10 Best Restaurants in Dubrovnik

Gradska Kavana Arsenal Restaurant sits right off Dubrovnik’s main square, making it an easy and convenient stop on a busy Dubrovnik itinerary. The restaurant, with its outdoor dining, gives you a front-row seat to some of the city’s most historic and eye-catching architecture.

The menu focuses on Croatian and Mediterranean classics, with light fare using local ingredients that are similar to what you might find in any local’s pantry. One of the favourited dishes is the fish stew, a mixture of seafood served in a spicy tomato-based sauce with baked polenta. Don’t forget to check out the expansive drink menu, filled with Croatian wines.

Konoba Veranda is a family-owned and operated eatery located in the suburbs of Dubrovnik. The menu is made up of dishes hailing from 5 separate regions of Croatia, as well as the owners’ native Herzegovina. The restaurant is known for its seafood options, but the menu is also very vegetarian-friendly.

The menu is organised by region from which each dish is derived; so, for example, the Dubrovnik-Neretva portion of the menu contains items like tempura frogs and a traditional chocolate cake served with bitter orange jam. The Dalmatia portion of the menu features a seafood risotto, octopus salad and grilled sea bass.

Tavern Arka Restaurant sits in the bay area north of Dubrovnik’s city centre and offers outdoor seating looking right over the water. The relatively affordable restaurant offers local cuisine but also dishes from other European countries. The menu features dozens of options alongside a plentiful array of wines and beers.

Start your dinner off with the much-loved tuna tartar, accented with sesame seeds and avocado, before moving on to the lamb cutlets and finally the Dubrovnik rosata – the local take on a panna cotta. Picky eaters will appreciate some of the more low-key menu items, like the simple grilled steak.

Restaurant Dubrovnik, despite its simple name, serves up a dining experience that’s anything but simple. One of the top-rated restaurants in the city, it serves high-class fare in a memorable atmosphere that reflects the city centre’s storied past. While the menu focuses on Dalmatian cuisine, everything has a modern twist.

The chef’s tasting menu is certain to delight and give you an expansive overview of some of the region’s best ingredients while showing off the staff’s superior skills. It includes some truly remarkable dishes, such as a Dubrovnik-style ceviche; a creamy celery soup with truffles and prawns; and scallops served on soft polenta with goat cheese, hazelnuts and baby porcini mushrooms.

Nautika Restaurant is situated so that it offers views of the sea, as well as both Lovrjenac and Tvrđava Bokar, 2 historical fortresses. Just note that you’ll be paying for that view; the fine-dining reservations-required restaurant boasts a menu that'll seriously lighten your bank balance. However, it does offer an impressive array of vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options.

Try the Dalmatian-style lamb with purple cabbage, crispy chickpeas and onion marmalade, or the veal fillet with Dubrovnik Malvasija sauce, served with a truffle essence potato gratin, minty pea mousse and glazed carrots. If you’re lucky, you’ll find yourself in good company at Nautika Restaurant; the eatery frequently welcomes celebrities.

At Above 5 Rooftop Restaurant, you'll dine on the only rooftop terrace on Dubrovnik’s Old Town, with spectacular views of the city, sea and historic forts. The outdoor seating means the restaurant is only open seasonally and you’ll want to make reservations to ensure you get a good seat. However, despite its popularity, Above 5 Rooftop Restaurant is one of the few higher-end dining establishments in the city that serves breakfast in addition to lunch and dinner.

The breakfast menu is a bit limited, focusing mostly on Mediterranean-style egg dishes. For lunch and dinner, one of the favourite menu items is the pigeon breasts, served in a basil oil and soy reduction.

Amfora Restaurant is a nice, casual and family-friendly pick that’s slightly outside the more touristy areas of the city. You’re more likely to be seated next to a local than you are a tourist here. The restaurant is refined enough to cater to adult palates, yet still casual enough that kids are welcomed, and you won’t feel a need to dress up. The lunch menu, for example, includes a cheeseburger, if that gives you an indication of the level of formality that’s expected.

Of course, while the kids might prefer the cheeseburger, you’re likely on the hunt for more traditional Croatian fare, in which case you can enjoy the tempura zucchini blossoms or the pan-fried sea bass.

Restaurant Panorama is perched on a cliffside overlooking the city, with tables bumped right up to the edge of where the ground gives way to the open air over Dubrovnik’s orange roofs. Travellers with a fear of heights might not want to add this restaurant to their itineraries. You can take either a cable car or a hiking trail to reach the restaurant, though if you want to avoid a sweaty lunch or dinner, you should probably take the former.

From the restaurant’s height, you can see all the way out into the Bay of Lapad and to the Elaphite Islands and Lokrum. The cuisine is local and authentic, served alongside a selection of refreshing cocktails and international wines.

Restaurant 360 serves only dinner, with recommended tasting menus and some ala carte items. The focus is on Croatian and Mediterranean cuisines, but with French flair. The tasting menus feature 5 courses each, but the ala carte menu is no to be overlooked. It features mouthwatering, tempting options such as lamb shoulder with beetroot and blue cheese, pigeon with parsnip and chicory cream and a carob shortcake with orange ice cream and mantala mousse.

Whatever you happen to order while at Restaurant 360, you’ll have a difficult time deciding what you want to keep your eyes on – the artfully arranged plates coming out of the kitchen, or the views of the sea beyond your table.

Pantarul, with its colourful decor and understated wooden furnishings, looks like a dining room you could find in a cosy, well-decorated home. The atmosphere is much the same – cosy and comfortable. However, just because the restaurant is unpretentious and welcoming, don’t let that make you think you’ll be enjoying less than superb cuisine.

The affordable menu features roast duck breast, fish steak with Dalmatian-style vegetables and vegetable risotto. Vegetarian options are plentiful. There’s even a gluten-free dessert option: a white-chocolate and almond cake with vanilla cream. Two tasting menus are available if you don’t want to go through the trouble of picking your own eats.