10 of the Best Restaurants in Dubrovnik, Croatia

Like any Game of Thrones fan, visiting Dubrovnik has been high on our bucket list for many years now. This coastal city in southern Dalmatia turned out to be every bit as beautiful as we imagined it to be. Its emblematic Old Town looks like a movie set so it wasn’t hard to see why the filmmakers chose it as the filming location for King’s Landing.

From the pictures, we knew Dubrovnik would be breathtaking but one thing we didn’t expect was how touristy the city has gotten in recent years. Thanks to GoT fans like us, Dubrovnik is flooded year after year with tourists, driving up the prices of everything from accommodations to attractions and {gasp} food.

Restaurant prices in the Old Town were especially eye-opening. We perused menu after menu in October 2023 and main courses typically went for at least EUR 25 a dish! Other than the most basic pizzas, it wasn’t easy to find a filling meal (with a drink) for less than EUR 20.

Popularity certainly has its price but if you know where to go, then you can still have enjoyable meals in Dubrovnik without blowing your entire food budget. From local food at sit-down restaurants to pizza, burgers, and street food, here are ten restaurants you may want to check out on your next visit to Dubrovnik.

AWESOME RESTAURANTS TO VISIT IN DUBROVNIK

1. Bistro Revelin

Many restaurants in Dubrovnik serve breakfast but few have the view offered by Bistro Revelin. In fact, we don’t typically eat breakfast at restaurants when we travel, but we had to make an exception this time after seeing this restaurant’s view.

More on the view later but first, here’s a look at my healthy egg white asparagus omelette served with chives and cherry tomatoes.

If you’re like my better half and fancy truffles (really, who doesn’t?), then you’ll probably want to go for these scrambled eggs served with truffles, cream, and a mixed salad.

We ordered this side of grilled asparagus to make our heart-healthy breakfast even healthier. Bistro Revelin also offers other healthy breakfast options like quinoa bowls, granola bowls, and avocado bruschetta.

Located in the shadow of Fort Revelin, just inside Ploce Gate, Bistro Revelin is an outdoor restaurant that offers diners a spectacular view of the harbor and city walls. Warmed by the early morning sun, I don’t think there’s a more picturesque place to have breakfast in Dubrovnik than here.

We visited Bistro Revelin only for breakfast but they do offer lunch, dinner, and cocktails as well. I took a quick look at their lunch menu and they seem to offer a good number of seafood dishes.

Bistro Revelin

Address: Dubrovačke Gradske Zidine, Ul. Svetog Dominika bb, 20000, Dubrovnik
Operating Hours: 9AM-12MN, daily
What They Offer: Breakfast, seafood

2. Gradska Kavana Arsenal (Our Favorite Restaurant in the Old Town)

Gradska Kavana Arsenal was our favorite restaurant in Dubrovnik. Located in a prime people-watching spot, it’s a popular restaurant that serves traditional Croatian cuisine – fresh seafood dishes, meat dishes, black risotto, Dalmatian smoked ham, octopus salad, Mali Ston oysters, and more.

From our experience and their online reviews, it’s clear that Gradska Kavana Arsenal serves delicious food all around but if you like seafood, then you may want to try their grilled Adriatic squid. Served on a bed of potatoes, it’s absolutely delicious and one of the single best dishes we enjoyed in Dubrovnik.

This fillet of poached sea bass served on a bed of potatoes and vegetables was incredibly delicious as well. Fresh fish seems to be a specialty at Gradska Kavana Arsenal. Other than sea bass, they offer different types of fresh fish that change every day.

How beautiful does this side dish of grilled vegetables look?

I enjoy loads of potatoes with my meals so I ordered this side dish of young potatoes flavored with rosemary and garlic.

On our last night in Dubrovnik, we said goodbye to King’s Landing with glasses of wine and an octet of Mali Ston oysters at Gradska Kavana Arsenal. Located about an hour north of Dubrovnik, Mali Ston is a small village famous for these flat oysters that are often mentioned in lists of the world’s best oysters.

If you have a taste for oysters like we do, then you’ll definitely want to try these oysters in Dubrovnik. They’re quite common here and available at many seafood restaurants.

Gradska Kavana Arsenal was the best restaurant we went to in Dubrovnik. Owned and operated by the Nautika Restaurants group, it’s a borderline fine dining experience that offers excellent Croatian food in a prime location in the Old Town.

