Balbi Restaurant

First time I walked by this restaurant, those massive platters in the window totally caught my eye. Fast-forward to today, we were in the area and thought, "Why not give it a try?" Lucky for us, snagged an outdoor table super quick.

Service was on point—fast and friendly. Also, 2€ for house sparkling water was a change, while everywhere else it's like ridiculously expensive priced at 6-8€, so that was a win.

Now, the food. Man, the Tuna Tartar and the pasta? So dang good. I mean, we read some mixed reviews online, so we weren't expecting much. But this place did exceed our expectations. That pasta was next-level delicious, whether it had truffles or seafood.

Oh, and you pay inside, so don't forget to leave your tip there too.

If you're around, you've gotta eat here. It's legit.

Lovely restaurant for a romantic dinner in the center of Rovinj. The tables are laid out on the street and are nicely lit for the night.

We tried the house wine, mussels, risotto and fried squid and would recommend them all. The portions are quite big, especially for the mussels. The risotto is more of rice with shrimp, not creamy and found it very nice.

I recommend booking in advance because it’s usually full. The waiting time can be around 20 min.

I ate the best pasta with sea fruit here. You could taste the sea in such a unique but delicious way…wow. This is coming from someone who has eaten A LOT of sea fruit pasta’s. The wine that we had ( pillato) was light and a little sweet but most of all very tasty. Apart from the amazing food, i have to say that the service was quick and the people were super friendly. Open for conversation and questions. Overall it was definitely its moneys worth

They don't take reservations, but we got lucky and didn't have to wait long for an outside table to free up.

Really enjoyed our food, especially the tuna steak.

The mains seemed well priced, but i felt the scallop starter was a let down in comparison.

Yesterday we had a lunch at Balbi and left the restaurant extremely satisfied. We had pasta with truffles and pasta with sea food, and both courses were delicious . Absolutely, it’s important to highlight the exceptional preparation and taste of the Dagnje (mussels) as a starter. Staff at the restaurant was really nice and professional and I would highly recommend the place. This is definitely one of the places that you should not miss when you visit Rovinj.

Top restaurant in a lovely setting. They don't take reservations but couldn't have been more helpful when we turned up wanting a table for 4. Sat us at a table inside to have a drink until a table became available (c.10 mins). Great food. One of our favourites in Rovinj.

That was a great choice! Amazing sea food from starter till the main course. It was fresh and delicious, trurly fantastic food experience. Service was very good and friendly. Benefit of Balbi was that we could try really good local producer wine with lower cost because they offer open bottles in attractive price. Highly recommended!

Great tasty Italian food. The mussel is the best. Fresh and yummy. I love spaghetti with truffle. Smell as heaven. Staffs are friendly and food com out fast!!

This restaurant was for which we've been looking for our whole stay in Croatia, searching for authentic seafood experiences. The service was perfect, the scenery is superquiet, you feel very local among the close street crossing. And the food was totally mind blowing. I haven't tried anything similar to that fish soup yet. Everything just tasted different than your typical "cook-from-frozen" restaurant approach!
Wish I could go back sometime soon!

We had seafood soup and clam pasta, it was amazing prepared, fresh seafood and perfectly cooked. Nice service.

Lovely location for a meal, the staff were attentive and friendly. The food was tasty and well prepared.

Although it's rather on the expensive side for a restaurant, of the surrounding ones, it's priced quite normally while the service was exceptional (quite fast, friendly and helpful) and the food was excellent. If you are currently looking for a nice, warm place to eat in Rovinj, go no further, you've found the one - even if its for a table of seven.

We had such a lovely evening at Balbi. As soon as we arrived and were seated, they delivered a basket of bread (not a cover, just for free because this place is awesome) which we ate with the delicious oil on the table. Side note: they refilled the bread without us asking (we didn't eat it but if you're hungry, good stuff!). We had the vegan mushroom and rice burger (which is a patty served with grilled veg and not in a bread bun) and vegan pie. It was all really tasty. Great bottle of red also and super friendly service. Loved it.

Small and elegant restaurant in the old town of Rovinj. Mediterranen food. I enjoyed seafood noodles and barbecued calamares. Excellent quality, excellent flavour. The two waiters are world class. Friendly and passioned. Prices are very reasonable. Congrats.

What a place to be 🤩!!!

The food is amazing! (+ really big portions)!
And the staff is super friendly and comforting 🧡

Worth a (re-)visit 🥳

We’ve traveled in Croatia for 2 weeks, it was the best dining experience we had ever. The staffs were quite efficient, friendly and polite. The breads before the main course and the deserts were also great! Thanks for the waitress who helped me to change my order in time so that I can enjoy their best meals!! Highly recommended!

Had the pleasure of dining at Balbi twice. We traveled to Croatia as a family and were staying in Pula. The first time, we found it by chance. The second time, we traveled back to Rovinj on purpose!
They do not take reservations because the restaurant is always full regardless. I suggest getting there at 7pm latest for a guaranteed table.
The service is wonderful and the food is exquisite. They were a delight with our dog, and accommodated us in every way.
Their pasta is all freshly made, and the meat tastes wonderfully. I tasted both the beef fillet and the turkey, and was happy with both. The fried calamari is also definitely worth trying, and so is the pasta with truffles (for truffle lovers!) They also have a great selection of local wines worth exploring.
Overall our best dining experiences in Croatia. We will be back!!!!

This is an amazing restaurant and we absolutely enjoyed 2 meals here. We tried the fish soup, mussels in wine, sea bass, mixed fried fish and tuna steak. Everything was amazingly good and tasty. Service was really fast and the house wine (white) is definitely a must.

The food was incredible! No reservation needed for lunch, though it was busy. The beef carpaccio had a generous serving of truffles, which was very tasty.

Delicious pastas and fish, the tuna and the salads were amazing! Also the coffee and with indoor and outdoors seating