Traveling Croatia While Vegan: A Guide

Croatia is a stunning country well worth visiting, from its mountaintop villages to bustling cities to the world-renowned coastline. But for vegan travelers, exploring a new country can present a host of challenges, especially when the local cuisine is quite meat-based. Luckily, Croatian cuisine does have some accidentally vegan dishes, and like most places globally these days, the country is quite open to accommodating vegan travelers! Here are some tips and tricks for vegan travelers heading to Croatia, including restaurants to visit, dishes to try and a couple of handy phrases to keep in mind.

First of all, vegan travelers should check for bio&bio shops near their destinations. Bio&bio is a nationwide health foods store in Croatia and carries a good variety of vegan staples. While it is the goal to be able to eat the local cuisine, having a back-up option for snacks and meal supplements may bring added peace of mind while traveling in a new place.

While many Croatian dishes aren’t vegan, the local produce is pretty vegan-friendly and delicious. Consider assembling an assortment of fresh apricots, grapes, olives, cherries, apples, plums, and citrus fruits for a snacking platter that can be enjoyed with the beach or mountaintop views as a backdrop. The Mediterranean climate in Croatia leads to year-round fresh produce that is often best had by itself.

There are some must-try accidentally vegan dishes in Croatian cuisine. Fritule are similar to doughnuts and are dusted with powdered sugar. For meals, look for soparnik, a traditional Croatian pie that is filled with swiss chard and garlic. Make sure to confirm the soparnik was made without dairy. Other great vegan options include peka, made up of slow-cooked vegetables such as potatoes, peppers, and eggplant, and ajvar, a red pepper and eggplant spread. Various other Croatian dishes can be made vegan upon request – calling ahead to check with the chef is advised.

It may be helpful to learn a few phrases in Croatian to avoid misunderstandings when trying to order food. Below are a few to get travelers started:

I’m vegan – for men: Ja sam vegan [ya sam vay-gun] for women: ja sam veganka [ya sam vay-gun-ka]

I do not eat – Ja ne jedem [ya ne yedem]

• Meat – meso [messo]
• Fish – ribu [reebu]
• Eggs – jaja [yaya]
• Dairy products – mliječne proizvode [mlyech-ne proyz-vodeh]

Croatia does have a few fantastic vegan restaurants that are well worth checking out while touring the cities. Urban & Veggie in Dubrovnik has rave reviews from previous vegan travelers, and offers a daily special in addition to a variety of menu staples. In Rijeka, consider popping into Makrovega, a macrobiotic vegan spot that accommodates take-away orders. Zagreb has a number of vegan restaurants, but top of the list are Zrno Bio Bistro, which offers organic vegan fare using locally-sourced produce, and Simple Green, which has vegan takes on traditional dishes and a vegan bakery next door. For a more upscale dinner, check out Pandora Greenbox in Split, and stop in VEG for a chiller café experience.

Don’t feel nervous about traveling to Croatia as a vegan! There are plenty of options for vegan cuisine in the cities, and while dining options may be scarcer in the beautiful mountains and quaint villages, Croatian produce is so fresh and delicious that it isn’t much trouble at all to assemble a satisfying meal anywhere in the country. Call Sky Vacations to start planning your trip today!