We like to people-watch when we eat so we dined both times on this terrace, but the restaurant does offer indoor and outdoor seating. I believe they offer seating facing the harbor as well.

Gradska Kavana Arsenal

Address: Ul. Pred Dvorom 1, 20000, Dubrovnik, Croatia
Operating Hours: 8AM-12MN, daily
What They Offer: Seafood, meat dishes

3. Dubravka 1836

Like Gradska Kavana Arsenal, Dubravka 1836 is owned by the Nautika group and has a reputation for being one of the best Dubrovnik restaurants. Located just outside Pile Gate, they offer good food and a similar but wider menu that includes pizza and more local specialties.

What you’re looking at below is the grilled trout served with toasted almonds and any side dish of your choice. At the time of our visit in October 2023, this whole trout with a side dish cost EUR 23. It was one of the better deals we could find for food in the Old Town, especially at a restaurant as nice as this.

Knowing that Dubravka 1836 was owned by the same restaurant group as Gradska Kavana Arsenal, we couldn’t resist ordering the grilled Adriatic squid again. It was presented differently but every bit as delicious.

Both of our main dishes were served with any side of our choice. I went with the boiled vegetables while my better half went with the bowl of Swiss chard and potatoes.

Side dishes at nicer restaurants like this typically go for around EUR 6-7 in the Old Town, so it was nice to have them already included in our meal.

Like all four Nautika restaurants, Dubravka 1836 is a very popular restaurant located in a prime spot in Durbovnik. It’s situated just outside Pile Gate and offers you terrific views of the city walls.

Fresh seafood while gazing out at Fort Bokar, Fort Lovrijenac, and the Adriatic Sea – the Nautika restaurant group really knows what it’s doing!

If you have more money to spend, then you may want to try their other two restaurants in Dubrovnik – Nautika and Panorama. Nautika offers tasting menus while Panorama is located on top of Mount Srd and offers the most spectacular views in all of Dubrovnik.

PRO TIP: You can get a 10% discount at Dubravka 1836 and Gradska Kavana Arsenal with a Dubrovnik Pass. You can click through to their website for more details but it’s basically an all-inclusive pass that gives you access to the wall walk and over ten museums in Dubrovnik. It’ll also give you free access to public transportation and entitle to you discounts at several restaurants, shops, and services around town.

Dubravka 1836

Address: Brsalje ul. 1, 20000, Dubrovnik
Operating Hours: 8AM-12MN, daily
What They Offer: Seafood, pizza, meat dishes

4. Academia

As described, restaurant prices in the Old Town are high. It’s hard to find good food for cheap in King’s Landing so one of the best things you can do is to go beyond the city walls and into Lapad, a newer and more residential part of Dubrovnik located a few kilometers northwest of the Old Town.

We had our eye on a few restaurants in Lapad but we eventually settled on Academia, a restaurant in a hotel (Akademis Academia) owned by the University of Dubrovnik. At Academia, main courses on their a la carte menu are priced as low as EUR 12 and you can even get three-course meals for just EUR 15.

Pictured below is the fisherman’s smoked seafood risotto. At the time of our visit, this filling dish was priced at just EUR 11.

We were lucky to be in Dubrovnik for the Good Food Festival when participating restaurants were offering set meals at a lower price. Academia was one of those restaurants and they were offering meat or fish three-course set menus for EUR 25 each.

I went with the fish menu which started with this tasty bowl of hummus served with tortilla chips.

For my main course, I enjoyed these hefty chunks of grilled swordfish steak served with vegetables, capers, and a creamy white wine sauce.

For the third and final course, I was given this rozata or Croatian creme caramel served with a side of whipped cream. If you like flan, then you’re going to love this dessert.

Academia is located about a 30-40 minute walk west of Pile Gate. We walked to the restaurant but public buses routinely ply routes to Lapad from the Old Town. If you have a valid Dubrovnik Pass, then the bus fare is free.

This is what the inside of the restaurant looks like. With some effort, you can find good but affordable restaurants like Academia in Dubrovnik.

Academia

Address: Ul. Marka Marojice 2, 20000, Dubrovnik
Operating Hours: 7AM-10PM, daily
What They Offer: Seafood, pasta, risotto

5. Presa

We were so happy to find Presa. It’s one of the few restaurants in Dubrovnik that offers filling meals without straining your wallet.

