Croatia gets its first two-star Michelin restaurant

Agli Amici in Rovinj (Photo: Maistra)

ZAGREB, 26 June 2024 – As of today, Croatia proudly boasts a restaurant with two Michelin stars and ten restaurants with one prestigious star.

This development comes following the announcement of the latest MICHELIN selection for Croatia.

Among the newly recognised are Agli Amici from Rovinj, which now holds two stars, and Dubravkin put from Zagreb, which has been awarded one star.

Additionally, restaurants Pelegrini (Šibenik), 360º (Dubrovnik), Monte (Rovinj), Noel (Zagreb), Boškinac (Novalja), LD Restaurant (Korčula), Nebo (Rijeka), Alfred Keller (Mali Lošinj), and Korak (Jastrebarsko) have successfully retained their stars.

Pelegrini (Photo: Pelegrini)

“The new Michelin guide reaffirms the excellence of Croatian gastronomy, which, thanks to the creativity and passion of Croatian chefs, is already recognised worldwide. This is further evidenced by the latest decision of the World Tourism Organisation, which has named our chef, Rudi Štefan, a global ambassador for gastronomic tourism.

The diversity of offerings, authentic ingredients, and rich interpretation of Croatian dishes are additional incentives for many tourists to visit. The development of wine and food tourism is also acknowledged in our strategic documents. Congratulations to all who have been included in this globally relevant gastronomic guide this year, and I believe that more of our restaurants will find their place in it each year,” stated Tonči Glavina, Minister of Tourism and Sports.

Noel (Photo: Noel Zagreb)

Regarding the Michelin Green Star designation, restaurants Zinfandel’s (Zagreb), Konoba Mate (Korčula), and Korak (Jastrebarsko) have successfully retained their status. This designation is awarded to restaurants particularly dedicated to sustainability and eco-friendly gastronomy.

Today, Croatia is well recognised as a quality and attractive destination, and Michelin’s accolades confirm the excellence of Croatian gastronomy and the skill of our chefs, who contribute to the satisfaction of our guests through their hard work and dedication. As a destination, we aim to follow trends of excellence, and this selection by Michelin greatly contributes to promoting our country as a high-quality and prestigious gastronomic destination.

The fact that Croatia now has a total of 93 restaurants with some form of Michelin recognition will undoubtedly be utilised in further promoting both our gastronomy and Croatia as a whole,” said Kristjan Staničić, Director of the Croatian National Tourist Board.

Korak (Photo: Korak)

In addition to these accolades, Michelin has added the restaurant Fakin from Legrad to the Bib Gourmand list.

Croatia now has a total of 11 restaurants with this Michelin designation, which is awarded to establishments offering quality menus at reasonable prices.

These new recognitions are the result of anonymous visits to Croatian restaurants by Michelin’s professional inspectors, part of the world’s most significant and recognised restaurant guide. The list for Croatia is published on Michelin’s official website.

The Process of Earning a Michelin Star

Michelin stars are awarded to restaurants with the finest cuisine, regardless of the type of cuisine. Stars are awarded solely based on what is served on the plate, without considering the interior, decorations, service quality, or table settings. A Michelin inspector evaluates restaurants by visiting them anonymously and assessing based on five main criteria: ingredient quality, cooking skill and flavour combination, creativity, consistency of food quality, and value for money.

360 (Photo credit: Veronica Arevalo)

A restaurant can earn one to three stars, depending on the multitude of conditions it must meet to enter the exclusive circle of Michelin-starred establishments.

The difficulty of earning even one star is highlighted by the fact that there are only 2,657 Michelin-starred restaurants worldwide. There are 481 with two stars and just 135 with three stars, placing them at the pinnacle of global gastronomy.