Batelina

The Istrian tourist board sums up the menu in four words: based on daily catch. Gault&Millau’s 2026 review describes a rustic, simple place that lets the freshness of the fish speak for itself. Danilo Skoko runs the kitchen, with Alda Skoko on desserts. There are about 40 seats inside and 50 outside. People come for the fish, not the décor.

Start with the mixed seafood starter, then try dishes you rarely find elsewhere, such as eel pâté, sardines in saor, a sweet-and-sour onion marinade, dogfish confit or red mullet marinated in lemon. The same review also picks out the octopus salad and a raviolo filled with parsnip, served in a sauce made from fish cheeks.

Ask what came in that morning before you order, as the best plates are often the ones that are not written down.

Marina Veruda, on the south side of Pula, is the nearest large marina, about 3 kilometres away. A taxi takes around ten minutes and is a better plan than walking back along unlit roads after dinner. We found no published information on landing a tender near the tavern, so ask about it when you book if you are anchored nearby.

Book by phone; there is no online booking. Payment is in cash only, so bring enough ashore. Opening days are not published and change through the season, so call ahead before you plan a dinner around it. There is parking, and dogs are welcome.