🍽️ Croatian food: what to order and how to order it in Croatian
By Malik Al Khrissat · 19 October 2026 · 9 min read
Croatian food changes as you travel. Along the coast it is Mediterranean: grilled fish, olive oil, octopus, risotto and wine. In Zagreb and the north it is hearty and continental: stews, roast meat, cabbage and pastries. Istria adds truffles and pasta, Slavonia in the east adds paprika and sausages. This guide gives you the dishes worth ordering and the Croatian you need to order them.
Dishes you should try
ćevapi
CHEH-vah-pee
Small grilled minced-meat rolls
Served in flatbread (lepinja) with raw onion and ajvar, a red pepper relish.
peka
PEH-kah
Meat or octopus slow-baked under an iron bell
Covered with hot embers for hours. Restaurants often ask you to order it in advance.
hobotnica ispod peke
HOH-bot-nee-tsah EE-spod PEH-keh
Octopus cooked under the bell
crni rižot
TSRR-nee REE-zhot
Black risotto
Coloured with cuttlefish ink. It will turn your teeth black for a while!
brudet
BROO-det
Fish stew from the coast
pašticada
pahsh-tee-TSAH-dah
Dalmatian beef stew
Slow-cooked in wine and prunes, served with njoki (gnocchi).
štrukli
SHTROOK-lee
Pastry filled with fresh cheese
A Zagreb speciality, boiled or baked with cream.
sarma
SAHR-mah
Cabbage rolls
Sour cabbage leaves stuffed with meat and rice; a winter classic.
burek
BOO-rek
Flaky pastry pie
With meat (s mesom) or cheese (sa sirom), from bakeries, often for breakfast.
pršut
PRR-shoot
Dry-cured ham
From Dalmatia and Istria, sliced thin as a starter.
paški sir
PAHSH-kee seer
Cheese from the island of Pag
fritule
FREE-too-leh
Small doughnuts
Especially at Christmas and carnival.
rožata
roh-ZHAH-tah
Dubrovnik caramel custard
kremšnita
KREM-shnee-tah
Custard cream slice
Famous in Samobor near Zagreb.
Reading the menu
Menus (jelovnik) are usually in Croatian and English in tourist areas, but in local places you may only get Croatian. These words cover most of what you will see.
juha
YOO-hah
soup
salata
sah-LAH-tah
salad
riba
REE-bah
fish
meso
MEH-soh
meat
piletina
PEE-leh-tee-nah
chicken
teletina
TEH-leh-tee-nah
veal
janjetina
YAH-nyeh-tee-nah
lamb
svinjetina
SVEE-nyeh-tee-nah
pork
lignje
LEEG-nyeh
squid
školjke
SHKOLY-keh
mussels and clams
krumpir
KROOM-peer
potatoes
kruh
krooh
bread
prilog
PREE-log
side dish
kolač
KOH-lahch
cake / dessert
Ordering and eating
Mogu li dobiti jelovnik?
MOH-goo lee DOH-bee-tee YEH-loh-vneek
Can I have the menu?
Što je ovo?
shtoh yeh OH-voh
What is this?
Uzet ću ćevape
OO-zet choo CHEH-vah-peh
I will have the ćevapi
Je li ovo ljuto?
yeh lee OH-voh LYOO-toh
Is this spicy?
Bez luka, molim
bez LOO-kah
Without onion, please
Ne jedem svinjetinu
neh YEH-dem SVEE-nyeh-tee-noo
I do not eat pork
Imam alergiju na orašaste plodove
EE-mahm ah-LER-gee-yoo nah OH-rah-shah-steh PLOH-doh-veh
I am allergic to nuts
Dobar tek!
DOH-bar tek
Enjoy your meal!
Said before eating, to everyone at the table.
Još jedno pivo, molim
yosh YEHD-noh PEE-voh
Another beer, please
Za ponijeti
zah POH-nee-yeh-tee
To take away
Račun, molim
RAH-choon, MOH-leem
The bill, please
What to drink
Coffee (kava) is the national pastime. Water is voda: ask for negazirana (still) or gazirana (sparkling). Croatians often mix their wine with water: on the coast red wine with still water is called bevanda, and in the north white wine with sparkling water is gemišt.
kava s mlijekom
KAH-vah s mlee-YEH-kom
coffee with milk
čaj
chai
tea
sok
sok
juice
pivo
PEE-voh
beer
crno vino / bijelo vino
TSRR-noh VEE-noh / BEE-yeh-loh VEE-noh
red wine / white wine
Croatians call red wine “black wine”.
rakija
RAH-kee-yah
fruit brandy
Many flavours: travarica (herbs), šljivovica (plum), loza (grape).