Enchanting Restaurants with Outdoor Seating & Places to Stay in Podstrana, Croatia

If you’re like me, you’re constantly on the lookout for amazing alfresco dining spots wherever you go. After living in Arizona and Southern California for so many years, I’ll admit I’m a little spoiled. Now, any time the weather’s right, I’m on the prowl for restaurants with outdoor seating, no matter where I am.

My Picks – 1st in a Series

In my journeys to other corners of the country and the world, I’ve kept a mental list of the restaurants that have combined ambiance, gorgeous views, and good food to create a magical experience that I just can’t stop thinking about. The good news is that most of these places are budget-friendly too. Because the ultimate restaurant experience isn’t about the cost of the food.

This is the first installment in an occasional series about my picks for great places and foods to eat. Some choices are about the location and may include restaurants with outdoor seating and an amazing view, others are about the food, and some are a combination of the two. Sometimes I’ll share interesting things to do or great places to stay too. Be sure to get on my weekly newsletter mailing list to get them all.

Let’s Start on the Dalmatian Coast

The Dalmatian Coast is a narrow belt of the eastern shore of the Adriatic Sea, stretching along the west coast of Croatia approximately from the island of Rab in the north to the Bay of Kotor in the south.

When you hear about the Dalmatian Coast of Croatia you may think of Split, the largest town in the region with about 500,000 people. Or maybe Dubrovnik comes to mind since it’s often featured in travel brochures. But between those two cities, I found several enchanting restaurants with outdoor seating that make it worthwhile to get out of the city and off the beaten path. Fortunately, we visited with friends in late spring, which brings perfect weather for al fresco dining.

There’s something about the look and feel of the Dalmatian Coast, situated just across the sea from Italy, that reminds me of Santa Barbara, California. Maybe it’s the mild Mediterranean climate or the views out to the gorgeous blue waters. Or it could be the red tile roofs that we found sprinkled along the coast, especially in Omis.

When my husband and I visited the region we were fortunate enough to travel with our friends, Bob and Helen, who had been there before and knew the area well. I’m sure we would have never discovered some of these hidden gems without their help. In this post, we’ll visit the small town of Podstrana, about a 30-minute drive south of the Split Airport.

Why Visit Podstrana?

Podstrana’s population was around 10,000 in 2011. It’s just a short distance from Split, Omis and other beautiful cities along the coast. Many hotels and villas are more budget-friendly than being in the city. Podstrana offers a place to escape the crowds and truly relax. If you love seafood, it couldn’t be fresher. Try the octopus salad, fish stew, shrimp or other shellfish. Or consider Croatia’s famous Pag Cheese that originated on nearby Pag Island. Podstrana is also surrounded by several wine regions. Two-thirds of their best-known wines are white and pair perfectly with the local seafood.

Another big reason to visit Croatia in general – At the time of this post the current exchange rate was – 1 Croatian Kuna = 0.15 US Dollar – A budget-friendly value!

Dinner at Sunset in Podstrana

On the first day of our trip, we landed at the airport in Split after a very long flight from Arizona (U.S.). Helen had booked a sweet bed and breakfast in Podstrana (more on this later) and our host, Ante picked us up from the airport. We stuffed 5 adults and our luggage for 4 into the typically small European car and headed 30 minutes south.

We were jet-lagged, but hungry for some real food after eating airport fare for what seemed like days. Thankfully once we dropped off our luggage in the rooms, our “commute” to the restaurant was a short walk along this quiet and breezy pebble beach just before sunset!

Restoran Amigos

We arrived at Restauran Amigos a few minutes later. In the U.S. you’d expect an eatery called “Amigos” to be serving Mexican food since the word “Amigo” is Spanish for a male friend or buddy. This restaurant, however, features primarily fresh seafood, as well as excellent meats, fresh produce, and some Italian fare. Of course, the fact that you can throw a stone in the water from your table and this spot is connected by the Adriatic Sea to its neighbors in Italy, the cuisine makes total sense. In fact, it’s considered the traditional cuisine of the Dalmatian Coast. I’d much rather have seafood than Mexican food and we were certainly not complaining when we were served our meal, along with our glasses of Croatian wine. Everything was delicious!

Amigos Restaurant has earned high praise on all the review sites. They also earned a “Certificate of Excellence” from Trip Advisor for the last 4 years. You can see more photos of the food here.

We were there on a weeknight and found a table on the patio fairly easily. Now that tourism is growing in the area it’s better to call ahead for a reservation if you want to be sure to sit outside when the weather’s nice. We took in this glorious view from our table, breathed in the salty breeze from the Adriatic, and savored the fresh catch of the day. What could be more magical?

