So far, my culinary experiences have been pretty good in Croatia, especially in Dubrovnik’s restaurants, despite a minor disappointment with the service at Heritage of Dubrovnik. I feel I’ve had enough of traditional local cuisine and decide to try something a little more creative.

My choice was Zuzori, a Michelin-approved restaurant which, according to the menu, offers a number of innovations based on traditional local dishes.

As a reminder, all articles related to this trip to Dubrovnik :

The concept of Zuzori

The restaurant promises traditional cuisine with a modern twist. I trust the promise, it will be a change from the real traditional, which I’m beginning to get used to.

The setting at Zuzori

Once again, I won’t tell you about the restaurant’s interior, which I didn’t enter. Like many places in Dubrovnik, the tables on the terraces are lined up in one of the many narrow streets of the medieval old town, and it’s the most beautiful setting you can dream of here.

The menu at Zuzori

Much simpler than my previous dinners, it fits on a sheet of double-sided paper.

There’s evidence of the fundamentals of Croatian restaurants, but apart from a few added ingredients here and there, it doesn’t deviate as much as I might have expected.

So be it.

The meal and the dishes

Once again, the staff are extremely friendly and take their time to recommend a wine. So far I’ve had nothing but pleasant surprises with local wines.

I start with an aperitif (a negroni as usual) and they bring me bread and tapenade to wait.

I find the cocktail a little “light” but at least well-balanced (which isn’t difficult for a Negroni, after all…).

The starter arrives quickly. I chose the fish carpaccio of the day, which happened to be tuna.

Nothing to say about the presentation. No unpleasant surprises on the fish, at least here you can be sure it’s fresh. Not too surprising a dish compared to what I’ve eaten so far, but to my great surprise the orange and capers made a welcome change to the taste of this basic dish.

It’s original, balanced and fresh.

On the other hand, the quantity is a little light. In fact, the tuna carpaccio is a salad topped with tuna carpaccio!

In the end it’s good but I was expecting more fish.

I’ll go on to the oxtail and beef cheek, simmered for 18 hours, but not without waiting a little longer than necessary.

Once again, I didn’t choose the most Instagrammable dish.

Again, given my recent meals, I was expecting something heartier.

Compared to Konoba Bonaca‘s Dirty Macaroni, cheese au gratin on the plate is an excellent idea. The meat is deliciously melting and full of flavour.

The potatoes are delicious and I wonder what the point is of the mashed potatoes on the side (which are good by the way), which are “a second side dish too many”.

All in all, a very good main course, but without being fantastic.

For dessert I’ll have the apple and strawberry tart on a crumble with vanilla sauce.

Very surprising. I searched a bit for apple and found mostly strawberry, but in the end it was a very fresh, good dessert, with a very good balance of ingredients.

The atmosphere at Zuzori

Pleasant, relaxed atmosphere.

The service

Smiling and very available staff, always ready to answer a question or give advice, lots of interaction with customers.

My only regret is the wait between the starter and the main course. Fortunately, I was chatting with a friend who had just arrived in Croatia to exchange our impressions and good addresses, otherwise I might have found the time a little long.

Bottom line

A good meal but I expected a little more given the restaurant’s promise. The dishes are good, but in the end they don’t deviate much from what you’d find in other traditional restaurants, the creativity the restaurant boasts being only marginal. The quantities are smaller than in previous meals. In the end I didn’t eat any better than at Konoba Bonaca, less in quantity, I drank less wine and in the end the bill was a little higher (80 euros) which isn’t really justified.

A good experience, but nothing exceptional.

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