Presa is a comfort food restaurant that offers wraps, burgers, sandwiches, and a few grilled dishes. Burgers and wraps go for around EUR 9-11 while sandwiches are priced as low as EUR 5. At those prices in the Old Town, I was expecting tiny sandwiches but that wasn’t the case at all!

What you’re looking at here is the cevapi burger, perhaps the most delicious comfort food you can enjoy anywhere in Croatia. They’re basically grilled meat sausages (similar to Turkish kofte) that you can enjoy on their own or served in lepinja bread as a sandwich filling with ajvar (pepper condiment).

Burger restaurants are everywhere in the Old Town but for a taste of good local comfort food, I highly recommend trying cevapi. They’re delicious.

Here’s a closer look at the cevapi (or cevapcici). At Presa, you can get a plated version with ten sausages or you can enjoy them in burger form with five or eight sausages.

This grilled chicken tortilla was delicious as well. At just EUR 9, it was much bigger than I thought!

We didn’t expect the wraps and burgers to be so filling so we got plates of grilled vegetables to supplement our meal. They come with a few good-sized slivers of eggplant and zucchini.

In a place as expensive as Old Town Dubrovnik, restaurants like Presa truly are a godsend. It’s tucked away in one of the alleys so you can refer to our location map to see exactly where it is.

Presa

Address: Đorđićeva ul. 2, 20000, Dubrovnik
Operating Hours: 12NN-11:30PM, daily
What They Offer: Burgers, wraps, sandwiches

6. Burger House Republic

We found Burger House Republic by chance after enjoying lunch at Presa. The charming owner claimed to make the best burgers in town so we told him we’d be back. I’m glad that we did because the food here really was excellent.

Pictured below is the Khaleesi tuna steak salad. Fit for a queen, this unexpectedly delicious salad may have been the single best thing I ate in Dubrovnik. It’s made with a generous amount of sesame-crusted tuna steak served with lettuce, arugula, tomatoes, black olives, and a hard-boiled egg. My god was this delicious!

Octopus burgers are a thing in Dubrovnik and something you need to try at least once. Many restaurants serve them but I’m glad we tried it at Burger House Republic because their version was absolutely delicious.

Can you see the hefty chunks of octopus in the patty? It’s served in a black bun with arugula, tomato, olive pate, and garlic mayonnaise along with a side of french fries.

Do you see those tables with red chairs in the back? Those belong to Presa. These two restaurants are literally a stone’s throw from each other.

At EUR 16-20 per burger, Burger House Republic isn’t as cheap as Presa but it’s definitely worth visiting as well. Their food is delicious and by Dubrovnik standards, moderately priced.

Burger House Republic

Address: Široka ul. 4, 20000, Dubrovnik
Operating Hours: 11AM-10PM, daily
What They Offer: Burgers, seafood, salads

7. Oliva Pizzeria

Like burger restaurants, pizzerias are a dime a dozen in Dubrovnik. As much as we love them, they aren’t exactly the best example of Croatian cuisine. But considering how popular they are in the Old Town, we had to include at least one pizzeria in this restaurant guide.

We had a few restaurants on our short list but we eventually went with Oliva Pizzeria based on its offerings and the strength of their online reviews. They offer over two dozen Neapolitan-style pizzas, pasta dishes, and salads. They even have a mozzarella bar.

What you’re looking at below is the funghi pizza (split in two) topped with San Marzano Dop tomato sauce, mozzarella fior di latte, fresh mushrooms, and oregano. You can add extra toppings so we asked them to top ours off with some arugula.

The pizzas in Dubrovnik are no joke. They’re delicious and according to many reviewers, up to Italian standards.

We ordered this tuna salad to supplement our pizza. It was served with cooked tuna, fresh tomatoes, purple onions, green peppers, capers, and Kalamata olives.

There are many great pizzerias in Dubrovnik but Oliva Pizzeria is definitely one you should consider.

Oliva Pizzeria

Address: Lučarica ul. 5, 20000, Dubrovnik
Operating Hours: 10AM-11PM, daily
What They Offer: Pizza, salads

8. Holy Burek

Aside from gelato shops, you won’t find too many vendors selling street food within the city walls but one notable exception is Holy Burek. As their name suggests, they offer just one thing on their menu – burek. If you’ve never had it before, it’s a type of flaky filled pastry that’s popular in Turkiye and in many countries throughout the Balkans.

