What to eat in Croatia? - 25 classic dishes you must try

Writer: Helena Bergström

Updated: May 2026 | What do you eat in Croatia? We list 25 Croatian specialties and tell you about our experiences with Croatian food. In Croatia you can find everything from grilled fish and lamb to truffles and local cheeses. Come and taste Croatia!

What to eat in Croatia? - a quick overview

We have previously written about Italian cuisine and Hungarian food, and now it's time for Croatian cuisine! Here are some typical examples of what to eat in Croatia:

• Main dishes: Grilled meat, cevapcici, peka and seafood
• Accessories: Potatoes with chard and black risotto
• Delicacies: Pršut, kulen, cheese from Pag and oysters from Ston
• Drinks: Wine is very popular, especially along the coast

We have travelled in Croatia on several occasions, mainly along the coast but also inland, and we really enjoy the nature, the charming towns – and the food. Here we list a number of classic Croatian dishes, along with our own favorites and tips.

Typical Croatian food - 25 classic dishes

Here we list Croatian dishes that are interesting to try, including desserts, sweets and drinks.

1. grilled lamb

This is a Croatian speciality, which is often served on festive occasions. Among other things, we enjoyed really good lamb at Kopacina restaurant on the island of Brac. Lamb is served in many restaurants so don't miss this. Often very good!

2. Peka (dish in wood oven)

Peka is a rustic Croatian dish that originates from the Dalmatia. The dish can include anything from chicken to veal or squid and is cooked in a pot in a wood-fired oven. We tried a veal version at a restaurant in Zagreb. Tasty and filling!

3. pašticada (meat stew)

A Dalmatian specialty consisting of marinated beef stuffed with carrots, garlic and bacon and then braised in red wine. The dish is served with homemade ”njoki”, which is roughly the same as gnocchi.

4. Ćevapčići (mince pies)

A minced meat dish that is common in Croatia, but also in many neighboring countries such as Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia and North Macedonia. The dish can be served with pita bread, vegetables and the paprika mixture ajvar, for example.

5. Grilled fresh fish

Everywhere along the Croatian coast, you can order fresh grilled fish in restaurants. The fish is often served relatively simply, with vegetables or potatoes with chard. However, the so good! If you want to get fancy, you can order a fish plate with both fish and seafood.

6. Octopus

If you like squid, you can really get your fill in Croatia. None of us are particularly fond of squid but we have often been served it on fish plates, for example, and we must admit that the squid still tastes unusually good here.

7. Sarma (cabbage rolls)

Sarma is a classic Croatian dish consisting of cabbage leaves stuffed with minced meat and rice, often spiced and slow-cooked in a flavourful sauce. It is particularly common during the winter months and at festive times. Filling, rustic and delicious!

8. Blitva (potatoes with Swiss chard)

When you order fish in Croatia, it is common to serve it with potatoes mixed with chard. Not so bad!

9. Crni rižoto (black risotto)

If you are tired of regular risotto, you can order black risotto, especially in Dalmatia. This is risotto coloured black by the ink of squid.

10. Zagorski Strukli (cheese-filled dough balls)

Small pasta dumplings filled with cheese and gratinated in the oven. Quite rich, but very tasty!

11. Burek (filled pastry pie)

A very popular dish in Croatia, especially as a quick lunch or snack. It is made from thin dough filled with meat, cheese or spinach and baked into a crispy pie or roll. Perfect when you want something simple, affordable and really tasty.

12. Ajvar (pepper paste)

A spicy sauce/sauce with paprika as the main ingredient. Found everywhere in the Balkans, ajvar is a very popular flavouring. In supermarkets, you can see jars of ajvar in long rows that never seem to run out.

13. Croatian olives

Croatia produces a lot of olives, and they are very tasty. Many times you can get olives as a little pick-me-up before the meal, maybe together with air-dried ham and local cheeses.

READ MORE: 10 things you (maybe) didn't know about olives

14. Kulen (spicy sausage)

In Croatia you will find a lot of specialities in the form of cold cuts and various sausages. One of these is kulen, which is made from meat, paprika and garlic. Kulen is one of the most expensive and luxurious sausage products in Croatia.

15. Prsut (air-dried ham)

Croatia has its equivalent of Parma ham and prosciutto. Pršut is an air-dried ham that is very tasty. Perfect as a small appetiser with cheeses and olives.

16. Šokol (dried pork)

Salted and dried meat from the neck of the pig, then marinated in red wine and flavoured with pepper, cloves and nutmeg. This is a local speciality that you can find in and around the Croatian city of Nin.

