Croatia home to one of world’s 50 best Italian restaurants

Agli Amici in Rovinj (Photo: Maistra)

Croatia has one of the best Italian restaurants in the world outside Italy after the Gran Galà della Cucina Italiana – where the 50 best Italian restaurants in the world were announced – was held this week in Milan.

Agli Amici, which is located in Rovinj, was ranked 13th on the list, Kult Plave Kamenice reported. 

One of the best fine dining restaurants in northern Italy, the family-run Agli Amici opened its first and only restaurant in Croatia in 2021 on the Lungomare Plaza promenade in front of the Grand Park Hotel Rovinj.

The Rovinj restaurant was also awarded a Michelin star, whilst the original Agli Amici in Italy, which developed from a small family grocery and tobacco store back in 1887 already has two Michelin stars. 

The restaurant has been in the hands of chef Emanuele Scarello and his sister Michela, a sommelier and restaurant manager, for over 20 years. The restaurant has also been a part of Relais & Châteaux since 2014.

Michela and Emanuele Scarello (Photo: Maistra)

The title of the best Italian restaurant in the world outside Italy was awarded to Il Carpaccio in Paris, followed by Gucci Osteria in Tokyo, and Don Alfonso in Toronto in third. 

Fourth position was claimed by Da Vittorio, a family establishment in Shanghai, which this summer opened Miramare by Fratelli Cerea in Poreč.

You can see the list of the 50 best Italian restaurants in the world here.