kozice tempura), slow-cooked pork belly tortillas, a cheese and fruit salad (Sirevi s kompotomodjabuka ) and roasted vegetable wraps (which I can’t remember the traditional name of). I kid you not: everything I ate, I kept saying ‘this is delicious’. The food quality was impeccable and cost around £35 including soft drinks. And, to top off our experience there, our seats overlooked the whole street, and we watched a wedding as we were dining – what a beautiful sight. The service was attentive and prompt, and the waiter was super friendly towards us. The wedding reminded me of a film, one you would get out of a typical rom-com. In a kind of meta, post-modern way, my sister and I could have been in a scene from a rom-com! I couldn’t see any Croatian customs or anything different as I only witnessed them walking out the church in their wedding attire.

Later that evening, we had to finish the night with ice cream so we headed to the old port at their kiosk. I can’t say it actually had a name, but you can’t miss it and it’s a popular place for ice cream, and cheap too – around £2-3 for two scoops.

We wanted to explore the nightlife scene a bit and as the city boasts a cool cable car overlooking the entirety of Dubrovnik, I thought it’ll be a phenomenal spot to have a drink with a view. By the time we headed to the Panorama Bar next to the cable car stop, the sun was setting and the mountains to one side looked sensational in the night sky, as did the city on our other side. The decor here was clean, white and modern with wooden tables, covered in pristine white tablecloths. The waitresses and waiters dressed up to the nines and treated us like royalty. It felt like we were in a private resort, especially with the dimmed lights and surroundings. This place had to be overpriced for what it was (around £10 for a cocktail), but they did make a top-notch cocktail, both a Mai Tai and Pina Colada. It was more about the experience of having a drink up there and basking in glamour of the bar. It’s the most touristy thing we did but I loved it all the same! Girls on holiday need their ‘glamour-fix’!

Landing back on the ground in the Old Town, we also discovered a tiny street by the Stradun and ventured into D’Vino Wine bar. This bar had a completely old-school charm ( it wasn’t modern and overly fancy) about it with Italian vibes, featuring rustic, charming wooden furnishing and endless bottles of wine inside and the loudness of locals talking and singing adding to the vibrant atmosphere. It had that fun element of Italian bars and restaurants, filled with endless chatter. We took the liberty of sitting outside because in the warm evening heat, and it was the perfect temperature to enjoy a glass of vino. The lady who served me was friendly and informative about the wine she was giving us, describing the list in detail and recommending a classic Moscato. And, as her intellect stated, she was correct, I would adore it. The best thing about this bar was the loud music, blaring as locals and tourists were chatting. Its friendly atmosphere lingered all night long. The bar shut at 2 am and in general bars shut between 12 am-2 am.

The Sunday of our trip was packed with a kayak tour and beach exploring, so the perfect day to form an appetite. Starting the day with a homemade breakfast of simple cereal and fruit, by the time lunchtime swung around, we were starving. We discovered this place called Barba, known as a cheaper alternative, and famous for street seafood. Croatia was known for fresh seafood, and we couldn’t wait to sample some more. It was a tiny little restaurant, along with one of the small alleys in the Old Town by a set of stairs. The restaurant only had a couple of wooden tables and the main counter to order from, with a small menu of a few specialities to choose from. Despite the size of the place, it was rammed with every table full and a small queue of people ordering, however, the service was quick, friendly and efficient.

Both of us chose an octopus sandwich with mascarpone cheese on this black-dyed bread (it didn’t have a specific name) and they cost £6 each. We brought the sandwiches down to Sulic Bay, a small and quiet stretch of pebbles. I hadn’t eaten octopus in a while. However, I was pleasantly surprised; it wasn’t as fishy as I expected and complimented well the thick bread, mascarpone cheese and salad. I would happily eat that sandwich again! Sulic Bay was a gorgeous spot to try the sandwich and soak up the atmosphere with its clear blue waters, pebbles and an endless view of the water and rock formations.

Dinner this evening was where we took the opportunity to jump onto more traditional food. We found a strip of restaurants behind the Stradun, which was a lovely surprise. I wish we found it sooner as the choice of eateries was endless! After a tough decision, we picked Moskar Street Food, which I would say was the best restaurant of the entire trip and one I’d happily return to over and over.

We dined outside the restaurant. It had that rustic appeal with its wooden tables and set against a stone wall. The atmosphere outside was electric with very happy and chatty tourists on either side of us who were all enjoying their experience at the restaurant. The service had to be the best we’ve experienced with a waitress who assisted our every need! Its menu was varied but a lot more specific compared to previous places we had dined at.

We chose mussels in a tomato sauce for starters. I’m not sure if this type of mussel dish was Croatian, however, mussels were very popular across Dubrovnik and Croatia as a whole – and it’s recommended to try them here. Mussels are something I’m learning to like more and here, they were truly fresh, and the sauce complimented them well. We were given free bread too, which helped soak up any remaining sauce. For mains, we shared two dishes, the famous black risotto with crayfish and the gnocchi with a truffle sauce. The black risotto gets the colour from the use of squid ink and anything truffle is made across the city and country. Despite not usually being a huge risotto fan, this was a lovely and light surprise. Usually, risotto is pretty stodgy but not this one and the fish taste wasn’t too overbearing as well. Although, the winner in my eyes was the gnocchi. I have never been more blown away by a dish than the truffle gnocchi. It was like heaven dancing on my tongue and incredibly moreish. I wish it wasn’t so heavy as I could eat more and more of the dish. We both had freshly squeezed lemonade to accompany the meal, which was pretty tart and needed some sugar to sweeten it! The dinner came to around the £40 mark which for the quality,wasn’t bad at all.

