The Best Places to Eat Near LABRAX, by the Record

1. Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant

The old city walls of Zadar rise just behind the terrace, and the small harbour sits right in front, which means the setting does a lot of work before the food arrives. This is a seafood restaurant with a modern Mediterranean slant, built on classic Adriatic recipes nudged gently into the present. The wine list is short and focused almost entirely on Croatian and Dalmatian producers, which feels right for the view.

1. Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant

1. Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant

Stone walls hung with local craftwork set the tone at this Dalmatian konoba near Zadar, where the kitchen runs from grilled classics to more considered plates built around whatever's fresh. The cooking leans into regional tradition without being rigidly old-fashioned about it. Summer terrace or cozy interior, the Croatian wine list keeps pace either way.

1. Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant

A konoba by name but something more polished in practice, this Murter island restaurant sits near the little bridge connecting the island to the mainland. The fish comes straight from these Adriatic waters, the cooking leans classical, and the desserts are worth leaving room for. The wine list is short but considered, and the outdoor terrace in warmer months makes the whole thing feel like a discovery you'd rather keep to yourself.

1. Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant

Vines and olive trees press right up to the terrace of this Michelin-starred country house restaurant on the island of Pag, which doubles as a boutique hotel if you'd rather not leave. The kitchen runs tasting menus built around Adriatic fish, local lamb, and wild herbs gathered nearby, and the cellar belongs to the family winery, so the wine pairing is less an afterthought and more the whole point.

1. Michelin Guide 1 Star

1. Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant

A Renaissance palazzo beside the Cathedral of St. James is already doing a lot of the work, and the kitchen holds a Michelin star. This is a fine dining restaurant where the chef makes his own olive oil, collaborates with local winemakers on exclusive bottles, and runs two tasting menus built around Dalmatian land and sea. In summer, tables spill onto the external staircase with the cathedral looming overhead, which is the kind of thing that makes a meal hard to evaluate fairly.

1. Michelin Guide 1 Star

The suckling pig arrives in portions sized for people who actually work outdoors, and the rest of the menu follows that same logic. This is a country tavern in the Croatian interior, the kind of place where meat is the whole point and nobody is apologizing for it. The Michelin Guide awards it a Bib Gourmand. In warm weather the terrace fills fast, so a reservation is the move.

1. Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand