Marangun Food & Bar Room — Restaurant in Dubrovnik

This was my last night in Croatia and I had so far been satisfied but not overly happy with the food. I always felt the food was lacking some seasoning and some overall star power here and there, but I thought to myself that perhaps I wouldn’t find it here.

Until, of course, I came to Marangun and I finally found what I was looking for. First of all, having a view that was overlooking the lush area was in itself quite wonderful on a summer night, but the place really did feel like a bit of a gem.

The drinks here are much more affordable than in other places, and even then, they are also much better than in many of the places we went to.

Our first dish was sharing a beef tartar. I really enjoyed the flavors of the tartar, but it was more of a mince than a tartar which was slightly disappointing (I usually expect a little chunkier pieces). Having that said, the flavor was good. In hindsight I would perhaps ordered their signature pepper starter instead.

The second dish was their fisherman’s pot containing shark steak, polenta, prawns, mussels and clams. This meal blew my mind. It’s a bit reminiscent of the Portuguese dish Arroz de Marisco in terms of taste, but make no mistake: this absolutely has Croatia’s and Marangun’s own signature on it. I’ve never had shark before, but it tasted much like most white fish except having slightly more resistance. Still, it was very flaky and was quite delicious. The prawns were a blessing, in many other parts we ordered prawns and got shrimp, but these were big prawns that were juicy and had that hint of fresh sweetness. I think the thing that really needs to be highlighted here was the sauce though. I’ve always been disappointed when the proteins in meals aren’t properly supported by the rest of the plate, or if they take over the protein. Here you have a quite savory sauce that just highlights every protein perfectly, it has the right amount of acidity and saltiness that elevates every piece on this dish. Having some of the clam or mussel and then spooning up some of that sauce is just a perfect combination of flavors. In addition to this, it’s also served with an extremely thin crisp that resonates perfectly with a slight crunch to an otherwise soft dish. It’s a dark bread that introduces a hint of bitterness to the meal, and the fact that you can freely control and play around with these different textures throughout the meal is one of the things that just makes this dish amazing.

The staff here is also really welcoming and nice. I honestly think that if you don’t eat at Marangun when you’re in Dubrovnik, your trip here...

We booked before we left for our trip in Croatia, based on the positive T/A reviews, just to make sure we got a table on the outside terrace.

Marangun is located on Ul. Iva Vojnovića and is open seven days a week for lunch and dinner.

Our first impressions were that it was a welcoming understated elegant but casual restaurant, with great views to the adjoining bay. Our waiter personified our dining experience. He was engaging, knowledgeable and entertaining. Keen to try as many of the local specialities as possible we went with a number of his recommendations. The menu is fairly limited but the dishes they prepare have a 'wow factor'.

We went with entrees: Orzotto with spinach, garlic, grana Padano, roasted beetroot and paprika cream; Roasted pepper with anchovies stuffed with cream cheese, drizzled with basil oil and pepper butter. Then mains: Adriatic Sea bass fillet with cauliflower, Swiss chard cream, zucchini; Belly of Croatian autochthonous Slavonian pig in a dark sauce with celery purée. Followed by a shared dessert: Apple tart with vanilla ice cream. Together with recommended local wines and beers.

We loved the dining experience that much that we were tempted to go back again whilst we were in Split (we probably should have). I cannot compliment the staff enough for exceeding our expectations both with the service...

Everything was really as described in the previous reviews, in my opinion even better! The restaurant is very nicely decorated, we made reservations in advance, which I would recommend right away, as the restaurant is very busy, and we got a wonderful table with a beautiful view. I even really liked the menus. The Service was great, the waiter (who unfortunately I don't know the name of) was so kind and friendly, we felt incredibly comfortable. In addition, the food was so so good! Very varied offer and also something else to the usual offers in other restaurants. Portions are big too and the prices for Dubrovnik are really cheap! Especially for the quality and richness of the food, really very cheap. The cocktails were delicious too. I can only recommend it! A must if you are in Dubrovnik and want to eat great and cheap. We'll definitely be back as soon as we're back in town! Hvala na svemu, stvarno je bilo divno! Mi cemo sigurno opet doc kad budemo opet dosli za Dubrovnik...