Locanda il Giardino — Restaurant in Grad Stari Grad

What a Gem!!!! There is FINALLY a wonderful true Italian restaurant in Stari Grad! 1st of all the homemade gelato is the absolute best you'll find not only in ALL of Croatia but also in Italy. The owner is from Puglia and brought staff and ingredients to Croatia to make sure it's authentic (And it is)!! WOW ! The food is so wonderful and the chef also from Puglia is amazing. The building has been lovingly renovated by the owner Ivan and includes a stunning garden area perfect for day or night . The service is impeccable as you'd expect in Puglia but not so much in Croatia. Truly my favorite new restaurant ( And I live here part time and stay in Italy alot and im from California so trust me) .... You won't find better in Stari Grad. All the expats and locals are raving about it and so happy to have a true Puglianeise restaurant here now! Super, top, top! You must experience this wonderful place when your in Stari Grad (...

We were drawn to the restaurant as one of the servers said they were an Italian family offering authentic Italian food and had recently opened the restaurant. Despite the restaurant being pretty empty with not much atmosphere, we decided to take the punt, hopeful for some delicious food. We ordered a rigatoni carbonara and a pizza. The pizza was fine, better than other pizzas we’ve had in Croatia but not up to standard of pizzas we’ve eaten in Italy or London. The carbonara was very bad - there was barely any sauce and what there was was sitting at the bottom of the bowl. There was hardly any flavour, bar from a few pieces of guanciale. The aper spritzes were the most enjoyable part of the meal - overall...

I was fortunate to spend 2 weeks in Stari Grad and tried many of the top restaurants here - Locanda il Giardino was by FAR the best restaurant in Stari Grad, chef Alessandro has an outstanding menu, and the rest of his family and team went above and beyond to provide a wonderful culinary experience. It's also worth mentioning that the restaurant provides unbelievable value for money, definitely don't miss checking out this amazing restaurant next to the serene...