Best fish restaurant in Dubrovnik is a title that Gverović-Orsan has built through decades of tradition, authentic Dalmatian cuisine and unforgettable moments by the sea.

Every restaurant has a story. Still, some stories feel deeply connected to the place where they began. The story of Gverović-Orsan started with a return home.

Best fish restaurant in Dubrovnik: a 600-year-old orsan becomes a restaurant

After spending time in Germany, Niko Gverović and his wife decided to come back to Zaton and build a life by the sea once again. Rather than continuing their future abroad, they chose to create something of their own. Something that would bring people together around food, family and Dalmatian hospitality. That idea slowly became Gverović-Orsan.

The restaurant found its home inside an old stone orsan: a traditional boat shelter whose walls had already stood there for nearly 600 years. Back then, nothing had been renovated or modernised. The stone remained untouched, the space raw and authentic, shaped by salt, sea air and time itself. Instead of changing its character, the family embraced it.

Cooking by fire and sea

In the beginning, they cooked inside the old komin located within the orsan itself. Fire burned slowly, seafood came fresh from the Adriatic and guests gathered close enough to smell the wood, the sea and the dishes as they were prepared.

And somewhere in that atmosphere, surrounded by stone and flame, Niko Gverović created the very first black risotto.

Over time, that dish became far more than just a recipe. It became part of the restaurant’s identity and one of the flavours guests still remember most from Dubrovnik.

The day everything officially began

Then came July 13th, 1966., a date the family never forgot.

On the very same day Zaton received water supply for the first time, Gverović-Orsan officially opened its doors. Because of that, the restaurant became part of an important new beginning not only for the family, but for the entire local community.

Decades later, people still come for the same reasons. Some arrive for the seafood, others for the sunsets. And many for the feeling they cannot quite explain but instantly recognise once they sit by the sea.

And even today, at the heart of Gverović-Orsan, the story remains beautifully simple: family, tradition and a centuries-old orsan that still brings people together.