A medieval Dalmatian custard pudding, slow-baked in a bain-marie and unmoulded onto its caramel base. Flavoured with rose-petal liqueur (rozalin) which gives the dessert both its name and its delicate floral perfume.
Where to eat it: 4 restaurants across 1 city.
Rožata's first written records date to the late 15th century in Venetian-ruled Dubrovnik, where it was known as the friar's pudding. The rose-petal liqueur that gives the dish its name is the distinguishing detail. Today rožata appears on most Dalmatian dessert menus from Dubrovnik up to Split, including Apetit and Bokeria Kitchen.
Common allergens: Egg, Dairy
Tip from the editors. If rozalin liqueur is unavailable, substitute 1 tsp dried rose petals steeped in 30ml warm brandy; the floral perfume is the dish's signature.
Apetit in Split's Old Town sits on the upper floor of a 15th-century palazzo between the Riva and Pjaca, cooking Dalmatian classics under stone vaulting.
OrderPasticada slow-braised in prosek with homemade gnocchi.
Book1 week ahead
TipClimb the stone stairs to the second floor; the small dining room takes only around 30 covers.
Bokeria on Domaldova in Split runs the latest serious kitchen in the Old Town, shifting into a wine-bar pour service after 22:00 and on to 01:00.
OrderBone-in steak with the cellar's Plavac mali pour.
TipKitchen takes last orders around 23:30; the wine cellar keeps pouring until 01:00 most nights.
Bistro Toc near Split's Diocletian Palace is a creative Mediterranean bistro with vegetarian options and a tight stone-walled room set just off Pjaca.
OrderThe chef's tasting plates with a glass of Plavac mali.
BookFew days ahead
TipReserve early in summer; the tasting plates work for a relaxed two-hour sitting before a wine bar nightcap.
Restaurant Krug on Split's Trumbiceva obala is the city's first Michelin-starred room, awarded in the 2025 Croatia guide for Karlo Kaleb's counter cooking.
OrderThe full tasting menu with the Croatian wine pairing.
Book3 weeks ahead
TipBook direct via [email protected]; the counter around the open kitchen seats 12, and demand is heavy through summer.
More cities are in research. Want rožata covered somewhere specific? Tell us where you want to eat.
