The Botanist — Restaurant in Grad Zadar

Wow! Just wow. I don’t have the words to describe how fantastic this place is. I’ve been vegan for over a decade and have traveled extensively and eaten a lot of vegan food around the world, and this is one of the top 5 vegan restaurants I have ever been to. I loved the family story that comes with the menu and the explanations for some of the dishes. It made me feel connected to the food in a unique and emotional way. The Botanist beats some Michelin star experiences I have been to. Worth every cent! Don’t miss it on a visit to Zadar, even if you scoff at plant-based food. In detail: We tried the fennel salad, stone soup, “fish dish”, chickpea stew with sopernik, tiramisu, and cheesecake. the fennel salad was fresh and very delicately flavored. A cooling and palate-opening start to the meal. The stone soup is hard to describe but not to be missed. It’s one of the most flavorful vegan broths I have tasted—rich in umami without being too salty and bursting with delicious but hard to pin down flavors. It was beautifully served from a stone teapot and over a bed of sea weeds and thick home made noodles. The “fish” was another exceptional mix of flavors and textures. The tofu and vegetable based vegan dish was unique and tasty, and went beautifully with the melt-in-your mouth potato puree it was served on. The pure was unbelievable—so creamy and “buttery” and with flavor notes made to compliment the Swiss chard and “fish” to perfection. The chickpea stew with sopernik was both a cozy homemade stew and a high end culinary experience. Beautifully served and full of delicate and perfectly balanced flavor notes, but comforting like wrapping yourself in a warm blanket on a cold day. The sopernik that came with it was prepared to perfection. The desserts were, sadly, the only part of the meal that didn’t impress. The tiramisu was not a good tiramisu but was a very nice coffee-flavored dessert. Though nothing unforgettable. The cheesecake I would skip — it was your box standard coconut-based “cheesecake” that tastes of coconut cream and little else. Overall, we had a fantastic experience at The Botanist and cannot recommend it enough. I cannot wait to return and try more of the dishes on the menu. I really admire how much love and meaning seems to be behind each dish, though the menu explanations are a bit too text heavy. They could do with some illustrations (perhaps of the animals dishes are named after). I also wish they explained why the dishes have these odd names. But that aside, it was an extraordinary and unforgettable culinary and...

Okay, confession time - during our week in Zadar, we had 3 meals at The Botanist! We were staying nearby, so we stopped here for lunch on our first day because we were starving and needed to kill some time until our room was ready. The Hostess was incredibly welcoming and gracious and we felt immediately at home. The umbrellas offered reprieve from the Sun and the ice-cold Lemonade was tangy and refreshing. My wife had the Baked Pasta, I had the Aye-Aye Burger and my daughter had the Kid’s Nuggets. Each dish was a delight! The burger was juicy and dripping with flavor. I am not a vegan, but I enjoy trying plant-based meals and this was by far the best vegan burger I have ever had and one of the best burgers period. I was thoroughly impressed. My wife fell in love with her baked pasta which was perfectly cooked with an aromatic, crusty top and steamy pasta and eggplant beneath. Our service was outstanding and everyone was so attentive and interested in creating a welcoming environment. So, naturally, two days later when we wanted to experience dining on the water’s edge to take in the beautiful Sunset, we felt this would be a good place to try again. This was one of the great decisions of our trip. My wife got the Tasseled Wobbegong Polenta dish and reveled in the texture and balance of the sweetness and zest. I tried the Filet Mignon - again, I am not a vegan and this was my first time trying a vegan “steak,” and I was pleasantly satisfied. Certainly the texture is different from true Filet Mignon, as this has more of a structured pot roast texture which easily flakes away with your fork, but the flavor was rich. My 4 year old daughter had the pasta and devoured it, which is a testament to the plate. I ordered a cocktail to savor and enjoy the sunset and it was a perfect compliment to the tranquility of the end of day. I highly, HIGHLY recommend planning a dinner here to catch the beautiful sunset. They don’t take reservations, but we never had trouble walking right in and finding a seat. Again, our experience was such a delight that we came back one last time before the end of our trip. Our servers remembered us, welcomed us, and created a lasting memorable vacation dining experience. Listen, we tried various types of cuisine all over the city because that is our joy when traveling - The Botanist was our favorite, by far. Service was impeccable, Atmosphere was unbeatable, and the Food was delicious. Add this...

Croatia isn't the most vegan accessible country I've visited. This is the only really vegan restaurant we've seen so far. Past experiences had led me to believe that meant food would be okay, but not high effort, as cornering the market meant vegans had little other choice. Having eaten here I am proven wrong!

The Botanist Zadar is stunning. A beachfront plant based offering which is one of the best meals I've ever had. All the dishes are named for endangered/strange creatures, with explanations of the dishes flavours and contexts further on in the menu (ignore other reviews whining that there was no explanation- they simply didn't bother reading the menu properly.)

We started with 'Star Nosed Mole' - Mushroom Tartare with tortilla chips and Cucumber and lemon sorbet, and 'Pigbutt Worm'; carrots pickled with liquid smoke, served on puree vegetables and homemade focaccia. The Pigbutt stole the show, it was perfectly balanced in flavour and texture. Not to say the Mole was bad - it was rich and interesting!

For mains, my boyfriend had a homemade beetroot and vegan feta burger with aioli on homemade bread, served with fresh potato wedges. It was succulent and flavourful - both of us are usually really skeptical of vegetable based burgers as they tend to be a lazy safe option for restaurant, but this was so thoughtfully constructed and delicious.

I had 'DikDik' - pea and soy protein engineered filet mignon with roasted beetroot, baby carrots and oat milk potato pave. It was absolutely gorgeous. Rich, beefy and melt-in-your-mouth tender. I loved steak back when I was a meat eater, and have been curious about these new age substitutes for a long time (but have failed to find them back home, many restaurants are scared to take the risk, and its difficult and expensive to buy them for home consumption.) I was so pleased I chose this dish, it gave me that same satisfaction of a beautiful tender steak but without eating a real animal's flesh.

Service was professional, kind and attentive. We were informed on wines, and given explanations about what we had ordered. It was an all round gastronomic experience. I'd be surprised if this place doesn't earn a Michelin star if they keep up this excellence

If anyone finds themselves in Zadar, this is worth a visit; it's a safe haven for those following plant based lifestyles, and a worthy opponent for the curious/stubborn...