One of the main components of any good holiday is making sure to enjoy the local cuisine and if any region in Croatia can boast to have the utmost quality food and great wine, then it’s Istria.
Istria is known for great seafood, Istrian truffle, asparagus, olive oil and you can find those ingredients in traditional rich dishes such as homemade pasta – fuži and pljukanci, brodet, buzara, Istrian ombolo and prosciutto.
Let us give you a recommendation for some of the best restaurants to visit.
San Rocco Restaurant
The gourmet restaurant San Rocco finds itself on the top of the Istrian and Croatian cuisine scene. The elegant restaurant, located in Brtonigla, offers a vast gastronomic array based mainly on typical seasonal specialties, such as fresh locally caught fish, truffles, mushrooms, ham, game and other typical Istrian specialities. On their wine list, you can find more than 250 regional and international wines.
Konoba Aquarius
The family owned konoba Aquarius is located in Buje and has been open since 1988. The dishes are prepared in a traditional way with care and simplicity, just as it was prepared in the past. The family running the restaurant kept the tradition of preparing pizzas in a wood oven and the top priority still remains preserving the quality and provenance of the ingredients. More so, the flour used for homemade pastas and pizzas comes from their own wheat without adding preservatives and additives. The restaurant also serves their own wine coming from their vineyards in Buje and Vižinada.
Karlić Tartufi
The truffle business of the Karlić family from Paladini near Buzet was established last century in 1966. Back then Motovun forest was quite bigger than today, and both white and black truffles found in that area were considered to be among the best quality truffles in Istria. Family organizes truffle hunting tours where you can learn all about truffles, the tradition of truffle hunting, and their truffle hunting dogs. Tasting of truffle products will be prepared for you in beautiful surroundings, and you will have the opportunity to buy truffle products in their shop.
Photo credit: San Rocco, Konoba Aquarius, Karlić Tartufi
