When it comes to traditional cuisine prepared with care in the very heart of Dubrovnik, Restaurant Horizont should be your first port of call.
Living off tourism, we locals tend to be seen as hosts, busy with getting rooms ready, making sure the bed sheets are ironed, working in shops, dealing with catering, transportation, and all kinds of stuff.
Somehow, my impression is that, by prevalent public perception, we have very little of our private lives. Well, we do! We go to the beaches, we have our days off, we attend concerts and exhibitions, and we – eat! And not always and only at home.
I myself go out a lot, whenever a traffic jam allows me, in fact. While some of the good local eateries in Dubrovnik are more than okay for me, I have had some other targets, of course. I hit one of them the other day, finally, and much to my pleasure.
The name of the place gives away a little bit about it already – ”Horizont’’ ( i.e. horizon) right there at the reach of the Eastern city gate (Ploce gate). View-wise, it offers not only the horizon line at sea, but the view also frames the entirely unique skyline of Dubrovnik’s ancient City Walls, which is worth a photo or two from an otherwise very unusual and unsaturated angle.
Your personal view is not impeded, either – its terrace is skilfully placed on the large, old stone steps, which once served as the pathway leading uphill to the little mountain villages which once provided daily fresh food for the city. They still do, only the means of transportation has changed somewhat, and the proverbial donkeys have been replaced by many horses squeezed under one single metal hub. Times change, but traditions don’t have to.
The level of people Horizont attracts owing to its ideal position is really the only thing that can get ”in the way” of the view, so it might be wise to book! I got lucky with the time of day, as you can see in the photo below.
To get to the point, Horizont was an excellent choice indeed. One first look at the menu was more than encouraging – the list isn’t long at all, which I am sure all of us prefer.
Just three or four choices of hors d’oeuvres, of salads, of spaghetti, of main courses, of desserts and, well, with quite an impressive wine list.
I opted for a beef carpaccio, which came to my table on a bed of perfectly fresh young arugula (and then I spoiled it all by dousing it in far too much olive oil as it was so good that I just couldn’t resist doing so).
The fresh tuna steak arrived perfectly done and with polenta that I finished before the rest – soft, tasty, amalgamating with the fish and the sesame seeds it was wrapped in.
However short, the list of desserts took me a while, until I gathered the courage to choose the sour orange cake with almonds. Perfect in more ways than one, and eaten in under one minute, this cake was not only a pleasure to my palate, but it also rekindled memories of some things my grandmother used to make using the very special local Dubrovnik sour oranges.
I had to stop right there, no coffee, nothing, just a sip of red wine so as not to spoil the harmony of all those obviously genuine ingredients that made lunch at Horizont more than a perfect, fulfilling experience.
Not that I am a gourmand, or a ”foodie” as they’re calling them nowadays, but, trust me – each of the few well-used steps up this picturesque old street is worth every bite at this truly nice, tidy, traditional and utterly hospitable little place.
When in Dubrovnik, you can share my experience by booking your table and enjoying not only incredible food in an ideal location, but a view that can’t be beaten, find out more here.
