1 hour ago
5 
Tell people you’re off to Dubrovnik and the reactions come fast: memories of the shimmering Adriatic, nods to the terracotta skyline of King’s Landing, and, usually, at least one ‘take me with you.’
But there is also a caveat: this historic Croatian port city can be pricey. Very pricey. One person described it as extortionate.
And in some ways, they’re not wrong — some of the restaurant bills would make London blush.
Which raises the question: Is it possible to eat well in Dubrovnik without going into your overdraft?
And, if you do decide to splurge, is the city’s blossoming fine-dining scene actually worth it?
I fell on my sword and set out to see just how budget-friendly this Balkan beauty can be. (This might be the greatest assignment of my life.)
Sign up to The Getaway newsletter
Fuel your wanderlust with our curated newsletter of travel deals, guides and inspiration. Sign up here.
€15 stretches further than you think
Dubrovnik on a budget is not easy.
With little in the way of street food and restaurant prices usually starting around €25 a head, eating well on the cheap is harder than I’ve found it in almost any other European city.
Still, there are ways to stay full, even if they’re not the most glamorous.
Lesson number one: forget about eating inside the Old Town. The good news is there’s much more to Dubrovnik than inside its walls. Just a short stroll outside, and it suddenly feels a lot kinder to your wallet.
Breakfast was my first win. No more than ten steps from the city gates is Babic, a tiny bakery that serves the local staple burek, a savory pie made from thin layers of filo pastry stuffed with an assortment of fillings.
For €2.30, you can choose between cheese, spinach and cheese, or meat.
Sure, it won’t win any nutrition awards, but the spinach-and-cheese flavour was flaky, filling, and the perfect bargain to carry me through till lunch.
We headed over to Lapad, a small town 15 minutes by bus from the Old Town, known for beaches that aren’t thronged with tourists.
After a quick wander and a sound bath massage (a story for another time), we found our lunch spot.
The Food Bar Dubrovnik is one of the only sit-down restaurants that offers a hearty plate to suit every budget. Tucked underneath a small hotel, with both terraced and indoor seating and friendly staff, we settled in, ready for a midday meal.
We ordered the house-made mortadella focaccia and sweet potato fries. Portions were generous, enough for two, and at €6.50 per person, this meal was a steal.
The focaccia was generously stuffed with mortadella, pesto, and creamy stracciatella, topped with chopped pistachios. The sweet potato fries were crisp, served with truffle sour cream and garlic aioli. Every bite delivered – it was genuinely top-quality food.
By dinner time, we’d circled back toward the Old Town, searching for a late-night bite that wouldn’t break the budget.
Just outside the city walls in Pile, we found what’s about as close as Dubrovnik gets to street food: a sandwich bar turning out burgers, hot dogs, and the local favourite, Ćevapi.
This Balkan staple, which is also the national dish of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia, consists of grilled minced meat tucked into warm flatbread with onions, a punchy red pepper spread, and creamy cheese.
Think of it as the region’s answer to the late-night kebab.
Open until midnight, Sandwich Bar Pile delivers freshly grilled comfort food: slightly greasy, perfectly carb-loaded, and exactly what you crave after a few glasses of wine.
At just €6.50, it wrapped up our day of eating on a budget.
Total: a very respectable €15.30.
Are Dubrovnik’s pricey plates worth the hype?
While it’s possible to stretch €15 across a whole day, you could just as easily spend ten times that – €150 or more – on a single meal in the city centre.
You can wander Dubrovnik’s winding alleys in search of dinner, or consult the Michelin Guide, which lists a wealth of recommendations.
I was curious to sample some of the Old Town’s finest offerings and see how they stacked up against our budget-friendly finds.
Marco Polo is a tucked-away spot that gives traditional Dalmatian flavours a modern twist. Blink and you’d miss it: it’s literally an alleyway dressed up for al fresco dining, with local art on the walls and the entrance to a flat at the back.
It’s bustling and semi-formal, less about starched tablecloths and more about a grounded take on fine dining.
We were welcomed with a complimentary amuse-bouche, a shot glass of vegetable soup, and quickly ordered the house rosé.
The menu offered a broad range of options, with generous portions and notably high-quality ingredients.
While everything we tried was enjoyable, some dishes felt a touch overworked, as though leaning into what might be expected of a Michelin-style experience. A simpler approach might have allowed the freshness of the ingredients to shine more clearly.
That said, the execution was polished, with balanced flavours and thoughtful presentation. Highlights included the cuttlefish risotto arancini – crispy, flavourful, and paired with a mussel velouté that stole the show, and the monkfish wellington was highly praised.
It was a thoroughly enjoyable meal, full of unexpected flavours and clear creative flair.
If there was one note, it was that the cooking leaned a little rich for the setting – we left feeling very well-fed, perhaps even a little too much so.
Would I say the experience fully justified the price? For me, not quite.
Marco Polo offers a rustic take on elevated dining that delivers on many points, and if you have the budget, it’s a pleasant way to sample a more refined side of Dubrovnik. However, if you’re watching your spend or planning just one big splurge, there are other spots I’d prioritise.
Dinner in the sky
For me, Stara Loza’s appeal began with its setting, an intimate rooftop with just seven tables, framed by sweeping views over the Old Town, above and below.
It felt like dining in first class – literally, on another level.
We were greeted with a glass of prosecco and shown to our table by Bojan, our excellent waiter, whose warmth and knowledge shaped the evening.
After a run-through of the menu and thoughtful recommendations, we received a complimentary tuna tartare amuse-bouche, followed by signature cocktails.
The set menu is three courses at €120, with the freedom to choose from a seasonal selection. The atmosphere strikes a balance between refinement and ease: panoramic views, personable but highly informed service, and a focus on detail that extends down to how the grapes for their wines are harvested.
Each dish was light yet comforting, fresh yet substantial, with olive oil pairings throughout. We chose the sea bream ceviche and homemade gnocchi to start, followed by steak and a veal risotto. The ceviche was fresh, the gnocchi rich but delicately balanced, the steak perfectly seared, and the risotto truly winey, in the best way.
Dessert was a showcase of technique, beautifully plated and paired with a complementary dessert wine, sourced, as Bojan explained, from a single Dubrovnik family working from a 350-year-old recipe.
This spot truly has my vote, I walked away stunned at the level of services, thoroughly impressed with the food and enthralled by the views.
I’d return and splash the cash in a heartbeat, it’s the kind of experience that lingers long after the evening ends.
The verdict
Dubrovnik’s food scene is undeniably expensive.
That said, with a little research it’s entirely possible to eat well on a budget, and you’re rarely missing out.
The streets are filled with small restaurants offering regional dishes at around €30 a head that I would argue stand shoulder to shoulder with the city’s pricier venues.
And bakeries, sandwich shops, and the occasional casual sit-down spot deliver meals that are every bit as satisfying, and keep your wallet intact.
If food is your primary reason to visit, Dubrovnik more than rewards the splurge. There is genuine culinary artistry here.
But if you’re here for history, culture, or simply a sun-soaked beach break, rest assured, you can make it work on a budget.
Dining experiences at Marco Polo and Stara Loza at Priejko Palace were kindly gifted.
Bengali (Bangladesh) · 
English (United States) ·