Amigos – Important Info

• Location – Grljevačka 126 21 312 Podstrana, Croatia
• Hours – 7:00 AM – 11:45 PM Every Day
• Serving – Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner
• Reservations – Contact by phone or email
• Telephone:+385 (0)21/336 070
• E-mail: [email protected]

Where to Stay Overnight in Podstrana

I’m torn between revealing our hidden gem (and making it even more difficult to get a reservation) and promoting the business of this long-time host who has become a friend. I’ll let you in on the secret and share that when we were there we stayed at Pansion Perisic.

The Perisic Guesthouse is a small place and a great value. It’s family-owned and run by Ante and his brother Vjeren Perisic. The Perisic family is one of the oldest families in Podstrana. The Perisic people have been there for generations. Ante and his brother love to sit and visit with their guests in the evenings and enjoy a beverage or two. If you’re interested, they’ll share about local history and the best places to visit in the area.

Be Sure to Book Early

For any places to stay remember that Podstrana has become VERY popular lately, so you’ll want to book pretty far in advance. Booking 9 months to a year in advance is not too much. When you stay at Pansion Perisic, you’ll find clean basic rooms with amazing views of the Adriatic Sea from each room.

Breakfast at Pansion Perisic is more than “Continental”, but not always a full cooked-to-order meal. You may find it different each day. Some items that could be served on any given day are coffee (of course), bread, meat, cheese, eggs, yogurt, muesli, juice or fresh local fruits. The brothers also offer an optional home-cooked dinner for an additional charge. On some nights if they get a catch of fish from the pots out in the sea, they may grill the fish, and serve with potatoes and it’s all quite delicious.

More Options for Places to Stay

If Pansion Perisic is booked, a few other good beachfront alternatives are Pansion Martin or Pansion Zanic, just north of there. The breakfast at Zanic is very good — Eggs cooked to order, potatoes, meat, bread, etc. The place is clean and nice. Some rooms don’t have a sea view, so you have to specify if you want one.

Pansion Amigos also offers overnight accommodations in addition to their great restaurant. With excellent reviews on all the sites I checked, Pansion Amigos offers everything from single rooms to family rooms, some with balconies and sea views. Free parking, free wifi and airport shuttle available from Split.

Check Hotel Availability

Booking.com

Getting Around on the Dalmatian Coast

If you’d rather not rent a car, many hotels and villas in Podstrana offer shuttle service from the Split airport. Then when you’re ready to venture out, there are busses and passenger vans that run up and down the coast and are fairly inexpensive (I think, less than 20 Kuna each way). There are bus stops on each side of the street. You can catch the 64 bus either north to Split or south to Omis. In Split, it lets you off at the street corner by the outdoor Piazza that’s next to Diocletian’s Palace and many of the interesting stops are easily walkable from there.

More Restaurants with Outdoor Seating

I haven’t eaten at this spot myself, but our friends Bob and Helen were there recently and said that Restauran Jure is another awesome restaurant with outdoor seating and has some of the best food in the area. The meal prices might be a little higher than other places, but the food and magnificent ambiance are well worth it. Some of the outdoor seating at Restoran Jure is surrounded on three sides by water. You can get a feel for the magic in this video.

This excellent restaurant (Restoran Jure) is a little south of Amigos. They also serve traditional cuisine of the Dalmatian Coast – pasta, seafood, pizza, meats, salads). The patio seating allows you to sit at tables on the jetty, surrounded by the sea. With views like these, you’ll definitely want to choose restaurants with outdoor seating like this on the Dalmatian Coast.

Restauran Jure – Important Info

• Location – Cesta Svetog Martina 2, 21312, Podstrana, Croatia
• Hours – 10:00 AM to Midnight
• Serving – Lunch to Late Night
• Reservations or questions – visit their site here
  • [Tip – if you need a web page translated to another language – right-click on the page, then click “Translate to English” (or your preferred language).]
• Telephone – +385 (0) 21/ 330 163
• Email – [email protected]

Do you know of other amazing restaurants with outdoor seating in Podstrana? If so, please let me know in the comments below. What else do you love about Podstrana? Do you have questions that I can help with?

Next Stop – Omis, Croatia

Check out my Omis Croatia post for lots of great ideas on things to do in this magical beach town just down the road from Podstrana. We took a boat on the Cetina river to get to an Old World restaurant with outdoor seating under a canopy of ancient trees, but there’s so much more to Omis. Have you been there? Do you have plans to go?

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