5 Best Restaurants in The Pelješac Peninsula, Southern Dalmatia

Occupying a 14th-century salt warehouse, Bota Šare (owned by the Šare family of fishermen who own some of the best seafood restaurants from Dubrovnik to Zagreb) is known for its menu of outstanding locally caught seafood. Order the fish platter for two to try a selection of the best catch of the day, and ask about boarding a boat to try oysters right from the channel where they are caught.

If you have to wait to board the ferry from Orebić to Korčula, you'll be relieved to find Croccantino just around the corner from the port. This fun, colorful little café right along the waterfront promenade serves exquisite homemade gelato, artisan cakes and cupcakes, and excellent smoothies, coffee, and milkshakes.

The epitome of a hidden gem, there is no menu or prices at Estravaganca, just a chalkboard with the catch of the day and the owner who will rush out to grab your boat ropes, show you to your table, bring out the fish for you to choose from, then light the fire and grill it right in front of you. Most days there are mussels and oysters kept in the sea and pulled out just minutes before they're put on your plate; same goes for the crab and lobster, which is then cooked in a spicy buzara sauce with homemade pasta. You can get there by car, but the best way to arrive is by boat.

Known throughout Croatia, this long-standing favorite helmed by chef Lidija Kralj has been synonymous with Ston and fresh oysters for more than 45 years. Located in an old stone home on the Mali Ston waterfront and slightly more upscale than other nearby restaurants, people come from far and wide to feast on the shellfish here, as well as the plentiful black risotto and unusual stonski makaruli, a cake made from pasta, nuts, sugar, and cinnamon, unique to Ston.

Designed to look like an actual ship with a life-size captain at the helm, this restaurant outside the classy Boutique Hotel Adriatic is one of the best in town. Try the seafood platter for two, with tuna steak, grilled squid, mussels, scampi, and extraordinary sea bream, plus a glass of Plavac Mali from the family's own vineyards.