Dishes, wines and beers to try, region by region.
Lamb or octopus with potatoes, slow-cooked for hours under an iron bell covered in embers.
Black risotto coloured with cuttlefish ink.
Beef marinated for two days in wine vinegar, braised with prunes and served with gnocchi.
Pastry parcels filled with fresh cheese, boiled or baked with cream.
Fresh Istrian pasta with white or black truffle from the forests around Motovun.
Small fried dough balls with raisins, citrus zest and a dash of liqueur.
Dalmatia's great red grape: powerful, with dark fruit and firm tannins. The best-known wines come from the steep slopes of Dingač and Postup on Pelješac.
Istria's signature white: fresh and aromatic. Drink it young with fish and shellfish, or try a fuller skin-contact version.
A sturdy Istrian red from the region's red soils, with lively acidity. Perfect with Istrian ham and mature cheese.
Croatia's most widely planted grape, with Kutjevo in Slavonia as its best-known home. Fresh and fruity, and a good match for hearty inland cooking.
A full, dry white from the island of Korčula and its neighbours. A fine partner for grilled fish and crni rižot.
A light, fresh white from Vrbnik on the island of Krk. Ideal as an aperitif or with Kvarner shellfish.
A family winery in the Vale valley near Momjan, in northern Istria, making wine since 1904. Known for its Malvazija istarska. The modern winery offers tastings and tours.
A family winery in Kutjevo, Slavonia's best-known wine area. Its focus is graševina, from vineyards around Kutjevo such as Mitrovac and Podgorje.
Founded in 1996 by Miljenko 'Mike' Grgich, the Croatian winemaker who made his name in Napa Valley, together with his daughter Violet. The winery makes just two wines, both from Croatian grapes.
Ivica Matošević started a small winery at his family home in the mid-1990s, between the Lim Channel and Sveti Lovreč. His Alba wines from malvazija are among Istria's best-known whites.
Siblings Niko Bura and Mare Mrgudić make wine from their own vineyards in Dingač, Postup and inland Pelješac, mostly plavac mali. Their Dingač is made in very small quantities.
A winery with a small luxury hotel in Orebić. The reds come from Postup and Dingač, the whites mainly from pošip grown on Korčula, across the water.
A large family winery in Hrnjevac, one of Kutjevo's best-known vineyards. Its Venje, a white blend including graševina and traminac, was named best white wine at the Festival of the 100 Best Croatian Wines in early 2025, with the 2015 vintage.
A family winery in Plešivica, the wine area south-west of Zagreb. Tomac is seen as the region's pioneer of sparkling and biodynamic wine, and has worked with Georgian clay vessels (qvevri) since 2006.
Croatia's best-selling beer: a light, crisp lager from Zagreb that you'll find in every konoba and beach bar.
A crisp lager from Karlovac, where beer has been brewed since 1854. The other big name you'll see on every menu.
A strong dark beer from Zagreb of about 7%, named after King Tomislav. Full-flavoured, with notes of roasted malt and caramel.
A dark beer from Lika, brewed near Gospić and named after the Velebit mountains. Smooth and malty, and a fine end to a day in the hills.
Often described as Croatia's first craft brewery. This Zagreb brewer is known for hoppy beers such as its Pale Ale and Pozoj IPA.
The Zagreb brewery that paved the way for the city's craft beer scene. Its beers draw on stories from Zagreb's history.
From malvazija in Istria to plavac mali on Pelješac and graševina in Slavonia: wineries worth the detour.
Pick a region and your favourite wineries. The planner puts them in a smart order and spreads them over days.
From a bottle shop with hundreds of beers to a brewpub in an old railway station: where to drink the best beer in Kvarner.
From Ston to Orebić via plavac mali, oysters and salt pans.