The chatter all around us was infectious, we had made it in time up Srđ on a packed sweat-box cable car to then spill out onto one of Croatia’s most spectacular rooftop restaurants. The air was thickly humid at this height and part of Dubrovnik lay out in front of us lit in a cool orange glow, the start of a memorable sunset.

A sense of urgency propelled us to rush our names onto the waiting list. A list without any waiting times and on which we were ninth. My friend Danielle and I were eager to chase the sunset and dine at Restaurant Panorama. The maitre d’ had jotted down Danielle’s name in a scribble. neither of us could decipher, we turned away from the reservations book to join the other waiting diners. About fifty of them stood around the platform, created to host those waiting and drinking from the bar.

We held onto our feeble hope of seeing the sun set while eating dinner. You can’t pre-book Panorama, we’d had a Facebook Messenger conversation with them earlier and were advised it was walk-in only, like many of Croatia’s other restaurants. The platform offered a generous view of Dubrovnik, the bustling old city and walls, the steep hill steps that worked your glutes and calm water lapping against the land. The same water which only a few hours ago I was submerged in, swimming, sunbathing and lathering myself in copious amounts of sunscreen.

Lucky Day

A couple came to our standing-table, their fresh zesty cocktails winking at me in the sun. The girl said to her partner, ‘we don’t need to spend that money, we’ve got the view for free and drinks in our hands.’ She was British. It takes one to know one. And I’m a scrounger when travelling for all things other than where I get my grub. Her partner responded saying, ‘yeah, screw spending that much’.

The host did another shout out for those next in line, ‘Stacey’ he approached the girl standing at our table. Impeccable memory for a man surrounded by dozens of hopeful diners. She loudly said, ‘we don’t need a table thanks, we’ll just have a few more drinks instead.’ To which he smiled, turned to us and said ‘Danielle, your table is ready.’ Eyes popping, mosquito catching jaws, we were stunned.

By now we had learnt not to question the spontaneous way everything kept happening in our favour throughout the Croatian road trip we were on. Instead, both wearing identical grins, we said a heartfelt and crazy-eyed thank you to Stacey and her boyfriend, whom cheered us into the open-air restaurant, happy with their drinks on the edge of a fenced cliff.

The maître d’ told us we were ninth in the queue but only second for a table of two as he sat us down facing the sea, no one obstructing our view of a Dubrovnik being put to sleep by the setting sun. Happy bloody birthday to me.

 

Restaurant Panorama – Dubrovnik

There’s an illusion of floating between the sea and sky at Restaurant Panorama and of course you can head here for a few cocktails. But we were floored by the food and grateful for Stacey being a food scrounger.

Alongside the local and international wines and cocktails, their creative chef is a master of culinary genius. Using authentic recipes from the Dubrovnik region, their chef elevated the flavours of every dish to meet the location expectations, complementing the view.

Seafood is a staple along this region of Croatia and we’d had our fair share, instead opting for meatier dishes.

 

Dishes

I salivated over the ‘Chicken Rustico’ (136 KN) which comprised of lightly spiced chicken in fragrant herbs on a bed of light and fluffy potato mousse, subtle creamed pea, fresh sliced carrot, steamed kale and a zesty tomato-based sauce. Delivered in a covered steel dish which spread the excitement of the unknown.

Danielle, after careful consideration chose the Grilled Beefsteak (192 KN), a collaboration of baby potatoes fluffed in the centre, soft baby carrots, sweet carrot cream, savoury onion chips, dusting of thyme and Dingač sauce; derived from a ruby red wine, concentrated and spicy with lots of dark fruit. Dingač is the perfect fit for grilled red meats, also holding title as one of Croatia’s most famous wines. Neither of us took any exemplary photos of the dishes because we were caught in the moment.

My last Croatian surprise, as had occurred all day long, was a complementary birthday dessert. Light mousse with a strong dark chocolate presence accompanied with crunchy honeycomb and red berries. I can only assume this was their cake of the day specialty.

Presentation for both of us was out of this world. Flame outdoor heaters and soft blankets to ward-off the breeze at the altitude we were sat. Even without the Old City, island of Lokrum, the bay of Lapad and Elaphite islands, the food was sensational, but with the view it was an experience of a lifetime. I encourage everyone to visit Dubrovnik if not for the beautiful country then do it for the personal affect in your dinner service and culinary masterpieces.

Upper Cable Car Station, 20,000 Dubrovnik, Croatia
Reserve a table here in advance, preferably before your trip.
For anything else, contact them on their Facebook page.