What to Eat in Dubrovnik: Local Dishes, Where Locals Eat & the Best Food Tours

The short version: in Dubrovnik, eat Ston oysters and black risotto, octopus salad, mussels buzara and a slice of rožata, the local crème caramel. For an honest Old Town lunch, queue at Kamenice on Gundulić Square; for black risotto by the old harbour, go to Lokanda Peskarija; for a dinner locals rate, take the bus to Pantarul in Lapad. Drink Malvasija Dubrovačka from Konavle and Plavac Mali from Pelješac. And if you only have a day or two, a guided food tour is the shortcut to the right places. Below: what to eat, exactly where to eat it, what to drink, and the food experiences worth booking.

What to eat in Dubrovnik, and where to eat it

Where to eat in Dubrovnik

The rule here: never order from a picture menu on the Stradun. Walk one or two streets back, towards Prijeko or the squares behind the Cathedral, and prices drop and cooking improves. Better still, eat at least once outside the walls: Gruž, the ferry port with the morning market, and Lapad, the residential peninsula to the west, are where Dubrovnik people actually go out. From June to September, book dinner a day or two ahead.

For a classic dinner in the Old Town

Proto, founded in 1886 in a palace just off the Stradun, is listed in the Michelin Guide (Michelin listing). Order the octopus salad, gratinated Ston oysters and Adriatic fish, and ask for the covered upper terrace. Kopun, on the quiet square in front of the Jesuit church, is the mid-priced choice for old Dubrovnik recipes; the house dish is kopun, capon cooked for hours.

For a local lunch without a booking

Kamenice has served the same short menu on Gundulić Square for decades: Ston oysters on ice, black risotto, small fried fish, octopus salad, mussels buzara, and always rožata for dessert. Portions are generous and prices are low for the location, so it is almost always full; in summer expect to queue. By the old harbour, Lokanda Peskarija serves fried squid and black risotto in black iron pots at harbourside tables; go early in high season.

For a cheap, fast meal

Buffet Škola, a tiny place just off the Stradun, makes the Old Town’s best sandwich: warm house bread, pršut from Drniš and cheese from Konavle. Locals queue for it every day. Barba is Dubrovnik’s seafood street food: octopus burgers, fried oysters and calamari to eat at the counter. For something heartier, Taj Mahal holds a Michelin Bib Gourmand (Michelin listing) for Bosnian cooking: grilled meats from its own butcher and a plum baklava made to a family recipe.

Outside the walls: Gruž and Lapad

In Lapad, Pantarul is the restaurant locals name when they do not want a table with a view: a seasonal menu built on fish and produce from small farms in Župa and Konavle, homemade pasta and bread, and a Croatian wine list. In Gruž, Bistro 49 is open from breakfast to late with fair prices and a very good black risotto; Porat, next to the market, cooks fish from local fishermen for ferry passengers and locals alike; and Glorijet, in a former boat dock, is good for the catch of the day with Dalmatian wines.

For peka

Konoba Dubrava sits in the village of Bosanka on Srđ hill above the city. Its speciality is peka of lamb, veal, pork or octopus, plus meat from the grill. Peka cooks for hours under the bell, so ring ahead to order it, and take a taxi up.

For a special dinner

Restaurant 360, on the city walls above the old harbour, holds a Michelin star (Michelin listing) and serves two tasting menus from chef Marijo Curić; it is closed on Mondays. Nautika, just outside the Pile Gate between the Lovrijenac and Bokar fortresses, is listed in the Michelin Guide (Michelin listing) for Dalmatian recipes with French and Italian technique; reservations are essential. Restaurant Dubrovnik, on a top floor in the Old Town, is also in the Michelin Guide (Michelin listing), with tasting menus of five courses or more built on Adriatic fish.

Names link to Google Maps for directions. We checked these places in October 2026. Opening days change, especially out of season, so check before you go.

