4 Best Restaurants in Northern Dalmatia, Croatia

For Zadar dining at its most convivial—and fish so fresh it practically dances off the plate—make a stop at Bistro Pjat. The menu changes daily depending on the catch, and the service here is tremendous.

Boasting an appealing outdoor terrace overlooking a quiet little harbor, Foša combines age-old Dalmatian style with modern architectural design and gastronomy trends. Its old-world tastes give the kitchen foundation to create modern dishes with magnificent results.

Just outside the city walls on the tip of the peninsula, and on the ground floor of a four-story concrete-box building, Kornat serves authentic first-rate cuisine with an emphasis on seafood—try the monkfish fillet with truffle sauce—plus a limited choice of hearty meat dishes. There's also an extensive wine list, from the best Croatian elixirs to the smoothest Shiraz.

At this elegant little restaurant near the main square, with tables lining the length of the narrow historic alleyway, you can begin with an appetizer such as mussels in wine sauce and move on to monkfish tail or grilled scampi—both in wine sauce. The chef likes putting seafood in wine sauce here to a gratifyingly delicious effect. Whatever you get, accompany it with a glass of Graševina, the house white.