Restoran Punta — Restaurant in Grad Zadar

With a fine ambiance, cozy location, and a setting slightly removed from the main routes, expectations are raised high - but so is the impact when disappointment comes.

Slightly more expensive than average, it certainly makes you think the service and food are expected to maintain top quality. I'll give the service credit, but the food... oh, not so much.

We ordered two portions of fried calamari, one portion of grilled calamari, and a grilled sea bream.

The grilled calamari were ruined by burnt residue and charred bits leftover from previous dishes. The dominant flavor? Charcoal. One calamari wasn't even properly cleaned. The side - Swiss chard with potatoes - was clearly pre-prepared and arrived lukewarm.

The fried calamari were well-cooked but excessively salty, while the fries were decent. The sea bream was probably the best of the dishes: average in size (about 400g), but again, way too salty. Whatever happened to olive oil and Mediterranean herbs? This isn't supposed to taste like fried smelt. The side of Swiss chard and potatoes was the same as with the calamari - by the time I cleaned the fish (which I did quickly), the side was more cold than warm.

The price for all of the above - around €130 with 1 drink per person (Cola, 2xIce tea, Bottled beer)- felt excessive, and the overall impression:...

Extremely disappointed by this experience. While the setting was very pleasant, the service was truly disgraceful. We ordered a seafood platter. Everything was very good except for the mussels. When the waiter came to take our food away, he asked us if we had liked our dish, to which we replied honestly that everything was excellent except the mussels. The waiter took offence and asked us several times if this was the first time we'd eaten them and if we usually liked them. This was inappropriate on his part, as we know when mussels are good, and the price of the dish demands good quality products, which unfortunately we didn't get. But that's not all: instead of accepting this criticism, the waiter ignored us for the rest of the meal, leaving us alone for 20 minutes. No one came to see us, and he never spoke to us again, either to suggest what to do next, or to give us the bill. Most shocking of all, he expressly asked a waitress to come and see us eventually, as he no longer wished to look after us... he made no secret of it. Finally, when it came time to pay, we were asked for a tip - what a shame. This restaurant clearly doesn't live up to its reputation for quality...

Outdoor terrace with grill. Take into account that on hot summer days it is warm on the terrace. You can see your food being prepared. In the high season, I recommend booking a table in advance. We visited the grill several times, but always outside the high season, so no reservation or air conditioning was necessary. We always liked the food very much, the fish and seafood were fresh, the meat juicy. I also recommend asking the staff about the current dessert menu, all cakes are homemade and fantastic... even if it's mainly a grill. In addition to the offer on the menu, they also tend to have freshly caught fish according to the season. Ask the staff about it. I think the portions are big, the prices too 😁 but the food is worth it.

… Dinner again in Punta grill after a year, the terrace has a new floor, a new roof, new lighting, new plate design (watch out, the cutlery tends to run off the plate), the menu has a new, more modern look and slightly higher prices. I don't know, I really don't know if I've forgotten how well they cook or if they've...