Michelin's Croatia - where the flavours of the Mediterranean and Central Europe meet

It is well documented that the culinary arts made their way to Europe via the city republic of Venice. In the 13th century, when Marco Polo returned from China, Venice stretched along the entire Adriatic coast all the way down to Ragusa, now Dubrovnik. This stretch of coastline is now Croatia's most star-studded area according to the Michelin Guide.

Three new stars make ten in total

In the Guide Michelin 2021, Croatia has three new star restaurants. Restaurant Agli Amici is located in Rovinj, Istria, housed in a first-class hotel in the peninsula's largest tourist resort. In Istria, the raw materials come not only from the fishing boats on the sea but also from the farms further inland on the peninsula. The similarities with Venice are many. In Rovinj, too, the large piazza is on the waterfront and its campanile is similar to that of St Mark's Square. In addition, more than 10% of the inhabitants speak Italian as their mother tongue. Rovinj is also a good starting point for excursions in Istria. To the south is Pula with its large, well-preserved Roman amphitheatre, the largest after the Colosseum in Rome.

The second is Nebo in Rijeka, located high up in the Hilton Costabella hotel. It overlooks both the city, which was once the port and naval city of the Austro-Hungarian Dual Monarchy. And the spa town of Opatija, which was the Habsburgs' seaside resort. Rijeka is Croatia's third largest city with 129,000 inhabitants. The Habsburgs ruled here from the 17th to the 19th century. And Italy left Rijeka only after the end of the Second World War. Rijeka has remained the country's largest port city but also a centre of culture, education and economy. With Nebo, Rijeka/Opatija has gained its second star restaurant, the first being Villa Ariston.

The third is Alfred Keller, located on the south side of Losinj, one of the larger islands in the Kvarner Bay. The main town on Losinj is Mali Losinj, "Little Losinj", but as a tourist resort it is large and has an airport, which is unusual in the island world. The main attraction on the island of Losinj is the Marine Centre, whose mission includes the conservation of the Adriatic bottlenose dolphins and turtles. The name Alfred Keller sounds German, as does the name of the chef, Christian Kuchler. But the inspiration comes from both Central European and French cuisine based on local ingredients. Alfred Keller is located in the Boutique Hotel Alhambra.

In Michelin's footsteps through Croatia

Restaurant 360° is located in Dubrovnik, one of Europe's top tourist resorts and well deserving of its nickname "Pearl of the Adriatic". The city was founded in the 6th century and later became the second most important city in the Republic of Venice under the name of Ragusa. The almost two-kilometre-long city wall that surrounds the myriad of alleys and squares is up to 6 metres thick and has 15 defensive towers. If you want to see the city from a height of 400 metres, take the cable car up to Mount Srd. Together with the new district, Dubrovnik is Dalmatia's second largest city after Split, which is reflected in its entertainment and cultural offerings.

LD Terrace Restaurant is located in the town of Korčula on the island of the same name and is a lively tourist resort. The main attraction is the house where Marco Polo was born. However, this is disputed, other sources say that he was born in Venice. But the fact that the family originated from Korcula is undisputed. The town is situated on a peninsula and is surrounded by a ring wall and the resemblance to Dubrovnik is striking but on a smaller scale.

Restaurant Pelegrini in Šibenik, located on the mainland in the central part of Dalmatia. The town is mainly a tourist resort but also has shipyards. Sibenik was founded in the 10th century and later became one of the strongest strongholds of Venice. The St Nicholas Fortress in Sibenik's harbour harbour is testimony to this and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Also near Sibenik are the spectacular Krka waterfalls and their national park.

Boškinac Restaurant, Zrce is the name of one of the most famous beaches on the Adriatic coast. Its reputation as a party beach on a par with the best in Florida attracts thousands of young people from all over Europe. Novalja, as the town is called, is located on the island of Pag, which until the end of the First World War belonged to Austria. Before tourism arrived, Pag was famous for the extraction of salt from the clean sea.

Draga di Lovrana in Lovran, located on what is known as the "Kvarner Riviera", is really just a suburb of famous Opatija, the spa town where the Austrian emperor held court in the winters. Then other monarchs came here, Oscar the Second of Sweden being one of them.  So from Lovran it's close to all the things that made Opatija the spa capital of the late 19th century: the casino, the spa park, the promenade, the lavish spa hotels, the sailing regattas and the festival games.

Noel in Zagreb, Zagreb was already known as a restaurant town in Yugoslavia. Back then there were 700 restaurants in the city, today the number has probably doubled. Central European cuisine was also dominant then. Today's 800,000 inhabitants and increasing numbers of visitors can enjoy a much wider choice on the table. The influence of the city republic of Venice in the cities of the Adriatic coast is matched here by the dominance of the Habsburgs. Croatia was one of the crown lands of Austria-Hungary and Zagreb still bears the nickname "Bec u malom" - "Vienna in a small way".

Guide Michelin 2021 innehåller också 13 kroatiska restauranger i kategorin Bib Gourmand.

Links: Michelin Restaurants address, Food experiences in Croatia, Croatia tourist information, Safe Stay in Croatia

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