To top it all off, the waitress was the loveliest person I got served by in Dubrovnik. Her manners were sublime, and she catered for our every need. The ladies at the table next to us couldn’t stop singing her praises for her service.

No night is complete without ice cream, and we chose the Ice Cream Dubrovnik place on the main street. It was like a pop-up cafe inside a small building along the street. Even though it was heavily touristy, the ice cream reached the chocolate scale par – I got dark chocolate and Ferrero Rocher. I loved how all the ice cream we sampled was the proper kind, not watery or flavourless. The ice cream was about £3.

Our last full day began with filling our stomachs with cereals and hopping on a boat. Lunch today was served on the boat, which meant we didn’t have the opportunity to try a local restaurant or cafe. However, it did allow us to see the type of food they served up. We had a selection of roasted vegetables, bread and cheese.

That evening, I fancied pizza and we opted for Pizzeria Mirakul which I had read was the best pizzeria in the Old Town. We again dined outside (the perks of southern Europe in late May!) and on these classic-looking wooden benches and matching tables. The restaurant outside had a friendly atmosphere but not as loud as other places which we liked. And the waiters had that friendly appeal when taking our order. I’m very hesitant with trying Italian food elsewhere but something about this place drew me in – and I think that had something to do with the history. The current owner’s grandfather, Andrija Sentic, head of the family was working as a baker in Naples. Here, he met a pizza master of Pizzeria Brandi. Andrija learnt the original recipe for the dough and brought it to Dubrovnik – and since that day, the secret has been kept in the pizzeria.

Considering the history, I had high expectations, and I can safely say the pizzas were insanely good. We chose the seafood pizza and the vegetarian pizza. What I liked most was the fresh dough, it was thinly rolled out and the toppings highlighted the taste with fresh tomato sauce and cheese. I would love to eat this pizza all over again. It went down well with their freshly made lemonade. I did notice in this city how lemonade was freshly made rather than selling classic fizzy drinks such as Sprite. I enjoyed that because not only did it taste better, but it also wasn’t packed with sugar. We paid around £25 for our meal in total.

Instead of ice cream that evening, we went to the local corner shop and picked a couple of chocolate bars including a biscuit-based one, a popping candy one and a dark chocolate option. I always like to see what chocolate and sweets are like in other countries, as it’s one of those weird things which excite me. I didn’t expect much as European chocolate is never great, and really, it lived up to that level of expectation. It wasn’t awful but a lot less sugary and creamy than the chocolate bars I get in the UK. I think I’ll stick with Cadbury.

Our last morning meant soaking up the last of the beach scene. We stopped off at one of their chain bakeries, Milnar, which looked like the Croatian version of Gregg’s. It was a lot nicer than expected, serving up classic chocolate hazelnut croissants and vanilla doughnut-style pastries. To finish off our trip in Dubrovnik before heading to the airport, we had our last ice cream stop: Bocapiena, a place we had been eyeing up the entire time. It had that proper Instagram look to it with colourful walls and bold lighting, and a cool selection of flavours. I have to say, it was a lot pricier than all the other ice cream places we went to and although the chocolate and hazelnut favour were delicious, I didn’t see why they cost more.

Overall, Dubrovnik’s food scene fulfilled my foodie quest. I’m a huge foodie and to me eating around a destination is as important as seeing, so, my expectations are always pretty high in new locations. Dubrovnik had a knack for quality food; every restaurant I visited had that high standard approach with delicious grub and friendly service. I don’t think I can fault the charm of the Croatians and their passion for food.

My favourite food had to be at the Moskar Street Food restaurant. I could happily eat the truffle gnocchi dish a million times over. The creaminess blended with the richness of the truffle was moreish and had a lingering aftertaste I adored. Plus, that restaurant also boasted all things traditional and allowed me to experience their renowned dishes with a friendly charm.

I was pleasantly surprised also by the ice cream scene. Despite only a small selection of gelato shops to pick from, the ice cream didn’t have that overly processed taste and feel. It tasted like proper ice cream, made freshly there and then for locals and visitors alike to enjoy.

It’s worth mentioning the seafood too. Seafood is something I’ve been trying to grow my palette with for ages. Eating the seafood in Dubrovnik was the icing on the cake because of its level of freshness. I love how the seafood was locally caught as not only could you taste the difference, but it was refreshing supporting local fishermen. It’s hard to say which fish dish I had was my favourite, but the seafood pizza was pretty up there as the black risotto.

If you’re a big foodie, Dubrovnik is somewhere to add to your list to taste a variety of cuisines and embrace the fresh seafood way of life (if that’s your thing). Most of the restaurants and places I ate were in the Old Town, the most touristy part of the city – and because of that, I would have been intrigued to see what the restaurants and eateries were like further away from the tourist path.

Dubrovnik is a destination which exceeded my expectation in every way from its out-of-this-world sights, clear waters and food scene that touched my heart (and stomach) in every way.