Fish, grill and pizza
What we cook, and how it arrives
Seafood off the grill, meat off the same fire, pizza from the oven, and portions built for a table of people rather than one plate.
An honest picture of the kitchen
This page describes the kind of food that comes out of the kitchen at Restaurant Pizzeria OK Karlobag. It is not a printed menu and it is not a guarantee. A restaurant at the water works with what arrives that morning, and the fish list in particular changes. What stays the same is the shape of the cooking: whole fish and squid over fire, meat over the same fire, pizza from the oven, and large plates meant to be shared.
Nothing here is complicated. Squid is grilled and dressed simply. Fish is cleaned, salted, grilled whole and brought to the table with potato and blitva, the Swiss chard eaten all along this coast. Meat is grilled and served on a steel oval with grilled vegetables next to it. The cooking leans on the ingredient and the fire, not on sauces, and the plates look like what they are.
Portions are large. This is the second thing guests mention most often, after the position at the water, and it is worth knowing before you order. If you are two people, a shared platter and a salad will usually be enough. If you are a group, order fewer dishes than you think and add more later. The staff will tell you honestly how much food a platter carries if you ask.
From the sea
Squid and calamari
Squid goes straight onto the grill, and calamari also comes fried. Both are simple: the sea, the fire, olive oil and a wedge of lemon. Octopus salad sits alongside them as a cold starter, and fried anchovies work well with a first drink.
The day's fish and shellfish
Whole white fish is grilled to order: brancin, which is sea bass, and orada, which is gilt-head bream, usually with potato and blitva. There are also shellfish and clams, shrimp and scampi, and a mixed fried fish plate. What is available depends on the catch.
Soups, risotto and pasta
Fish soup opens a lot of meals here. After it come seafood risotto and green pasta with shrimp, both cooked plainly and served in the same generous measure as everything else. They also make a sensible choice for anyone who does not want to work through a whole grilled fish.
The grill and the oven
Not everyone at the table wants fish, and the kitchen knows it. The grill handles meat as readily as it handles squid. Čevapčići, small grilled minced-meat rolls, are the standard order for children and for anyone who has been walking on Velebit all morning. Steak is grilled to order. Vegetables go on the grill next to the meat rather than being cooked separately.
The mixed grill platter is the dish to know about. It arrives on a large steel oval, loaded, with grilled vegetables and a plain salad of tomato and onion beside it. It is designed for sharing, and two people will usually struggle with one on their own. Order it in the middle of the table and let everyone take what they want.
Pizza comes from the same kitchen and is taken seriously, not treated as an afterthought for the children. Quattro formaggi and americana are both on the list. A pizza also travels well, so it is a reasonable choice if you are taking food away rather than sitting down at the water. Ask in the restaurant what else is being made that day.
Coffee, beer and wine
The bar runs through the whole day, not only at mealtimes. Coffee is a genuine reason to come down: guests single it out, and a coffee at a table on the rock in the morning is one of the better things you can do in Karlobag. Draught beer is poured cold, which matters when the sun is on the channel.
Wine, cocktails and spirits are all served, and there are small plates if you want something with a drink rather than a full meal. The kitchen keeps going late in the evening, so a late arrival is not a problem on the longer days. If you plan to eat late, ring first, because closing times move with the season.
How a meal works here
Service is unhurried and practical. Food arrives on large platters in the middle of the table and people help themselves. Fish is often shown or described before it is cooked. Staff speak Croatian and English, and German, Polish and Czech are heard regularly, so ordering across a language gap is normal here rather than awkward. Ask, and someone will explain the dish.
Come hungry and order less than you think, then add. Prices are given in the restaurant and the day's fish depends on the catch. Cards, debit and contactless payment are all accepted. Dogs may sit with you inside and outside, children have their own menu, and takeaway is possible if you would rather eat elsewhere. For a table at a busy hour, ring 095 365 6633.
Book a table before you walk down
Reservations are taken by telephone, and the same call is the fastest way to ask what fish came in today.