Rovinj Restaurants

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They do pizzas here (obviously) and the only time I've tasted one as good was in Rome itself. These pizzas come in three sizes: normale, grande and stupendo. Given the size of the 'small' one, I'd hate to attempt the stupendo.
The first night we came to Pizza Roma my husband had a steak and it was so good that he all but cried tears of gratitude. I tried the Cevapcici ( sounds something like cheropticci) after a girl I met on the bus from Trieste told me about them. These are little sausage shaped rolls of minced pork and flavouring and are very tasty. On another occasion I ordered the mixed grill and my husband had to (reluctantly ?) help me out. Portions here are huge and you will not leave hungry. The staff that we met were friendly and welcoming- the waitress who looked Irish because of her red hair and the chef who conjured up food magic in his central cooking area, right next to us. Both of these people were great fun and really chatty and between them created a pretty lively atmosphere. Though the weather was sunny and hot during the day, nights were chilly and coming in to a warm welcome and sitting close to a hot pizza oven was sheer comfort.

You will find Piazzeria Roma on a small back street called J. Rakovca. This street is about five minutes away from the main square in the direction of the Bus Staion. You can get there by going straight along the port and turning off when you see the sign, or else go along Via Carrera, the main shopping street that goes fom the centre of town to the Bus Station.

Favorite Dish: The mixed grill. If you're feeling hungry you won't do better. I ordered this when I'd been in Trieste all day and eaten nothing but a plum. Still, starving as I was, I couldn't finish this absolute mountain of delicious meat. Everything we ate here was washed down by the house wine which was as reasonably priced as the food and extremely palatable.

We only had a short time to grab lunch in Rovinj so we chose a cafe called fast food.
We ordered two hot dogs, as we only wanted a snack. When the hot dogs came, they were massive. I could only eat half of mine but it was delicious. I would recommend having lunch there, especially if you are very hungry.

Favorite Dish: HOT DOGS

Standard seafood and Italian fare typical for the area. What separates this restaurant from others is the view. It is where Rovinj sunset pictures you see on the internet are taken. Plus, Gordana Paoletti treated us like family. What a pleasure.

Favorite Dish: When available (i.e. when fishermen have caught them that day), the anchovies are to die for. These aren't your canned and pickled fare. Instead they are almost sweet.

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Maestral is a bar/restaurant on the edge of the harbour at Obala Vladimira Nazora, about halfway between the centre of town and the Park Hotel. This is where we ate during the day and a favourite place to stop for a drink as well. But the principal reason I stopped here every day was for the completely perfect location. This is the only place in Rovinj you can sit this close to the water and actually spot fish and entertain seagulls while you're eating. Your view is towards St Katerina Island, the Old Town and the Park Hotel Marina. There are some tall pine trees growing that provide shade from the heat and the air is so totally fresh and invigorating I wish I'd beeen able to bottle it and bring it home. I did eat there as well and it's a great place for a plate of fresh sardines. Because we weren't ever really hungry during the day we often ordered a platter of local cheese which was served with warm ciabatta bread, olives and a little salad. The menu included a full range of snacks, meat and fish dihes so you could order whatever you wanted. The main photo shows the sardines but the others show the location.

Favorite Dish: The sardines were really fresh and delicious. Served with grilled aubergine and courgettes, this was actually way too much for one person to eat. I had a little assistance from the seagull who is pictured in my general tip on seagulls. His enjoyment was obvious as well.

This is listed in the Lonely Planet as one of Rovinj's best restaurants -'expensive and packed in high season but you will eat well. ' I think high season is the important phrase here as this is an enormous restaurant with indoor and outdor seating obviously geared towards large crowds. In October with less than 10 customers it was bleak, lacking in atmosphere and definitely chilly. For these reasons I would not recommend it offseason. Offering mostly fish but other options as well, we chose two dishes each. I had a risotto atun and a pizza and my husband had a baked cheese and spaghetti carbonara. While all of these were fine, there was nothing we loved. The waiter was friendly and when I showed him the listing in Lonely Planet, came back with a card showing their new telephone number. This is a restaurant with a vast menu and obviously does a lot of fish dishes. So if you love fish and arrive when it's busy then I'm sure it would live up to its reputation. Offseason though I did not feel like going there a second time.

Favorite Dish: The risotto with tuna was tasty and a lot more filling than I thought it would be. I had to let some of it behind to leave room for the next course. We also tasted our first Istrian wine here which was good and inexpensive.

Grilled Calamari (Squid) - Lignje Zar - tasted better here than anywhere else i ever had it. The Red Wine is very nice too.
Calamari was about the same price as everywhere else at £6.50 and a quarter litre of very drinkable Red Wine (House Wine) was £2.20
One thing exellent about this restaurant is it is in much quieter area and you are on a raised level and because it is on the seafront you have beautiful views accross the harbour.

One thing I noticed in Rovinj is unlike Barcelona - you do not get enourmous portions of Calamari - but the quality is very nice

Favorite Dish: Calamari - did i say already?

Very nice Giant Pizza's prepared before your eyes - the smell is wonderful
Bu the way - many other meals can be had also - i dont know how they do it - ie Fish dishes.

Favorite Dish: Prosciutto Funghi (Ham+Mushroom)
Be careful not to get a size you cannot manage
Price is very good - about £3.70

Scuba is located just off the main harbour and has lovely views out over from the outside seating area. Plenty of choice here, menu in english and a very friendly waiter keen to practise his english on us! We tried the mussels in wine and also steak, both of which were very nice. Good value too: mussels 35 kuna, steak 70 kuna. Homemade bread was included and espresso's and slijvovic 'on the home!' Recommended!