Croatia Adds More Michelin Restaurants

When I was doing the seemingly obligatory post college backpack semi-grand tour of Europe, Croatia was still behind the Iron Curtain and seemingly inaccessible. That wall has long since collapsed and Croatia is a jewel of the Adriatic. Across the sea from Italy, Croatia is close to Central Europe and offers a stunning array of geography. The capital Zagreb is a great jumping off point to the old city of Dubrovnik (a UNESCO World Heritage Site) and then to the seaside around the Split archipelago.

Croatia added two restaurants, Boškinac (Novalja) and LD Terrace (Korčula) to its list of Michelin starred restaurants with one star each, while Pelegrini (Šibenik), 360º (Dubrovnik), Monte (Rovinj), Noel (Zagreb) and Draga di Lovrana (Lovran) restaurants each retained their stars.

It is a growing recognition that Croatia is a viable destination for those seeking history and hospitality off the beaten track.

“We are extremely proud that as of today, Croatia has a total of seven restaurants with the prestigious Michelin star.

“With this addition, destinations of Novalja and Korčula are also in the spotlight and showcases their authentic and exceptionally high quality gastronomic offer. Michelin is synonymous worldwide for excellence in gastronomy, and Croatia is a land of top gastronomic offerings, which is nowadays becoming an increasingly important motivation for their consideration to select a destination. I believe the promotional impact of the Michelin labels can serve as an impetus for the further development and nurturing of our indigenous flavors,” said Croatian National Tourist Board Director Kristjan Stanicic, “I offer my sincere congratulations to all awarded and distinguished restaurants, especially restaurant owners and employees Boskinac and LD Terrace whose work and creativity were recognized by Michelin’s inspectors.”

“The new Michelin recognitions confirm that the Croatian gastronomic scene is evolving from year to year, and it is also a great reward for all who continuously work on improving the quality of preparation, presentation and creation of the entire gastronomic experience. Croatia is continuously building an image of a recognizable gastronomic destination based on the extraordinary diversity of regional gastronomic identities. According to Food Travel Monitor’s research, as many as 93 percent of tourists participated in a “special food and beverage experience” during a tourist trip, indicating that gastronomy is now a content that almost all tourists are interested in. That is why we will pay special attention in the next strategic period to en-gastronomy, connecting producers and caterers, and stronger branding and further positioning of Croatia as the new gastronomic icon of Europe,” said Minister of Tourism Gari Cappelli.