Restaurant Kastel — Restaurant in Grad Zadar

Average experience at best... First, the location is good and the interior looks great. The waitress was unobtrusive and pleasant. Aperol spritz was one of the best I've ever had, as well as the homemade focaccia. But everything else was average or even below average. We ordered five course tasting menu. This was the first restaurant that didn't offer some kind of amuse bouche or a palate cleaner in between courses, only the 5 previously mentioned (for example, in one Michelin recommended restaurand we got 9 courses instead previously mentioned 5, and in one with a star 13 instead of 8). Tuna tartare was full of soy sauce which was the dominant taste, shrimp was a bit intensive on the "nasal" side but not too bad, ravioly were very good with only one objection - they needed salt and pepper, seabass was well prepared but not something that deserves being in tasting menu, and my desert choice (cherry cheesecake) was above average. During the entire meal (we were the only guests), very noisy presentation of wines that included agent, sommelier and a waitress was 2 tables away from us (the restaurant space below us was also empty where they wouldn' bother potential guests). All things considered, the tasting menu is overpriced by at least 30-40% for the experience that it offers. This is not a restaurant that I would return to if something...

One amazing restaurant that is so underrated. We like many other tourists rely heavily on google / tripadvisor reviews when scouting for local food on holiday. We initially wanted to go to other places with more reviews (I.e. 1000) and only came here as we didn’t have a booking with anything else for the night. That turned out to be more than what we expected.

Every dish took us by positive surprise. We had lunch on the same day at 4 Kantuna for the same scampi pasta dish. What we had at Kastel was 10x better from the ingredients to aroma and presentation. The tagliata was fresh and tender, and the tuna tartare also refreshing and flavourful. The dessert was labelled as a chocolate soufflé which is really a lava cake, which we loved.

Last but not least, the gentleman serving our table was incredibly enthusiastic and professional. This is a point echoed by many other reviews that we read before sitting down. We felt very strongly about this especially when compared to our experience at Restaurant Kornat the night afterwards (which I have also written a review about). Our mister explained and presented all the dishes (including the ceramic plates!) with genuine passion and made us feel special and taken care of.

We would recommend this to our family and friends who...

Absolutely blown away by Restaurant Kastel! Our first evening in Zadar was truly memorable thanks to this incredible place. The ambiance is simply stunning – elegant and with a real sense of history. The food was equally impressive, showcasing fresh, local flavors with a sophisticated touch. Every dish was a delight.

The service was outstanding overall. Our sommelier, Dominik, was fantastic! He was knowledgeable, engaging, and made excellent recommendations, leading to some lovely conversations. We also had the pleasure of meeting the sous chef who was cooking for the public holiday. It was such a treat to chat with him about the food, and his passion truly shone through. While not as directly involved in our conversations, the rest of the staff were also attentive and professional, contributing to a smooth and enjoyable dining experience.

From start to finish, our experience at Restaurant Kastel was top-notch and a wonderful introduction to the finer side of Zadar's dining....