Dundo Maroje — Restaurant in Dubrovnik

WARNING: PLEASE TAKE UNDER ADVISEMENT!

A male waiter here DISCRIMINATED against me and my husband, THREATENED him with VIOLENCE!

Events that occurred on August 31st approximately 7pm:

My husband and I tried to catch an earlier dinner before the crowds and were attracted by its high Google rating. Upon arriving, asked for a table for two and the waiter looked us up-and-down and asked if we had a reservation. We said “no, unfortunately “ and he said they were completely booked. Disappointed, we started looking for other restaurants. However, another couple came behind us (while we stood aside) and asked and they said they didn’t have a reservation and were seated! THIS WAS SHOCKING. We waited, thinking we misunderstood… and ANOTHER RESERVATION-LESS COUPLE WERE SEATED! Both couples were male/female. We even asked one couple if they had a reservation for certain and they replied they did not.

We asked the waiter why he sat two couples and not us and he repeated they all had a reservation. We even told him one couple confirmed with us that they did not have a reservation and he called them liars.

We decided to speak to a hostess and share our experience. He followed us and got VERY AGGRAVATED. The hostess was very pleasant and apologized. The waiter started arguing with my husband and I asked the hostess to speak with the manager. The waiter started ARGUING HE WAS THE MANAGER and we needed to speak with him (which was so unbelievable the hostess even rolled her eyes at him) and brought back the real manager. As we waited for the real manager, the waiter became unhinged, arguing with my husband. HE BEGAN TO APPROACH MY HUSBAND VERY CLOSELY! He started to roll up his sleeves (to threaten something physical to happen) as they traded insults. He said “YOU MESSED WITH THE WRONG PERSON!” Increasing THREATENING, he said we were guests in his country and needed to learn something. His bravado very much made a scene with my husband. We felt very UNSAFE. I responded : “YOU CANNOT PHYSICALLY TOUCH US OR YOU’d LOSE YOUR JOB.” He repeated he wouldn’t not touch us but that again we upset “the wrong person.”

The manger arrived and I recounted the story above. I believe the manager misunderstood that two separate couples were seated at tables for 2… that we were discriminated against. I was still shaking as I told him what happened so maybe I wasn’t clear. The manager attributed it to a misunderstanding around 2top vs 4top tables… but I insisted the waiter did not like HOW WE LOOKED or THAT WE WERE 2 MEN. Regardless the manager kept the situation under control as other guests watched and the manager acted professionally. He offered to seat us and comp our meal which was gracious. Unfortunately the whole experience badly shook us and we lost our appetite and we chose to go home.

IN CONCLUSION: if you have limited time in a special city… AVOID the RISK of receiving the same treatment by this employee at this restaurant. It really sours your whole trip. Choose somewhere else as fine dining is everywhere.

UPDATE: the manager’s response is just an attempt to cover up an awful employee’s behavior to readers. First of all, it makes no sense that all these would occur if the answer was just “wait a few minutes” to be seated at another terrace. Think about it. Second, you can tell the manager is lying because later the manager in his response offers a table in a restaurant in Prijeko street. So was the restaurant full or not? Get the story straight. And if video footage exists, would you share that? I’ll send you my email.

Reader, I’ve lost all the respect one can muster for this restaurant. They accept NOT one ounce of blame when clearly a SERIOUS incident occurred. Who are you to believe? A reviewer who comprehensively explained what happened - or a restaurant trying to ensure they don’t lose more customers because they hired a very poor waiter. I shared with you both sides of the story, they clearly fabricated their own side making them completely innocent to protect profit margins. My strong suggestion to is LGBT...

Our dinner at Dondo MAROJE was hands-down one of the highlights of our time in Dubrovnik. The food was every bit as exceptional as the service—a rare and memorable combination that made for a truly special evening.

From the moment we sat down, our server Andrei made us feel completely at home. He was warm, attentive, and incredibly knowledgeable, offering thoughtful recommendations and perfectly tailored pairings that brought each dish to life.

We ordered two of the traditional Croatian dishes. Every dish was packed with flavour, beautifully prepared, and managed to strike that perfect balance between comforting and elevated. The food had a nostalgic quality to it—rich, familiar, and deeply satisfying, like something you didn’t realize you were missing until you had it again.

Dessert was a silky, well-balanced tiramisu, followed by a round of local digestives that Andre suggested to cap off the meal—and they did not disappoint.

The combination of outstanding food and truly exceptional service made this one of the best dining experiences we’ve had, not just in Dubrovnik, but anywhere. If you’re in town, don’t miss the chance to eat here. Dondo MAROJE is the kind of place you’ll want to return to again and again.

EDIT: We came back again the next night! Just as exceptional as last night. Would come back tomorrow if we weren’t...

We unfortunately had a very unpleasant experience at Dundo Maroje. We had planned to celebrate something special, but unfortunately were sat in front of a couple who were using extreme hate speech in really loud voices, that I won't repeat on here. I challenged them and also told the waiter, as I was visibly very upset about their use of such horrific, discriminatory language. The waiter didn't know what to do and just said we could move tables. Given their extreme language, they should have been asked to leave. Coupled with this was the very poor food. I'm not sure why it has such good reviews, as I had a mezze platter that was something I could have made myself - just a couple of dips and very dry, stale bread. My sea bass was burnt so I had to send it back. They quickly replaced it, but it was incredibly tasteless, and difficult to eat. It was supposed to come with broad beans, but I counted two in there! For over 30 euros, I felt completely robbed! All in all, a very horrible experience which spoilt...