17. Oysters from Ston

Known for their distinctive flavour, these oysters are apparently available not only raw but also breaded, grilled, in soup or in risotto.

18. Cheese from Pag

Paški sir, which simply means “cheese from Pag”, is a sheep cheese that is immensely popular in Croatia. We visited one of the producers at Island of Pag and when we asked about the ”secret”, they told us it's about the raw materials rather than the manufacturing process.

The sheep roaming the island are small and hardy, and the grass they eat is full of salt and minerals. As the number of sheep on the island is limited, the price is relatively high, but it's worth it!

19. Truffle

An exclusive speciality served mainly in and around Istria. For years, a record was held in 1999 with a truffle weighing 1.31kg, found in the famous truffle forest of Motovun. Truffles are used as a seasoning for pasta and risotto, and there are also products such as truffle oil, truffle cheese and truffle salt.

READ MORE: What are truffles? 15 interesting facts about truffles

20. Labinski krafi (dessert from Labin)

The dessert ”labinski krafi” is a local speciality in the town of Labin in Istria. These are small dough dumplings that are filled with cheese. When we ate them, they were served with a caramel sauce. Very tasty!

21. Fritule

A popular small pastry, which you can especially see during Advent and at Christmas markets in Croatia. The recipe differs from place to place, but common is generous frying.

22. Licitar heart

A traditional heart-shaped pastry from Zagreb and northern Croatia. These hearts are often given as gifts on occasions such as weddings, Valentine's Day and birthdays. The process of making the hearts is listed on UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

23. Croatian wine

Croatia produces a lot of wine, both white and red. Production is dominated by dry, white wines. Some common grapes:

• graševina
• malvazija istarkska
• plavac mali
• crljenak kaštelanski (which is identical to zinfandel)

24: Croatian beer

In Croatia, you'll find mainly light lagers, but recently there have also been some craft beers. The two most popular beer brands in Croatia are Ožujsko and Karlovačko.

25. Rakija and plum brandy

Croatian fruit brandy that is very popular. Rakija is a collective name while slivovica is the most famous variety of rakija. Slivovica is made from plums and has a long tradition.

Croatian restaurants

In Croatia you will find plenty of both restaurants and so called "konobas".", that is, traditional Croatian places serving. regional cuisine. Here are also some personalised tips on restaurants we have visited:

Restaurants in Zagreb

• Restaurant Vinodol serves traditional Croatian food. Here you can try, for example, Zagreb-štrukli and peka. Address: Ul. Nikole Tesle 10.

Restaurants in Istria

• Yacht Club Opatija in Opatija has a beautiful view of the Adriatic Sea and serves fish and seafood. Address: Zert ul. 4, Opatija.
• Restaurant Sveti Nikola in Poreč has a lovely atmosphere. Here we had a fantastic mushroom and truffle soup. Address: Obala Maršala Tita 23, Poreč.
• Restaurant Trost in Vrsar is a good restaurant that serves fish and seafood, among other things. Address: Obala Maršala Tita 1, Vrsar.
• Velo Kafe in Labin serves very good food. Here we enjoyed truffle cheese, pasta with crayfish in wine sauce and the local dessert Labinski krafi. Address: Ul. Paola Sfecija 1, Labin.
• Konoba Feral Fažana serves, among other things, grilled fish. Here we had a lovely fish plate and a semifreddo. Address: Boraca 11, Fažana.

Restaurants in Dalmatia

• Tavern Batela, Blue Sun Hotels is located near Paklenica National Park and has a nice restaurant. Here we had a fantastic fish plate. Address: Bluesun Camp Paklenica.
• Restoran Sokol Nin is a nice restaurant. Here we ate, among other things, the salted and dried pork "sokol". Address: Ul. Hrvatskog Sabora 2, Nin.
• Restaurant Groppo in Zadar serves good food, including lamb, fish and delicious desserts. Address: Široka ul. 22, Zadar.
• Restaurant 2Ribara in Zadar is a good restaurant. We each tried a good fish dish here. Address: Ul. Blaža Jurjeva 1, Zadar.
• Pizzeria Antula in Omiš is cosy among the alleys. Here we had a really good fish plate. Address: Knezova Kačića bb, Omiš.
• Konoba Kopacina on Brac specialises in lamb. Amazingly good! Address: Donji Humac 7, Donji Humac, Brac.

More about food in other countries

Here you can find more stories about food in different countries:

• Albanian food - 20 Albanian dishes
• Italian food - 25 Italian dishes
• Hungarian food - 25 Hungarian dishes
• Food in Montenegro - 18 classic dishes
• Food in North Macedonia - 20 dishes