The markets

The small morning market on Gundulić Square, in the heart of the Old Town, is where to pick up dried figs, honey, olives, pršut, Pag cheese and seasonal fruit for a picnic; it is a morning market, so go early. The bigger, more local market is the Gruž market on the harbour front at Gruž, where locals shop for fruit and vegetables. Pair it with breakfast or lunch at the bistros around it.

What to drink in Dubrovnik

The local white is Malvasija Dubrovačka, grown by small family wineries in the Konavle valley south of the city. The red is Plavac Mali, the big Dalmatian grape, whose most famous wines, Dingač and Postup, come from the steep slopes of the Pelješac peninsula. On a hot day, do as locals do and drink bevanda, red wine with a splash of water, and finish dinner with a glass of prošek, the sweet dessert wine. For a glass in the Old Town, D’vino pours a long list of Croatian wines by the glass and in tasting servings, with small plates of local produce. For an aperitif with a view of the harbour, Gradska Kavana Arsenal is the city’s grand café, with a terrace on Luža Square. To taste the wines where they grow, see our Pelješac wine tours from Dubrovnik and the Dubrovnik wine tours.

Food experiences to book in Dubrovnik

The Old Town is small but crowded, and the best tables are a street back or outside the walls. A food tour solves that on a short visit: a local guide takes you to the right konobas and tasting stops in a few hours, explains the oysters, the cured ham and the wines, and leaves you knowing where to eat for the rest of your stay.

Our pick: the Sightseeing, Food and Wine Tour, rated 4.9 (272) on GetYourGuide.

Ratings as shown on GetYourGuide in October 2026. Check the listing for live prices and availability.

Food day trips from Dubrovnik

The best food day out is north to Mali Ston, an hour up the coast, for oysters and mussels straight from the bay: Kapetanova kuća on the waterfront is the classic address, serving Ston oysters raw, grilled, in tempura or in a creamy soup. Continue on to the Pelješac peninsula for Plavac Mali in the Dingač and Postup vineyards. South of the city, the Konavle valley is the home of Malvasija Dubrovačka; in the village of Gruda, Koraćeva kuća cooks traditional recipes from its own garden in a 300-year-old estate. See all the options in our food lover’s day trips from Dubrovnik, and if you are travelling the coast, the Dalmatian food route from Split to Dubrovnik.

Frequently asked questions

What is the one dish to eat in Dubrovnik?

Ston oysters, raw with a squeeze of lemon. Eat them at Kamenice on Gundulić Square, or go to the source at Kapetanova kuća in Mali Ston. For a cooked dish, black risotto at Lokanda Peskarija by the old harbour.

Where do locals eat in Dubrovnik?

Mostly outside the walls, in Gruž and Lapad: Pantarul in Lapad, and Bistro 49, Porat and Glorijet around the Gruž harbour. In the Old Town, the queue of locals at Buffet Škola and Kamenice says enough.

Where can I eat cheaply in Dubrovnik?

A pršut and cheese sandwich at Buffet Škola, an octopus burger at Barba, and the short menu at Kamenice are the best-value meals inside the walls. Picnic food from the Gundulić Square market costs even less.

Do I need to book restaurants in Dubrovnik?

For dinner from June to September, yes, especially at Nautika, Restaurant 360, Restaurant Dubrovnik and Pantarul. Kamenice and Lokanda Peskarija work on a queue, so go early. Peka at Konoba Dubrava has to be ordered ahead.

What is rožata?

Dubrovnik’s own crème caramel, the dessert every traditional menu ends with. Kamenice always serves it, and Proto has it on its dessert list.

Is a Dubrovnik food tour worth it?

Yes, if you have one or two days. The Old Town is full of tourist menus, and a few hours with a local guide gets you to the places worth your money. Compare the options above or on our Dubrovnik food tours page.

Plan your Dubrovnik food trip

Dubrovnik food tours · Dubrovnik cooking classes · Dubrovnik wine tours · Food experiences in Dubrovnik · Pelješac wine tours from Dubrovnik · Food day trips from Dubrovnik · Split or Dubrovnik for food and wine · Dalmatian coast food route