Gourmet Guide
In 1996 the first Istrian gastronomic guide was published with fifty eating establishments included, only to reach the number of 200 over the last fifteen years, demonstrating the ongoing development of the Istrian culinary scene. Always following the same evaluation criteria, this year we present 120 restaurants, 50 taverns, 10 valuable ‘’a la carte’’ restaurants within major hotels and 20 establishments (section “other”) which do not fall into any of the previous categories and are worth a visit due to the fact that each of them offers a specialty of its own - Istrian prosciutto tasting, cheese tasting, great desserts etc.
Istrian gastronomy is all about variety and richness.
On the following pages, you will get to know luxurious restaurants with exclusive menus as well as traditional taverns that even today prepare most of the delicacies on the hearth. There are also agritourism households offering traditional, homemade food (prepared with ingredients produced by the household), and there are several simple inns where one can enjoy the charm of traditional Istrian brunch - corn maneštra, fritaja (frittata) with asparagus, or roast pilchard. All the eating establishments are presented in alphabetical order, with basic information and recommendations on food for which they are known.
The especially valuable quality restaurants and taverns that meet the required standards have been marked with an IQ - Istrian quality, the label which has been for many years, reserved exclusively for the wine. The best restaurants and taverns, those at the very top of this year’s charts, are listed as TOP 2012.
We will be very pleased if you agree with our evaluations. Should you, during your gastronomic travels, come across a restaurant, konoba or a farm that is not on the list, but you think it should be - please let us know!
Bon appetit and cheers!
