Dubrovnik, Croatia, is a mixed breed—of the truest and best of Eastern and Western European substance. It’s also a land of contrasts—a hot spot for yachting and island-hopping jet-setters, yet a time capsule of fishing villages and ancient stone.

But to us, Dubrovnik is food for the soul. There, food and sea are everything, from the devotion of its farmers, fishers, servers, and chefs to the appreciation of those enjoying it all.

You may have had your fair share of wines and cheese, fresh fish, pastries, pungent olive oils and quality chocolate. Of yachting and seaside adventure. But until Dubrovnik, it’s never complete. After days of gloriously irresponsible sun exposure and pag cheese consumption there, you’ll have officially joined the ranks of lifelong Croatian obsessives.

Sitting down to lunch at Bowa (on the island of Sipan) or dining at 360, you’ll wonder: How much beauty and toil, wars and peace Dubrovnik bears in its unspoken memory? With every sliver of sheep’s cheese or glass of Pošip, you’ll wonder whose hands it passed through to arrive there.

For instance, dining at 360, overlooking the fisherman’s harbor, you may witness an old man returning from the sea—like a movie scene unfolding on its own. And beyond the view… their flaky pastries will fulfill your dirtiest pastry dreams.