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

The short version: in Zadar, eat brudet, the slow fish stew served with polenta, octopus salad, pašticada, and from the island of Pag, the hard sheep’s cheese paški sir and Pag lamb. For a konoba dinner in the old town, book Konoba Skoblar near Five Wells Square; for brudet done brilliantly, LABRAX by St Simeon’s church; for a cheap local plate, Bistro Pjat. Finish with a glass of Maraschino, the cherry liqueur Zadar has made for centuries, and drink Dalmatian whites with fish. On a short visit, a guided food tour is the shortcut to the right tables. Below: what to eat, exactly where to eat it, what to drink, and the food experiences worth booking.

What to eat in Zadar, and where to eat it

Where to eat in Zadar

Zadar’s old town sits on a small peninsula, and most of the good konobas are in the lanes between the Kalelarga, the main street, and Five Wells Square at its landward end. The rule: eat in the lanes, have your drink on the waterfront at sunset. The best-value meals are often just outside the walls, in residential districts such as Diklo and Puntamica. In July and August, book dinner.

For a classic konoba dinner

Konoba Skoblar, by Five Wells Square, is one of the oldest and best-known konobas in Zadar and is popular with locals as well as visitors: octopus salad, fried red mullet with chard and a fish brodetto with polenta. A few steps away, Pet Bunara Dine & Wine has a glass floor over the remains of the city walls, a long Croatian wine list and slow-cooked lamb shank. Near the Varoš quarter, 4 Kantuna serves a generous seafood platter and its fisherman’s pan of scampi and fish with polenta.

For a local lunch

Bistro Pjat, in an old town lane, is a simple, homely bistro with honest Dalmatian cooking; order the pašticada. Kod Stipe has cooked home-style daily dishes and brunches for twenty years, changing with the season and the market.

For a cheap, fast meal

Bistro Pjat and Kod Stipe are the good-value sit-down choices, with generous portions of everyday Dalmatian food. For the cheapest meal of all, buy cheese, ham, bread and fruit at the city market in the morning and eat by the sea on the Riva.

For a sunset dinner on the waterfront

Bruschetta, on the western waterfront, has one of the best sunset terraces in town and a wine list strong on the Zadar region; try the stew of monkfish, mussels and prawns with polenta. Kornat, near the waterfront and the old town, is one of Zadar’s most respected restaurants, with tuna tartare, prawn and porcini risotto and grilled grouper. Outside the centre, Taverna Diklo is a seaside tavern open all year and used by locals, with buzara, black risotto and cuttlefish stew; and Niko in Puntamica is a family restaurant by the sea, known for scampi carpaccio and vongole buzara.

For a special dinner

Zadar has three Michelin-listed restaurants in town. LABRAX (Michelin listing), on a small square near St Simeon’s church, cooks modern seafood, and its signature is a brudet of scorpionfish and mussels; book ahead. Foša (Michelin listing), at the foot of the walls by the little Foša harbour, is chef Damir Tomljanović’s fish restaurant, with a terrace over the Zadar channel. Maguro (Michelin listing) is the choice for sushi and Asian fusion. Twelve kilometres south, Konoba Griblja in Sukošan is also in the Michelin Guide (Michelin listing), with smoked swordfish carpaccio in a stone dining room.

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 Zadar city market has been on the same spot since 1952, just inside the walls through St Roch’s Gate from the waterfront. It is open all year: fruit and vegetables, cow’s and sheep’s cheese, honey, nuts and eggs, with the indoor fish market next door selling sardines, mackerel, dentex and shrimp. Go in the morning. For Pag cheese to take home, Gligora has its own shops in Zadar as well as the dairy on Pag.

What to drink in Zadar

Zadar’s own drink is Maraschino, the clear liqueur distilled from Marasca sour cherries. Dominican friars made it here from the sixteenth century, and the Maraska company still produces it, in the bottles hand-wrapped in straw that have been a Zadar trademark since 1840. The old Maraska factory across the harbour now houses a hotel. Ask for a glass after dinner. For wine, northern Dalmatia makes fresh whites to drink with fish, and on Pag ask for Gegić, the island’s native white. For a glass in the old town, Providur on Five Wells Square has a very good wine list and a terrace looking at the walls, and Pet Bunara has one of the longest Croatian lists in town.

Food experiences to book in Zadar

Zadar is compact but its food culture runs from the market to Maraschino to the cheese and lamb of Pag. A food tour joins it up in a few hours: a local guide takes you through the market and the konobas, explains what you are tasting, and leaves you knowing where to eat for the rest of your stay.

Our pick: the Food Tasting Old Town Walking Tour, rated 4.9 (214) on GetYourGuide.

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

Food day trips from Zadar

The island of Pag, connected by bridge an hour north, is the best food day out. At Gligora in Kolan, guided tours run Monday to Saturday in season and end at its cheese bar. In Pag town, Trapula Wine & Cheese Bar on the main square serves Pag cheeses, anchovies and the local Gegić wine, and Konoba Bodulo, just outside the walls, cooks Pag lamb and fish at reasonable prices; book in summer. In Novalja, Boškinac is one of Croatia’s top restaurants, with Pag lamb on the menu. For more ideas, see our food lover’s day trips from Zadar.

Frequently asked questions

What is the one dish to eat in Zadar?

Brudet, the fish stew with polenta. LABRAX makes a celebrated scorpionfish version, and Konoba Skoblar cooks a classic one.

Where do locals eat in Zadar?

At Konoba Skoblar in the old town, and at Taverna Diklo and Kod Stipe outside the centre, where daily dishes change with the season.

Where can I eat cheaply in Zadar?

Bistro Pjat and Kod Stipe are the best-value sit-down meals; a picnic from the city market costs even less.

What is Maraschino?

A clear cherry liqueur made from Marasca sour cherries, produced in Zadar since the sixteenth century. Maraska still makes it in the city.

Can I visit a Pag cheese dairy?

Yes. Gligora in Kolan runs guided tours Monday to Saturday in season, ending with a tasting at its cheese bar. Check the dates before you go, as individual tours stop in the autumn.

Is a Zadar food tour worth it?

Yes, on a short visit: in a few hours you see the market, taste brudet, cheese and Maraschino, and learn where to eat. Compare them above or on our Zadar food tours page.

Plan your Zadar food trip

Zadar food tours · Food day trips from Zadar