A guide to dining on a short break in Dubrovnik

If you're planning a short break to the Croatian city of Dubrovnik, you're sure to want to sample some of the city's renowned cuisine. Meals are often simple yet delicious and you'll discover restaurants dotted throughout that cater to every budget.

Once you've touched down, you'll want to get settled in your accommodation before anything else, so head to your apartment in Dubrovnik and unpack. After establishing yourself at your holiday base, you'll probably discover you're ready for a bite to eat, but where should you go?

With so many eateries to choose from, deciding where to dine out - especially if you're only in the city for a few days - can be a difficult feat.

Why not make your first port of call Restaurant Levanat? The eatery is situated on the Lapad peninsula and affords stunning views of the Bay of Lapad and some distant islets. Expect fresh seafood and exciting gastronomic delights that fuse Dalmatian elegance with Dubrovnik's rustic appeal.

Specials include fish carpaccio, fried roquette leaves with mozzarella cheese and prawns in honey with sage.

Meanwhile, you might choose somewhere closer to the Old Town, like Tovjerna Sesame. The restaurant is housed in a 19th-century house and furnished with antiques. Surrounded by rich vegetation, the intimate spot has a raised terrace and serves up tasty dishes of fresh lobster, tagliatelle with truffles and monkfish carpatio.

In the heart of the Old Town is Arka, located at the foot of a Baroque staircase that leads up to a Jesuit church. The restaurant offers Dalmatian and Italian fare, with the seafood platter and vegetarian dishes being particularly renowned.

Not far from here is Domina - a busy restaurant serving excellent fish and meat dishes. Sitauted quite close to the popular jazz bar, you could find this is the ideal spot for dinner before heading out for a dance.

Alternatively, head to Nautika, just outside the entrance into the Old Town. Offering fine dining, the eatery looks out to the sea and affords excellent views of the fortresses of Lovrijenac and Bokar. Here you can sample dishes like lobster medallions and goat's cheese on honeycomb. The restaurant is renowned in the area, having hosted Pop John Paul II and a clutch of top celebrities from Richard Gere to Owen Wilson.

If you're a fan of seafood, you're sure to want to pay a visit to Lokanda Peskarija, a popular place to eat overlooking the harbour. A sailor-orientated theme can be seen in the uniforms of the waiters and waterside terrace is decked with large white umbrellas. The restaurant is particularly famed for its octopus salad and shellfish risotto.

Meanwhile, the family-run Kamenica is also worth considering - especially if you'd like to eat somewhere informal. The restaurant serves up generous platters of girice - a small fish similar to whitebait - and has outside tables overlooking the marketplace. Be sure to sample the Dubrovnik speciality of rozata, which is not dissimilar to creme caramel.

This is just a small selection of the many restaurants Dubrovnik has to offer, make your way round and you'll discover dozens more - but you may have to book a return journey to visit them all!

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