The 31st Restaurant Croatica Awards ceremony was held aboard Botel Marina in Rijeka, together with the launch of the 31st Croatian and English editions of 100 Leading Croatian Restaurants and Their Specialties – Restaurant Croatica 2026/27: A Symphony of Flavours, People and Places.
Launched in 1995, Restaurant Croatica is Croatia’s longest-standing national quality brand in the hospitality sector. The project was created to encourage excellence in hospitality through market research, the annual selection of leading restaurants and their promotion to guests.
The first survey covered around 700 restaurants, while more than 2,400 were analysed in the latest selection cycle. Guests participated through the Gastronaut.hr portal alongside hospitality professionals, with the project’s Honorary Committee making the final selection after reviewing all the collected material.
Over the past 31 years, a total of 558 restaurants have been included in Restaurant Croatica. Six have achieved the remarkable distinction of retaining the title for all 31 years, while 19 have ranked among Croatia’s leading restaurants for more than 20 years.
The restaurants featured in the new edition are holders of the Restaurant Croatica title and received commemorative plaques and Restaurant Croatica entrance stickers. A QR code on the stickers gives guests direct access to the Croatian and English online editions of the book.
A Symphony of Flavours, People and Places
This year’s edition is woven around the theme “A Symphony of Flavours, People and Places”, connecting restaurants and chefs, winemakers and producers, local ingredients and traditions with the places that shape their flavours.
The sea and plains, mountains and rivers, vineyards, olive groves and forests define the character of ingredients, while chefs, sommeliers, restaurateurs, winemakers and producers each contribute their own part to the shared symphony.
The restaurants are presented through stories about their cuisine, people and surroundings, together with suggestions on what to see, taste and experience nearby. The recipes further illustrate the diversity of Croatia’s contemporary restaurant scene, from traditional flavours and dishes featuring local fish, meat and game to modern interpretations of familiar ingredients.
The book takes readers through six gastronomic regions: Istria and Kvarner; Dalmatia; Lika, Karlovac and its surroundings, Moslavina and Banovina; Zagreb and its surroundings; Zagorje, Međimurje and Podravina; and Slavonia and Baranja.
Each regional introduction highlights characteristic dishes, wines and olive oils, gastronomic and wine events, as well as ideas on what to taste and experience while travelling through Croatia.
More Than Three Decades of Promoting Quality
Project director and editor Karin Mimica launched Restaurant Croatica in 1995 in cooperation with the then Croatian Economic Forum. Today, the project is carried out in cooperation with a number of institutions connected with hospitality, gastronomy and tourism, with the Croatian National Tourist Board among its partners.
The project’s technical production and publication design are by Vlatko Ignatoski, while Marina Selak is the project’s principal associate.
After 31 editions, the book has also become a chronicle of Croatia’s restaurant scene, while the project’s original idea remains unchanged: to encourage and highlight quality and transform it into content that is both interesting and useful to restaurant guests.
Restaurant Croatica Awards at Botel Marina
The book launch and awards ceremony were held with the support of the Croatian National Tourist Board, Primorje-Gorski Kotar County, Kvarner Tourist Board, City of Rijeka and Rijeka Tourist Board.
Guests were addressed by representatives of the institutions and the project, including Igor Radić, Adviser to the Minister of Tourism and Sport; Marijana Kalčić, Director of the Kvarner Tourist Board; Antonija Kardum, Director of the Rijeka Tourist Board; Nikica Karamarko, member of the project’s Honorary Committee; and Karin Mimica, project director and editor of the publication.
Speaking on behalf of the award-winning restaurateurs were Pave Jerković and Zlatko Puntijar, whose restaurants have held the Restaurant Croatica title for all 31 years.
Certificates of appreciation were also presented to institutions and companies that have supported the project, while personal awards recognised long-standing contributions to the development of Restaurant Croatica and Gastronaut. They were presented to Ivo Bašić, Ivan Dropuljić, Andrej Kušeta, Siniša Križanec, Tomislav Radić, Marijana Rebić, Marinka Zubčić Mubrin and Damir Zrno.
Following the awards ceremony and book launch, guests enjoyed a reception accompanied by Klapa Volosko, featuring products from the project’s partners, ranging from wines, spirits and liqueurs to prosciutto, cheeses, cod specialities, olive oils and other delicacies.
The chefs of Botel Marina prepared around fifteen dishes using products supplied by the partners, while members of the Knezovi Frankopani Trsat association, dressed in costumes from the Frankopan era, added a historical touch to the occasion.
100 Leading Croatian Restaurants and Their Specialties – Restaurant Croatica 2026/27 is published by Abisal, Gastronaut. It is available in Croatian and English, and the online editions can be downloaded free of charge here.
Cover photo author: © Rino Gropuzzo
