Croatia Travel Blog

Sampling Dubrovnik’s restaurants was an eye-opening experience, particularly when I saw the prices. Yikes! So many upscale visitors are staying in Dubrovnik that restaurant prices seem to know no limits, particularly in the Old Town. Lapad restaurants seem a little more reasonable. It’s hard to find good deals even at lunchtime when you would think restaurant owners might offer a prix-fixe to lure people off the beach. But no. Also disappointing was the ubiquitous “cover charge” now reaching as much as 12KN ($2.20). Even with the high prices (relative to other Croatian destinations), restaurants had no trouble filling up–and this was October!   Reservations are strongly recommended.

Wanda’s

There’s not often a new entry on the restaurant scene and this one made a splash when it opened last year. A number of reviewers praised the imaginative Mediterranean cuisine and they were right, up to a point. I ordered the restaurant’s signature dish–fettucine with wild boar, venison, porcini mushrooms and white truffle oil. “That’s all?” inquired owner/waiter Goran Starcic. At 140KN (€19) I thought that would be plenty. All that meat! And pasta! Alas, the portion was really appetizer-sized and I’m not a huge eater. There were exactly two pieces of meat, each about 2cm. Truthfully, the flavour was delicious. This was far from an ordinary plate of pasta. But still. An extra cup would have made me happy. The glass of wine was also stingy and the bread was the same cheap stuff you find everywhere. Bottom line: not good value for money.

Proto

This is probably Dubrovnik’s most celebrated seafood restaurant, even if some of it is self-celebration. Proto ads and signs start long before you reach Dubrovnik. As elsewhere, fish and seafood are expensive so I chose a vegetarian stuffed-eggplant for my lunch. It was–OK. Nothing special but competently prepared. The small eggplant halves were stuffed with chopped zucchini, tomatoes, other vegetables, topped with cheese and baked. Not bad but also a little pricey at 76KN (€11) plus a cover charge of 12KN. Bottom line: go for broke and get a special meal here or don’t bother at all.

Taj Mahal

This miniscule place on a side street in the Old Town advertises itself as Dubrovnik’s only Bosnian restaurant. It was absolutely jammed and I was glad I had reserved. The menu leans heavily toward meat (especially veal) but there’s also a good selection of salads plus grilled vegetables for vegetarians. I had the skewer “Leon” (70KN) which was turkey chunks grilled with vegetables and served with a baked potato. My table companion had an enormous spinach pie that he had trouble finishing. We loved the convivial atmosphere, large portions and imaginative dishes. Bottom line: good value for money in this casual restaurant.

See more about Dubrovnik restaurants.

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