Visit Novalja
Cheese, lamb, salt and a rare white grape.
Pag’s kitchen is built on a short list of things the island does better than anywhere: cheese, lamb, salt and wine. The sheep graze rocky pastures full of wild herbs, and after the bora the grass keeps a trace of salt, which is where Pag cheese gets its sharp, savoury taste. Lamb is usually roasted on the spit. The white wine comes from Gegić, a stubborn native grape that grows almost nowhere else on earth and very nearly disappeared. And the island has a Michelin star: Boškinac, just outside Novalja, has held one since 2020.
Eating well here is mostly about knowing where to look. Family konobas serve island specialities next to the pizza and pasta places, and the “Pag na meniju” seal on a door tells you the kitchen cooks genuinely homemade, local food. This page collects our guides to Novalja’s restaurants and taverns, Pag cheese and lamb, the island’s wines and where to taste them. Pick a topic below, or scroll down for all our latest food stories.
From relaxed konobas with family recipes to Boškinac, Pag's only Michelin star.
How the island's hardy native sheep and salty, herb-covered pastures make Croatia's best-known hard cheese.
Gegić, the rare native grape rescued from near-extinction, the golden Žutica tradition, and where to taste them near Novalja.
The seal that marks restaurants, taverns and family farms serving genuinely homemade Pag dishes.
Salt pans worked for over a thousand years, how fleur de sel is made, and how to visit.
Gligora and MIH run guided tours and tastings; book ahead in high season.
Pag is famous for its cheese, its lamb and its salt — but the island also has a wine story
If you see a small “Pag na meniju” (Pag on the Menu) seal on a restaurant door or menu while
Visitor of Novalja can enjoy in reach taste of various food and drink. You can enjoy local specialties at a
Pag sheep, as an original Croatian breed, belongs to the group of Mediterranean sheep and originated in the entire area
Pag cheese, Pag lamb (usually spit-roasted), sea salt from the Pag salt pans and white wine from the native Gegić grape.
Yes. Boškinac, just outside Novalja, has held a Michelin star since 2020 and is the only one on the island of Pag.
At the dairies in Kolan, about ten minutes south of Novalja. Several run guided tours and tastings, but book ahead in high season because they are working dairies.
Look for the "Pag na meniju" seal on the door or menu. It marks kitchens that serve genuinely homemade Pag dishes and drinks.
Novalja has direct coach links to Zagreb, Rijeka, Zadar, Split and many smaller towns, and the bus simply rides the ferry or the bridge with you on board. Search times and buy your ticket here: