by Cynthia Cruz
| January, 8, 2026
Perched dramatically on the Dalmatian Coast is Dubrovnik, Croatia, a place where the sea meets stone, where medieval walls guard centuries of stories, and where the Mediterranean sun paints the city in brilliant shades of gold.
For travelers arriving from the San Francisco Bay Area, the journey requires a European connection and a generous helping of patience. Total travel time hovers between 18 and 22 hours — more if weather disrupts schedules. The region’s notorious bura, a cold northeasterly wind blowing from the mountains to the Adriatic Sea, occasionally forces pilots to reroute or delay landings. Fortunately, I was blissfully unaware of this infamous wind thanks to a skilled and experienced pilot, but I later learned there were planes that were unable to land. The bura arrived uncharacteristically early during the beginning of October, nonetheless, better to endure a bit of wind than the heat and the crowds during the busier summer season.
My trip started with an 11-hour flight from SFO with a one-hour layover in Amsterdam, leaving me with little time to catch my connecting flight (I hadn’t sprinted like that since my 20’s!). Miraculously, I made my connecting flight with no time to spare – the 2.5-hour flight from Amsterdam was nothing compared to the flight from SFO – and the plane landed smoothly in spite of the unruly bura.
The ride from the airport to the hotel was along a beautiful coastline with glimpses of picturesque towns dotting the shoreline and the familiar thrill of being in a new and unexplored place surpassed the jetlag. As soon as I settled into my ocean-view room at the Hotel Bellevue Dubrovnik, I decided to walk to Old Town, just a little over a mile and a 15-minute walk down a scenic hill.
Old Town is the fortified, medieval heart of Dubrovnik—an exquisitely preserved walled city on Croatia’s Adriatic coast and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It’s one of Europe’s most iconic historic centers, celebrated for marble streets, soaring stone ramparts, Baroque churches, and Renaissance palaces framed by the shimmering sea.
Old Town is also known as “King’s Landing” by the many avid fans of HBO’s popular series Game of Thrones. You can purchase keychains and goblets, have your photo taken sitting on a replica of the Iron Throne, or take the “Walk of Shame” à la Cersei. The series has increased tourism in Old Town so much so that UNESCO threatened to remove its World Heritage status unless measures were taken. In response, Dubrovnik has implemented measures such as limiting the number of cruise ships, capping daily cruise passengers, and restricting access to Old Town. Still… it’s pretty crowded – but also not to be missed.
After a much-needed nap, I made my way to the nearby Hotel Excelsior to the first dining event of the Taste the Mediterranean Festival. The Taste the Mediterranean Festival brings Michelin-starred chefs, wine experts, and culinary artisans together every year, and the city has emerged as not just a historical treasure but a world-class gastronomic destination as well.
The first dinner of the festival began with a collaboration between Chef Carmelo Carnevale of Lizzie’s Cucina and Caffe Amore in London, and Chef Mate Matić of Dubrovnik’s renowned Vapor Restaurant which is located within the Hotel Bellevue.
The six-course Italian-inspired gourmet dinner delighted not only in taste but in presentation, and each course was expertly paired with accompanying wines from the region. We dined on a trio of amuse bouche from Chef Matić: Burrata & Beetroot, Blue Crab & Tangerine, and Caviar & Fish Cracker – a fortuitous start. The meal proceeded with a cold appetizer of tender octopus served with a quenelle of smoked eggplant and a dollop of fresh ricotta followed by a warm appetizer of creamy lemon risotto from Chef Carnevale. Next came the fish entree from Chef Matić: Sea Bass Ikejime (Ikejime is a Japanese method for humanely killing fish preserving quality by minimizing stress) served on vivid green leccino (olive) purée and a delicate spray of olive oil foam, and the meat entree from Chef Carnevale: Slow-cooked lamb with pistachio crumbs and red wine sauce. To end, Chef Matić served a baked mousse of curd and ricotta with dark honey, dried fig gel and a delicate sesame cracker. And on that note, this meal was a mere glimpse of more delicious and imaginative meals to come.
There is much to do in Dubrovnik, but the weather can dictate the availability of some of the activities. For example, the cable car to the top of Mount Srdj where there is a small museum and a spectacular view Old Town and the Adriatic, as well as the ferry ride from Old Town to the Botanical Gardens in Lokrum, where a whole day can be easily spent strolling through the centuries-old garden, swimming, hiking, and exploring the Benedictine monastery ruins, were inoperable during the bura.
Night two of the Taste the Mediterranean Festival would pay tribute to the cuisines of Mexico and France. The chefs for this evening’s dinner featured Chef Beatriz Gonzalez, the acclaimed chef behind Parisian restaurants Cosetta, Neva Cuisine, and Taco Mesa and Chef Petar Obad, chef of Hotel Excelsior’s Sensus restaurant.
The evening began with an amuse bouche from Chef Gonzalez, a tuna gordita glazed with guava and soy sauce. Next, another amuse bouche, this time from Chef Obad – arancini made with Konavle onion (a pink onion from the Croatian region of Konavle) topped with cheese paper and mushrooms. Next came the appetizers. The cold appetizer from Chef Gonzalez, a colorful dish of smoked fish, butternut squash and grapefruit. The warm appetizer from Chef Obad was a plate of three fat tortellini stuffed with beef hearts with a mint sauce, raspberries, the smallest of fried cabbage leaves and varenik (Croatian grape syrup) – the tortellini were delicate but beefy and the flavor profile was so unique and so unlikely, yet it worked. The fish entree from Chef Obad was octopus with blue potato cream, a tapioca cracker resting on top – a symphony of flavors and textures. Chef Gonzalez rounded out the evening with the last three courses. The meat entree of veal sweetbreads, perfectly cooked, glazed with tamarind, cocoa celery (indeed an odd but sophisticated combination of ingredients). Chef Gonzalez ended the meal with dessert – apricot espuma, beautifully presented with a sprinkling of colorful flower petals, served with mezcal, and a finale of a vanilla mousse with cacao bean ice cream over crushed chocolate biscuits and pecans. Clearly, these chefs cook without boundaries creating extraordinary dishes.
What is Dubrovnik without the sea? We began the day embarking on a boat trip to the Elaphiti Islands — a breathtaking archipelago of thirteen islands of which only three are inhabited: Koločep, Šipan, and Lopud – a trio of peaceful, postcard-perfect escapes.
Spend the day exploring the islands, stopping for coffee, cocktails or a meal al fresco at one of the many restaurants, and, weather permitting, sunbathing and swimming in the crystal-clear waters.
Dinner this evening was in Old Town at a Michelin-recommended restaurant called Taj Mahal which specializes in Bosnian cuisine. We tried the Ćevapi (sausage), the beef skewer, and a dish of stuffed vegetables over mashed potatoes. The mashed potatoes stole the show. In fact, every potato dish I had eaten in Croatia – from French fries, to mashed, to roasted under the bell (peka) –were the best potatoes I’ve ever had. Do not underestimate the potato in Croatia.
