HVAR - Croatia and Slovenia - page 396

other dishes in a woody interior or on a welcoming terrace out back with a busy open
grill. The food is unpretentious but delicious, including one of the best pašticadas I've
had (45-60-kn pizzas, 50-80-kn pastas, 70-140-kn meat and fish dishes, daily 18:00-24:00,
closed mid-Oct-April, across parking lot from bus station, Hanibala Luci ć a 1, tel. 021/
742-797).
Konoba Menego, run by Dinko and the Kova č evi ć family, offers the chance to try
typical cuisine from Dalmatia and throughout Croatia. (Dinko stubbornly refuses to serve
anything that's not authentically Dalmatian—including Coca-Cola, spaghetti, or beer.) The
user-friendlymenuliststhetownorregionoforiginforeachspecialty.Portionsaresmall,so
think of it as Croatian tapas: Two people can order three or four dishes to share and sample
a variety ofregional flavors. Dine in the cozy,cave-like terrace orin the atmospheric dining
room, with air-dried ham (pršut) hanging from the rafters; both have rustic bench seating
(50-70-kn small plates, bigger 130-140-kn two-person combination plates, 90-110-kn main
dishes,Mon-Sat11:30-14:30&17:00-24:00,Sun17:00-24:00only,closedmid-Oct-March,
onthesteeplanecalledGrodaleadinguptothefortress,reservationssmart,tel.[phone]
or 021/717-411).
Mizarola is a surprisingly affordable place with outdoor seating right on Hvar's atmo-
spheric main square. While it seems more or less interchangeable with its neighbors, it has
earned a good reputation for its solid, affordable pizzas and pastas. Its tables surround the
stone cistern— mizarola— in the middle of the square (45-70-kn pizzas and pastas, a few
80-145-kn main courses, daily 10:00-24:00, Trg Sv. Stjepana b.b., mobile [phone]).
Dessert: While I've found the ice cream in Hvar to be underwhelming, the town has
one of the most appealing cake shops in Dalmatia. Nonica (“Granny's”) serves up a de-
lectable assortment of cakes and cookies—many based on traditional Croatian recipes (just
like Granny used to make)—and other international crowd-pleasers. Get your treat to go, or
linger over it at the outdoor seating, on a tight lane next to a church just a block off the har-
bor(10-24-kntreats,Mon-Sat8:00-22:00,Sun15:00-22:00,closedNov-Easter,KrozBurak
23, mobile [phone]).
Picnics: Abig,handy Konzum supermarketisnearthebusstation(Mon-Sat7:00-21:00,
Sun 7:00-13:00). There's no shortage of scenic places to enjoy an al fresco munch: on a
stone bench by the arsenal, overlooking the main square, or on the embankment that runs
along the harbor.
International Splurges
(See “Hvar Town” map, here .)
Gariful Restaurant (“Carnation”) has Hvar's best waterfront location, at the end of the
yacht-lined embankment. Theyhaveafineoutdoorterrace andasmalldiningroom,andthe
service is crisp and helpful. You know the fish is fresh, because it's swimming around be-