Yes, you can try Mediterranean cuisine halfway across the world, but the real sense of this particular type of food has always been the ambiance – the thousand islands of the Adriatic offer a thousand different gastronomic delights. Take your pick – each place is a treasure trove of specific ingredients that are still being grown and prepared using traditional methods. Along with Spain, Italy, Greece and Morocco, the Croatian islands are centres of protected Mediterranean cuisine, since a part of the ingredients and spices, as well as the customs surrounding the preparation of some dishes, represent a shared cultural heritage.
What is the island of Pag famous for?
Well, where to start?
The island of Pag is most diverse Adriatic island with the highest number of basins, where the mild Mediterranean climate and the rough and cold continental climate of the snowy mountain tops meet thanks to the nearby Velebit, the most beautiful Croatian mountain.
As the warm and the cold air mass touch on Velebit, the famous northern wind is created, especially in the winter – the bora. Bora is a cold, strong, and moody wind going down the southern mountain slopes coming down to the still sea surface where in the blink of an eye it creates the fog made up of tiny sea drops which it dries and turns into the sea salt dust. Then bora spreads the salt on the island turning Pag into a white and salty island. If it does not rain in the next several days, and the salt is not washed away, when it gets humid, the salty dust will spread around the scarce vegetation as if being spilled over with boiling water. In such conditions, only extremely resistant and mostly aromatic plants can survive, including the most famous and precious one, the Pag's sage.
Numerous colonies of these aromatic plants with colored little flowers decorate the clean and white karst on Pag during the spring time, thus, along with other herbs, presenting the food for the sheep freely walking and eating down the Pag's pastures.
This is the reason why the island of Pag is home to the world-award-winning Gligora cheese that you must try. You can visit their factory and have a guided tour with tasting all types of cheese they produce.
Next to cheese, the second very famous dish is Paška janjetina, the Pag’s lamb. The wandering sheep eat salty island wildflowers and medicinal herbs like rosemary and sage, grazing their way through the barren karst terrain. Natural lamb can’t get any more natural than this. The salt sediment brought by the Bora wind from the sea in combination with the naturally-occurring herbs and spices that the sheep feed on is what gives Pag lamb and the cheese made from the sheep’s milk its unparalleled taste, praised by gastronomes all over the world as a top speciality.
Macaroni na iglu
This dish is best prepared by the precise hands of hardworking grandmothers on the island. The long, thin pasta is created by wrapping the dough around knitting needles and then combining it with the sauce of your choice (lamb sauce is always a good choice).
Olive oil
And the last but not the least is a liquid gold of the Mediterranean cuisine: olive oil. Thanks to the Lun olive groves, Lun is the greenest part of the island of Pag, boasting the oldest olive trees in Europe, whose untouched nature you can see in the "Lun Olive Gardens". A walk among the wild olive trees, the oldest of which is even 2000 years old, will not leave you indifferent. In such an environment the locals produce top-quality extra virgin olive oil.
To end this article, we would like to highlight a few of our favorite restaurants on the island:
1. Starac i More
The name itself shows that it is primarily a fish restaurant. What is not visible is that the restaurant is of exceptional quality, magical flavors and ambiance. It is located a little further from the center of Novalja (5 min walk from the main square), first row next to the sea with a large terrace, sea view and often live music. It is more expensive, but all prices are justified because of the top quality.
Price range: $$$$
Type of food: mainly seafood, but also excellent lamb chops
Address: Ulica kneza Branimira 1, 53291 Novalja
2. Restaurant Timun
Restaurant Timun is located in town center of Novalja, hidden in an alley off the main street which provides peaceful and intimate surrounding. Whether you come on business or with your family, we are certain you will find that Restaurant Timun is exactly the place for you and that you will enjoy their specials. Additional value is the fish they catch themselves and prepare it with great pride. They belive that less is more when it comes to using fresh ingredients that are properly prepared. The ambiance is warm and rustic (everything is made of wood) so you will feel comfortable, like at home. They also have special refrigerator for aged meat.
Price range: $$$
Type of food: fresh fish, good steaks, pasta, local cuisine
Address: Ulica kneza Branimira 1, 53291 Novalja
3. Restaurant Boškinac
Boškinac is a small, luxurious, family run hotel, hidden in a vineyard, and certainly one of the loveliest places to stay and eat on Pag. From 2020. this story has been crowned with the Michelin star. The restaurant serves all of Pag's best specialities, prepared in a modern way. They have excellent house wines and olive oil. The hotel restaurant has a total capacity of 60 seats. The menu features traditional island specialities interpreted in a modern and creative way. They are particularly proud of their winery and wine cellar, where premium varieties of wine and high quality brandies are made. Your visit will be especially charming due to the intoxicating fragrance of pine trees, herbs such as savoury, sage, thyme and mint, and the scent of freshly cut hay. A number of terraces are found in front of the hotel, amongst the Mediterranean flowers and greenery, the swimming pool and baldachins.
There are two options to choose from. The first option is a pre-selected course of dishes in the fine dining section of the restaurant, which has been awarded the aforementioned Michelin star, while the second option is a classic a la carte restaurant in a tavern where the course of dishes is not defined, but you order what you want from the menu.
In konoba - cottage, a symbol of the Dalmatian identity and culinary culture that celebrates local cuisine, only the best culinary delights and flavours of the region are offered, meaning locally grown, original foods in harmony with the Mediterranean culture of living, dishes from the grill, prepared under the baking lid (pod pekom) or in the bread oven.
Price range: $$$$$
Type of food: fine dining, luxurious ambiance, Mediterranean specialties, exclusively local ingredients
Address: Škopaljska ulica 220, 53291 Novalja
4. Restaurant Žal – Caska
Žal is a simple family runned restaurant located right on Caska beach, a popular gathering place for families with children, especially because of its shallow pebble beach, ideal for children.
Despite its simple decor and relaxed atmosphere, this restaurant offers an excellent gastronomic offer. In addition to fresh fish, shellfish and crabs, you will also find excellent pasta with truffles, a good steak and a perfect chocolate lava cake with vanilla ice cream. Since the sea is just a few steps away from the restaurant, bring your swimsuit. Definitely worth a visit.
Price range: $$-$$$
Type of food: fast food, seafood, pasta, desserts
Address: Caska beach bb, 53291 Novalja