After exploring the traditional restaurants, I couldn’t leave Dubrovnik without trying one of the city’s gourmet restaurants. And my choice fell on the restaurant…Dubrovnik, which thus closes this tour of Dubrovnik’s restaurants.

For the record, all articles related to this trip to Croatia.

The concept of Restaurant Dubrovnik

No more traditional Croatian restaurants, this is a gastronomic restaurant with a more international flair. The restaurant’s promise is nothing less than fine, sophisticated dishes in a setting that’s unique in the city.

A promise apparently kept, given the property’s many awards…

The setting of Restaurant Dubrovnik

Once again, a restaurant located in the superb medieval city. To my surprise, there’s no terrace in front of the property.

But once you’ve climbed the stairs, you’re in for a pleasant surprise: the property doesn’t actually have a dining room, but rather a huge rooftop terrace that can be closed and covered if necessary.

So you’re surrounded by the surrounding stone buildings without being “smothered” in a narrow alley. On the other hand, I notice that the shutters will hardly open at all… local residents must have the impression, given the proximity, that the restaurant’s customers dine in their own dining room.

But from the customer’s point of view, the place is excellent.

The menu of Restaurant Dubrovnik

You’ll find plenty of the basic ingredients you’d find in any restaurant of this type, but with dishes sometimes revisited to reflect local traditions and products.

Unlike other restaurants I tried during my stay, this isn’t Croatian cuisine with international touches, but rather international, rather European, cuisine with a Mediterranean twist.

Let’s start with the two tasting menus.

Then the rest of the menu.

For my last evening in town, I won’t hesitate long and choose the “big” 8-course tasting menu.

On the other hand, I won’t consider wine pairing, but rather wines by the glass as I go along: wine pairing often involves a race to finish one’s glass before the next course arrives and, in my opinion, imposes too many mixtures.

Let the service begin…

The meal and the dishes

As usual, I start with a Negroni, which I find a little bland…

You can tell by the color: when there are as many ice cubes as alcohol, and they melt fast, there’s no miracle possible.

We continue with an amuse bouche. There are shrimps, 24-month Parmesan, other ingredients that I don’t remember, and I seemed to detect an aftertaste of truffle.

I look around…we’re really close to the neighbors…

The sun is setting and unfortunately I’m on a slightly more poorly lit part of the terrace: I’m going to have to trust my phone’s capabilities to get decent photos of this dinner.

Next comes the ceviche, one of my favorite dishes.

Warning: the dish is what you see on the side of the plate. An original and surprising presentation, as it highlights the small size of the rations, even if this is logical in the context of a tasting menu.

Photographed from a different angle, it still has more style.

It features shrimp and turbot fillet, with a lemon and orange sauce. I’m more of a fan of lemon ceviche for its freshness, even if it means being acidic at times, but the balance with the orange is just right. More balanced, then, but it lacks the presence in the mouth that I like, especially as the dish is not at all spicy. The whole thing is tasty and fine, but too mild compared with a “real” ceviche.

The waiter, wearing white gloves, asks me my impression after each course.

Special mention for the delicious bread.

The table next to it is not stable, and rather than trying to wedge it the waiters change the table without even moving the customers. Well done!

Next comes the tartare.

It’s served in a crown of toast, the purpose of which I wonder…apart from preventing the architecture of the dish from collapsing in mid-service.

The beef is of Italian origin, accompanied by asparagus, cucumber and quail egg, seasoned with horseradish and dijon mustard.

A fine, well-balanced dish, but like the ceviche, it could have had a little more “oomph”.

It is followed by a celery cream soup with truffles.

The plate arrives with black truffle and shrimp, and the celery velouté is poured on top before my eyes before white truffle is added.

The soup smells delicious. The combination of truffle and shrimp is surprising, but leaves a good impression.

Next: scallops.

They are served with small mushrooms, polenta and goat’s cheese (which I hardly noticed).

The hazelnut vinaigrette balances well with the scallops and, above all, the cooking is perfect and the sauce delicious.

A short break in the meal. The waiter promises me an “entertaining” entremet…and it will be.

Fish and vegetables are placed on stones, and a broth poured over them produces a smoke-like effect similar to dry ice…

The staging is entertaining and the meal isn’t bad.

Next step: foie gras and truffle risotto.

On the top of the dish are medallions of pan-fried foie gras.

An excellent dish.

A glass of champagne arrives at my table. “Gift of the house.” I appreciate it.

It is accompanied by a new entremet: a ball of foie gras

To be honest, I had trouble perceiving the taste of the foie gras, concealed by another ingredient that I had trouble identifying.

Come on…it’s the final stretch with the quail! 3 pieces in 3 cookings!

It’s delicious and melts under the tongue. I didn’t like the nugget-like, slightly crunchy, as much, but that’s marginal.

Time goes by and the terrace remains full.

I talk to the waiter about Dubrovnik’s restaurants and the excellent surprises I’ve had so far. He tells me that there’s only one Michelin-starred restaurant in town (the “360”, which I haven’t managed to get a table at) but that many are recommended by the guide.

It’s almost over and I’m waiting for dessert…but it’s a “pre-dessert” that is brought beforehand. A fruit minestrone.

It’s very fresh and at this stage of the meal it’s really good.

Then comes the real dessert: tiramisu “their way”.

Surprising, to say the least, and I’m still looking for the ties with tiramisu! 3 different reductions…and I’ll stick with raspberry, chocolate and truffle. But in the end, it’s good eating, and after such a meal it’s good not to have a heavy dessert.

I’ll finish with a coffee…which will come with some chocolate treats.

And now it’s over.

What can I say except that I was delighted by this dinner: fine, well-presented dishes and just the right amount of creativity. And quantities perfectly suited to 8-course service.

The atmosphere

It’s hard to talk about the atmosphere of a restaurant when you’re dining on the terrace…Let’s just say that despite the fact that it’s an upscale property, the atmosphere remained friendly and relaxed. A little more effort from the guests than in other places in terms of attire, but it remains very relaxed and convivial.

The service

Absolutely perfect. Friendly and available staff, never reluctant to chat with customers. What’s more, for once I don’t notice any gaps in the service between two courses or before dessert or coffee… But that’s also the advantage of taking such a menu: everything is programmed from the start, so you won’t be forgotten when it’s time to order dessert…

Bottom line

Before leaving Dubrovnik I wanted to get off the beaten track and away from traditional inns to try a gourmet restaurant, and I was not at all disappointed.

From the food to the service, everything was perfect, and the setting was also very pleasant: it’s a nice change from the terraces in the street where the crowds pass by just a meter away!

In the end, the bill came to 170 euros once the wine had been added, which is very expensive for Dubrovnik but well worth it if you compare it with an equivalent restaurant in France.

For the record, I recommended the Restaurant Dubrovnik to a friend who was going to spend a few days there after me as part of his vacation. He took the “small” tasting menu and was so delighted that he returned the next day for the “big” menu for his birthday!

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