Pod Švarčom

Operated by the same family for the last 20 years, Pod Švarčom stands just outside the city centre, on the main road south to Senj. It’s a carnivores’ paradise where meat, sourced from selected local producers, is expertly prepared on a charcoal grill. The house-style steak involves it being stuffed with crunchy smoked ham, Pag cheese and peppers, and placed on a bed of rocket with toasted pine nuts and a spicy sauce. Steak, in fact, is a speciality, the meat hung and aged, then lathered in green-pepper or truffle-and-mushroom sauce. Spit-roasted suckling pig or lamb is also popular and those planning ahead for a group visit should consider ordering veal, turkey, lamb or octopus ispod peke, prepared for several hours under a cooking bell covered in hot embers. There’s seafood too, monkfish, trout, squid and tuna, embellished with several tried and trusted sauces. A daily menu, available until 3pm, lists an extensive selection of domestic favourites in the 30kn range.