Croatia has handed out its top restaurant honours for 2026, and the winners' list reads like a gastronomic road trip across the country — from a village konoba near Velebit to fine dining in the capital.
The 15th Dobri restorani awards, organised by Jutarnji list and Dobra hrana, were presented at Peti Kupe in Zagreb on 29 September, after months of anonymous reviewer visits assessing quality, creativity, consistency and service. Croatia's National Tourist Board backed the event, which is a decent sign of how central food has become to the country's tourism pitch.
In the traditional category, the big prize went to Konoba Jakan in Jasenice, a small village in the Zadar hinterland, with Slavonska kuća Vinkomir in Kutjevo (in inland Slavonia's wine country) second and Konoba Campanelo from coastal Sukošan third. If your mental image of Croatian food stops at grilled fish on the coast, this list is a nudge inland.
Creative urban cooking had an upset winner: Bistro Beška in Čakovec, a small town in northern Croatia well off the usual tourist trail, beat out Gudin Pigerija in Split and Food & Wine Bar Ganeum in Lovran. Among hotel restaurants, Olivier in Split took the top spot, ahead of Luciano in Buje in Istria and Vila Rova on Krk.
The fine-dining podium is a familiar one. Zagreb's Noel — one of the country's Michelin-starred names — was named best in the country, with LD Restaurant on Korčula second and Agli Amici in Rovinj third. That trio alone would make a credible north-to-south itinerary.
Individual awards recognise who to watch, too. Hrvoje Kroflin took Chef of the Year, Klara Bertek Jelisić won Young Chef of the Year, and Marija Prša of Michelin-starred Boškinac on Pag was named Pastry Chef of the Year for only the second time the award has run. ManO2 won Wine List of the Year, and a new category, New Name on the Scene, went to NURÉ, accepted by the Kim siblings — a name worth following.
Why care if you're planning a trip? These lists do the vetting for you. In a country where restaurant quality can vary wildly between the postcard coastal towns, a backed, consistently reviewed ranking is a practical shortcut. It also flags places you'd never find on your own — Čakovec and Jasenice aren't exactly on the D8 highway itinerary, and that's rather the point. Whether you want a slow dinner at Noel in Zagreb, seafood on Korčula, or village cooking in the hinterland, the 2026 winners give you a ready-made shortlist.
