A Foodie’s Guide to Montenegro: Budva Restaurants, Budva, Montenegro

The clue is in the name: Montenegro means “black mountain”, and the dark rocks covered in forest-green foliage flank the country’s coastal towns like towering monoliths. Down at sea level, however, it’s a different story: Budva boasts a stunning Old Town, plenty of beaches (although the sand is, unsurprisingly, the colour of Montenegro’s characteristic dark rock), and oodles of beach bars and restaurants to keep you sated while you’re not sightseeing or sunbathing. Food in Budva is as you might expect from a town at the heart of the Adriatic: heavy in fish and seafood, with some traditional Balkan dishes but a strong influence from the Mediterranean – especially Italy. You’ll see restaurants serving pizza and pasta everywhere, so in this guide I’ve decided to focus on the food that might be a little harder to find…

One of the best selections of traditional Montenegrin dishes that we came across was at Restora Rivijera in Budva’s Old Town. I recommend ordering the makarule sa pašticadom: a kind of beef stew served with homemade pasta (made from a dark flour that I couldn’t identify) doused in olive oil and shavings of a hard local goat’s cheese. The stew was rich with warm spices, and the noodles had a bite to them that reminded me of Swiss spätzli. Be sure to try a glass or two of the “8 Tamburasa” wine as well – a fantastic white blend from Serbia. I can’t find a website or even a phone number for Restora Rivijera, but their address is 16 Njegoševa, Budva. ...... (follow the instructions below for accessing the rest of this article).