Restaurant in Novalja, Croatia
Pag's best dinner. Book well ahead.
Boskinac is Novalja's only Michelin-starred restaurant and the strongest reason to look beyond the island's beach clubs. Chef Gyo Santa's creative menu is built on Pag lamb, cheese, and estate wines, with a La Liste score that rose to 83 points in 2026. Book six to eight weeks ahead in summer — this is a hard-to-secure table and worth the effort.
Boskinac is the strongest case for a serious dinner on the island of Pag — and one of the most compelling arguments for a detour to Novalja specifically. With a Michelin star held across 2024 and 2025, and a La Liste score that climbed from 78 to 83 points in a single year, this is a restaurant on an upward trajectory. Under chef Gyo Santa, the creative menu is grounded in local Pag ingredients — the island's lamb and cheese are among Croatia's most recognised products , and the setting, a wine-producing estate at Škopaljska 220, makes it unlike anything else at this price tier on the island. If you are already in Novalja and willing to spend at the €€€€ level, Boskinac is the clearest yes in the area. If you are not yet in Novalja, it is worth building your itinerary around.
Novalja is better known for its beach clubs than its fine dining. Most visitors come for Zrće beach and leave without considering what the island's interior and its producers have to offer. Boskinac sits on a wine estate outside town and functions as a genuine anchor for a different kind of Pag experience , one centred on the island's agricultural identity rather than its nightlife. The restaurant's creative menu draws directly from the terroir that surrounds it: Pag lamb, Pag cheese, local olive oil, and wines from the estate itself. For a traveller who has been to Novalja once before and experienced the beach scene, this is the natural next layer. It is also the kind of place that rewards the diner who wants to understand a destination through its food rather than just eat well.
Croatia's Adriatic coast has a growing collection of Michelin-starred restaurants , Pelegrini in Sibenik, Agli Amici in Rovinj, Nebo by Deni Srdoč in Rijeka, LD Restaurant in Korčula , but Boskinac is the only one operating within a working wine estate on an island most associated with summer parties. That specificity of place is its clearest differentiator.
The optimal window is late spring through early autumn, when the estate is at its most active and the island's produce is at peak quality. Summer remains busy, and the combination of tourist season and a small Michelin-starred room means booking difficulty is high. If you are planning a July or August visit, secure a table well in advance , six to eight weeks is not excessive. September and early October offer a more considered pace and the same quality, with somewhat easier availability. The estate setting also rewards a visit in the cooler shoulder months when the surrounding landscape is more inviting for an evening arrival.
Boskinac's cuisine type is listed as Creative, which in practice here means a menu that takes Pag's famous lamb and cheese as its foundation and builds outward with technique. Chef Santa's approach is rooted in the island's producers rather than imported ingredients. Without confirmed menu specifics, it is most accurate to say the creative framework is tightly tied to place , this is not a globally-inspired tasting menu that could exist anywhere. The La Liste score increase from 78 to 83 points between 2025 and 2026 signals consistent improvement, and the 4.6 Google rating across 564 reviews confirms the experience lands reliably for guests, not just critics.
Booking difficulty is rated Hard. This is a small, destination restaurant with a Michelin star in a seasonal tourist area , that combination produces genuine scarcity in peak months. Book directly and as far ahead as your plans allow. If you cannot secure your preferred date, consider a weeknight or a lunch sitting if available. Dietary restrictions are leading communicated at time of booking; the creative format almost certainly allows for adaptation, but confirm directly with the restaurant.
| Detail | Boskinac | Pelegrini (Sibenik) | Alfred Keller (Mali Lošinj) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price tier | €€€€ | €€€€ | €€€€ |
| Michelin stars | 1 (2024, 2025) | 1 | 1 |
| Cuisine style | Creative / estate-rooted | Mediterranean Modern | Creative / island produce |
| Booking difficulty | Hard | Hard | Moderate |
| Setting | Wine estate, Novalja | Old Town, Sibenik | Seaside, Mali Lošinj |
For more on eating, drinking, and staying in Novalja, see our full Novalja restaurants guide, our Novalja hotels guide, our Novalja bars guide, our Novalja wineries guide, and our Novalja experiences guide.
Other Croatian Michelin restaurants worth comparing: Korak in Jastrebarsko, Krug in Split, Noel in Zagreb, and San Rocco in Brtonigla. For creative fine dining at a global reference level, Quique Dacosta in Dénia and Arpège in Paris offer useful benchmarks for what the format can achieve.
Smart casual is the safe choice at this price tier in Croatia. The estate setting is not a city fine-dining room, so strict formality is unlikely to be required , but at €€€€ with a Michelin star, overly casual dress would be out of step with the room. Think linen trousers and a collared shirt, or a smart dress. If in doubt, err toward the dressier end.
For summer months (June through August), book six to eight weeks out at minimum. The combination of a Michelin star, a small room, and a peak tourist season on Pag creates genuine scarcity. For September or October, four weeks is usually sufficient. Do not leave it until you arrive in Novalja , walk-ins at this level are unlikely to succeed.
