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Don’t risk going to a dud – here’s my guide to the best restaurants in Lapad Dubrovnik!

My guide to the best restaurants in Lapad Dubrovnik…

One of the best things about a trip abroad is being able to try the local cuisine. I recently visited the Lapad area of Dubrovnik, which is a brilliant location for just about everything.

First of all, you’re just a short bus ride away from Dubrovnik’s historic old town. You’re also just a stone’s throw away from the beach, where the lapping waves give way to gorgeous sunsets in the evening. And finally, there’s a whole array of restaurants to choose from!

The whole area is pedestrianised so you can simple step out of your hotel and wander along the strip to see what you fancy. Whether it’s fresh seafood, crisp salads, or something a little naughtier, there’s a restaurant for you. Clue: there’s a great pizza place here!

Oh, and the area is also patrolled by the resident cats. Love them.

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Is Lapad worth visiting?

Absolutely! There’s a beautiful beach along with a good selection of bars and restaurants. Mingle with the in-crowd at one of the beach bars, sample some of the delectable seafood, or watch the sunset at the amazing Cave Bar More. You don’t want to skip it!

What time is dinner time in Croatia?

We were in Croatia in early May and so it got a little cooler earlier than it does in peak season. We had dinner between 7-9 most nights but anything from 6-30-9.30pm is fine.

Anything you should know about restaurants in Lapad?

Is there anything you should know before I kick off with the best restaurants in Lapad Dubrovnik?

One piece of advice I would give you if you want to eat in the restaurants here in Dubrovnik is to, drumroll, book ahead. Every restaurant we went to we were asked: have you got a reservation? I think that’s probably because it gets really, really busy in summer. I did end up phoning ahead and booking a few of the places we went to just to make sure we wouldn’t be turned away.

Best restaurants in Lapad Dubrovnik

Pizzeria Papillon

I had arrived in Dubrovnik swearing that I was only going to be eating salad and fresh fish all week. But by the time we got to the end of the week, it was inevitable that I wavered. And lucky for us this pizza restaurant in Lapad was just a few minute’s walk along the road!

Pizzeria Papillon is absolutely going to win you over on the interior décor. Everything inside is in varying shades of pastel pink, yellow, and blue. It’s so colourful! Even with crazy rain pouring down outside, it felt cute and cheerful. If you want a meal that’s going to taste good and look good on the ‘gram then Pizzeria Papillon is ticking a lot of boxes!

I opted for a regular margarita pizza with a sour cream dip on the side during our visit. There’s plenty to choose from though. It’s not just your regular pizza toppings here, there are interesting combinations that keep it interesting. The cocktails are amazing too!  

Trinity Oriental Fusion Lounge

We came to Trinity Oriental Fusion Lounge on our first night in Lapad. We decided to go for a wander to see what the lay of the land was like rather than simply just going to the first place we saw. It’s not far from Lapad Bay beach so you can head down to one of the beach bars afterwards.

And I’m really glad that we did because this was a really interesting find. We managed to grab one of the last tables outside in a lovely little courtyard area, which was lovely. This is definitely one that I would recommend booking a table for as it was pretty busy.

The restaurant is an oriental fusion restaurant and serves Japanese, Thai, and other Asian cuisines. I decided to go for Thai, although of course you can mix and match if you want to!

I had the tom yum soup to start with and the waiter will ask you how hot you like it. When I said medium heat he shook his head and was like, nope, probably not a good idea. I said I’d just go for a light heat and when it came out it was perfect. I had a green curry for the main course and it was lovely too.

I should maybe rethink having too soupy things again but whenever I have Thai food I just want to eat the food I like. What you gonna do?  

Casa Restaurant

Want your dinner with a side helping of sunset views? Casa Restaurant was located right next to our hotel and with seating overlooking the sea, we couldn’t miss it!

This was our most expensive meal in Lapad but you have to treat yourself, right? It definitely felt a little bit fancier than most of the other places we went to during the trip.

On the menu you can expect to see a selection of fish, meat, and pasta dishes. We opted for the tempura prawn to share to start with. For the main, I was craving pasta after a dud meal of pasta the night before. This one was night and day! I had a truffle pasta which felt luxurious and opulent and everything I wanted it to be. It was absolutely delicious.

You might also make some furry friends when you have dinner at Casa Restaurant. The local cats patrolled along the wall while we were eating, which I loved!

Pull Over Bistro

This restaurant stands out on the strip of restaurants and bars at Lapad. And that’s probably because of its food, it’s great cocktail menu, the lovely service, and the décor!

Let’s start with the décor. There’s turquoise banquette seating around the edges of the restaurant that comes propped with an array of geometric cushions. There’s stylish lighting that adds little accents of warmth. There’s faux shrubbery, wooden wall panels, and yellow velvet chairs that add accents of colour and richness throughout. It’s gorgeous!

Moving onto the menu. We probably had the best food here over the whole of the trip – pork belly, cinnamon French toast, roasted hazelnuts and coleslaw salad. It was super rich but just melt-in-your-mouth yummy! The first time we went I had the tuna steak which wasn’t quite so decadent but still really good – and my sister had octopus ravioli!

I can’t not mention the cocktails again. I don’t normally drink as many cocktails as I seemed to have in Dubrovnik but they were just all so good. I also want to shout out the staff who were really attentive and friendly. We had a long chat with our waiter the second time we visited and heard a little bit more about what it’s like to be a local in the Lapad area.

We enjoyed Pull Over Bistro so much we came twice, which is something that I don’t often do on holiday! Everything from the service to the food to the drinks was awesome. View the menu here

Sphere Restaurant & Lounge Bar

This lovely restaurant is part of Hotel Kompas in Lapad, which is where we stayed.

We’d paid for bed and breakfast option for our trip but we couldn’t help but stop by the restaurant for lunch a couple of times. The salads were absolutely delicious! We went on the first day after we arrived, bedraggled and exhausted, from the airport. Our room wasn’t ready yet and so we opted to have lunch at Sphere while we waited.

Well, I was so glad we did! I had a Greek-style salad with peppers, olives, and the most delicious feta cheese I’ve ever had. It was so creamy and rich, and so much nicer than the feta cheese you get in the UK. We stopped by again on our last day for a late lunch. This time I went for the Caesar salad which was, again, creamy and delicious and yum.

It’s also worth working through the cocktail menu. I’d recommend the Strawberry Mojito and the Dubrovnik Summer Mule, which go down well at any time of day!

That was my guide to the best restaurants in Lapad Dubrovnik!