At the time of our visit in October 2023, each arm-length serving was priced at EUR 5. You can get it filled with cheese, cheese and spinach, or cheese and leeks. It was delicious and as good as any borek we’ve had in Istanbul.

Here’s an inside look at the burek’s fillings. We got ours filled with cheese and spinach.

Holy Burek is located along the main strip parallel to the Stradun so it shouldn’t be hard to spot.

Holy Burek

Address: Ul. od Puča 22, 20000, Dubrovnik
Operating Hours: 9AM-7PM, daily
What They Offer: Burek

9. Gianni

Like many popular vacation spots in southern Europe, there’s no shortage of gelato shops in Dubrovnik. We wanted to find the best and our research led us to Gianni, which perhaps unsurprisingly, was one of the gelaterias featured in the Croatia episode of Somebody Feed Phil.

Honestly, I don’t know how much better one gelato shop really is than the next but this cup of goat cheese blackberry gelato from Gianni was the bomb.

“Please don’t tap the glass – it scares the ice cream”. At the time of our visit, gelato shops in the Old Town were charging around EUR 2.50-3 per scoop.

Aside from their heavenly gelato, Gianni offers a few freshly baked cakes and pastries as well.

Gianni is hidden in an alleyway that many tourists don’t typically walk through so you can check our location map for its exact location.

It doesn’t look like she’s enjoying her ice cream.

Gianni

Address: Ul. kneza Damjana Jude bb, 20000, Dubrovnik
Operating Hours: 10AM-10PM, daily
What They Offer: Gelato, pastries

10. Buza Bar

Speaking of Phil Rosenthal, we learned about Buza Bar through his show as well. Bars and restaurants with good views are common in Dubrovnik but nothing beats this one.

To find it, refer to our location map and then walk through this hole in the city wall.

The short tunnel quickly opens up to this bar on a platform perched over the Adriatic Sea. That’s Lokrum Island in the distance.

It was windy and overcast when we went but it didn’t matter – the views from Buza Bar are spectacular! Imagine this view at sunset on a clear day.

They don’t serve any fancy cocktails at Buza Bar – just beer, wine, and soft drinks. With a view like this, who needs anything else?

Thanks Somebody Feed Phil! Now on to Split and Zadar…

Buza Bar

Address: Crijevićeva ul. 9, 20000, Dubrovnik
Operating Hours: 8AM-12MN, daily
What They Offer: Beer, wine, soft drinks

LOCATION MAP

To help you find these restaurants in Dubrovnik, I’ve pinned them all on the map below. Click on the link for a live version of the map.

FINAL THOUGHTS ON THE BEST RESTAURANTS IN DUBROVNIK

Dubrovnik is achingly beautiful but gone are the days when Phil Rosenthal described it as being like Italy, but at half the price. My sister fell in love with Croatia years before the GoT hype and she was surprised when I told her how much more expensive it’s gotten.

True, Dubrovnik is pricey, but as some of the restaurants on this list show, you can still enjoy delicious meals in the Old Town without having to sell a kidney.

To be fair, the restaurant portions in Dubrovnik are often quite large so you do get what you pay for. The Dalmatian coast is home to delicious Mediterranean cuisine so it’d be a shame not to let go and treat yourself to a good meal once in a while.

I checked the Michelin Guide and as of this writing, there are three Michelin-recommended restaurants in Dubrovnik. Restaurant 360 owns one Michelin Star while Taj Mahal and Bugenvila are Bib Gourmand awardees.

Taj Mahal is particularly interesting. In spite of the name, they serve Bosnian food. You can enjoy traditional Bosnian dishes like klepe (meat-filled dumplings), pljeskavica (grilled meat dish), and bosanki lonac (Bosnian pot). If you’re curious about trying Bosnian cuisine, then this is as good a place to try it in Dubrovnik.

Aside from traditional food, we also like to eat healthy so we look for health-focused restaurants in every city we visit. While there don’t seem to be many vegan and vegetarian restaurants in Dubrovnik, many restaurants do serve vegetarian dishes. Unless I’m mistaken, Nishta seems to be the only vegan restaurant in the Old Town.

No matter what your budget and dietary choices may be, I hope this restaurant guide helps you narrow down the choices as you hop from restaurant to restaurant. Dubrovnik is home to a lot of delicious food, which is one of the reasons why we enjoyed it so much.

Thanks for reading and have an amazing time eating your way through King’s Landing!

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