Yes, with a caveat. Creative tasting menus at this level are well-suited to solo dining , you are there for the food and the place, not the group dynamic. At €€€€, the spend is meaningful for one person, but the experience is well-matched to a solo traveller who wants to understand Pag beyond its beach clubs. If price is a concern for a solo diner, other Novalja options offer lower entry points.
Yes , this is one of the stronger special-occasion choices on the Adriatic coast north of Dubrovnik. The estate setting, the Michelin credential, and the creative menu built on local producers combine to make it feel considered rather than generic. It will outperform a hotel restaurant or a harbour-front tourist spot for a meaningful dinner. For comparable occasion dining in Croatia, Restaurant 360 in Dubrovnik offers a different setting but a similar tier of ambition.
Based on available data , a Michelin star held for two consecutive years and a La Liste score rising to 83 points in 2026 , the answer is yes for diners who want a structured, place-specific creative experience. The estate context and the focus on Pag producers make the format feel purposeful rather than generic. If tasting menus are not your format, Boskinac is probably not the right choice regardless of quality; but if you are open to the format, the credentials here are strong.
At €€€€ in Novalja , which is not a city where high prices are invisible , the question is fair. The answer is yes for a traveller who values place-specific creative cooking over a conventional Adriatic seafood dinner. The Michelin star and the improving La Liste score suggest the kitchen is delivering at the level the price implies. For a cheaper Michelin-adjacent experience in Croatia, Laganini in Hvar offers a different but worthwhile comparison.
Boskinac is the clear leader for fine dining in Novalja itself , there is no direct local competitor at the same tier. For Michelin-level alternatives elsewhere on the Croatian coast, Alfred Keller in Mali Lošinj is geographically close and operates at a similar level. Pelegrini in Sibenik is the strongest comparison for creative Croatian cooking at €€€€, though it requires a different base. See our full Novalja restaurants guide for all options across price tiers.
No confirmed policy is available in current data. Creative tasting menus at Michelin level typically can accommodate common restrictions with advance notice, but confirm directly when booking. Given the menu's focus on specific Pag producers , lamb, cheese , some restrictions (vegetarian, dairy-free) may limit the experience more than they would at a less produce-specific restaurant. Flag your requirements at the time of reservation, not on arrival.
| Venue | Cuisine | Price | Booking Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boskinac | Creative | €€€€ | Hard |
| Restaurant 360 | International, Modern Cuisine | €€€€ | Unknown |
| Pelegrini | Mediterranean, Modern Cuisine | €€€€ | Unknown |
| Nautika | Modern European, Classic Cuisine | €€€€ | Unknown |
| Foša | Croatian, Classic Cuisine | €€€ | Unknown |
| Agli Amici Rovinj | Italian Contemporary | €€€€ | Unknown |
Key differences to consider before you reserve.
This is a Michelin-starred estate restaurant at €€€€ pricing, so dress accordingly — think smart, considered clothing rather than beach wear. Novalja's general vibe is casual, but Boskinac operates at a different register from everything else on the island. You will not be turned away for jeans, but the room will make you feel underdressed if you arrive straight from Zrće.
Book at least 4 to 6 weeks ahead, more if you're visiting in July or August. Boskinac carries a Michelin star, sits in a seasonal tourist area, and has limited covers — that combination means availability disappears fast in peak summer. If your travel dates are fixed, book the same day you confirm your flights.
It works for solo diners, but this is primarily a destination restaurant built around a full dining experience at €€€€, so you're committing to a serious sit-down meal. Solo diners should expect to feel comfortable at the table rather than anonymous at a counter. If solo bar-seat dining is your preference, Boskinac may not be the format — but if you're travelling alone and want the best dinner on Pag, this is still the call.
Yes, and it's one of the few places in this part of Croatia that can carry the weight of a genuinely significant occasion. A Michelin star, La Liste recognition (83pts in 2026), and a Creative kitchen under Chef Gyo Santa in an estate setting gives you the full package. For an anniversary or milestone dinner while in Dalmatia, this is the strongest option on the island.
Based on the venue's Michelin star and consecutive La Liste scores — 78pts in 2025 rising to 83pts in 2026 — the kitchen is delivering at a level that justifies a full tasting format. Chef Gyo Santa works with Creative cuisine rooted in Pag's own ingredients, particularly its lamb and cheese. At €€€€ pricing, this is not a casual outlay, but the trajectory of recognition suggests it holds up.
At €€€€, Boskinac is the most expensive dinner option in Novalja by a clear margin, but you are also getting the only Michelin-starred restaurant on the island. The La Liste score improvement from 78pts to 83pts between 2025 and 2026 signals a kitchen moving in the right direction. If serious Creative cuisine built on local Pag produce is what you're after, the price holds up — if you want a good meal without the commitment, there are more casual options in the area.
There are no direct Michelin-starred alternatives in Novalja itself. For comparable fine dining in Croatia, Pelegrini in Šibenik and Nautika in Dubrovnik both operate at a serious level, and Restaurant 360 in Dubrovnik offers a similar price point with a harbour setting. Foša in Zadar is a strong mid-tier option if you want something less formal. None of these are on Pag, so if the island is your base, Boskinac has no real local competition at this level.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
