What to Eat in Hvar: An Island Food Guide

The short version: Hvar eats like a sun-baked Dalmatian island — gregada (the island’s white fish and potato stew), fresh grilled fish and shellfish, lamb and octopus peka, and herbs and lavender in everything. Drink the island’s own Plavac Mali and Bogdanuša whites, and finish with something sweet from the old Benedictine convent. Here is what to order.

At a glance

From the sea

Hvar’s signature dish is gregada, the fishermen’s stew: white fish and potatoes gently cooked with garlic, parsley, white wine and plenty of the island’s olive oil — simple and among the oldest recipes in Dalmatia. Beyond it, eat fresh fish grilled and sold by the kilo, buzara (mussels or shrimp in a garlic, wine and breadcrumb broth), and octopus, either grilled or in a cool salad. As everywhere on the coast, crni rižot (black risotto) turns up too. For the dishes shared across the region, see Croatian dishes explained.

From the land, and the sweet finish

Inland Hvar is fragrant with rosemary, sage and lavender, and the cooking follows: lamb and octopus peka, slow-cooked under an iron bell, are the feast dishes (order ahead). You’ll find pašticada here too, the sweet-sour braised beef with gnocchi, and hearty cheese and pršut from the island’s small producers. For dessert, look for paprenjak, a peppery honey-and-nut biscuit, and the almond sweets the island’s Benedictine convent is known for.

What to drink, and how to eat it

Drink the island: Hvar makes serious Plavac Mali reds on the steep southern slopes above Sveta Nedjelja, and crisp local whites — Bogdanuša, Prč and Pošip — perfect with the seafood. A tasting is the easiest way in; browse Hvar wine tours for cellar visits and island wine trips. Eat in Hvar Town for buzz, but also in quieter Stari Grad and Jelsa, and in the hill villages where the konobas cook peka. Hvar is an easy catamaran from Split, so it slots neatly into a coast trip — see what to eat in Split and our Split-to-Dubrovnik food route.

Frequently asked questions

What food is Hvar known for?

Gregada, the island’s white fish and potato stew, plus fresh grilled fish and shellfish, lamb and octopus peka, and Hvar’s own Plavac Mali reds and Bogdanuša whites — with lavender and herbs running through the cooking.

What is gregada?

An old Hvar fishermen’s stew of white fish and potatoes cooked with garlic, parsley, olive oil and white wine. It’s simple, fragrant and the island’s signature dish.

What wine should I drink on Hvar?

The island’s own — powerful Plavac Mali reds from the southern slopes, and crisp local whites such as Bogdanuša and Pošip, which pair beautifully with the seafood.

Taste Hvar

Book a Hvar wine tour, reach the island on a Split food tour or day trip, or plan the wider coast from the Croatia hub.