HIDDEN TREASURES: SEAFOOD RESTAURANT NEAR STON
© Johannes Vande Voorde
We rarely write a restaurant review. We eat what is offered locally, preferably in an establishment where the locals eat. But if we happen to find a restaurant that is really worth a detour, we are happy to share it.
We have eaten bull's tail, grasshoppers, brains, blood sausage, snails, cow stomach, calf's tongue and fried pig skin. Just to say that we really aren’t picky, and are willing to taste just about anything. Except andouillette or anything close to it.
Very occasionally we end up somewhere where the picture is just right: good food in a beautiful location, and a refreshing atmosphere.
This is one of those.
Seosko domacinstvo Ficovic Hodilje is not a restaurant name that sticks, so you better save this link in your bookmarks. (The literal translation is ‘seaside domination of the Fico family’. Hm, still weird.)
We even had a run-in with a member of the Fico family.
Early in the morning, our car was parked at the restaurant. We had slept in the van that night after eating there. It had gotten late and the nearby campground was full. So we decided to park at the restaurant so we could have lunch there the next day. (By now we have been in the neighborhood 2 times, and eaten there 4 times. This is important information, since we don't normally linger anywhere.)
In the morning, an angry man knocks on the van window to tell us that we have to leave and that the parking lot is not a campground. I don't even get the time to explain to him why we are parked there. By the way, we are neat campers, the only thing that gives away that we’re camping are the curtains in front of the window. The man is the owner of the restaurant, so I decide to give him the explanation during our lunch in two hours. But we don't get to see him. Instead, we saw very friendly staff and plates full of fresh seafood and shellfish. We tried octopus, oysters and a seafood dish (divided over 4 times of course, we’re not sea monsters). The dishes were served as we like them: without garnishes, straight from the sea, fresh from the grill, with lemon wedges.
Weather: sunny.
Food: perfect and fresh.
View: the sea, the beautifully maintained beach at the restaurant and the other side of the bay.
Location: Hodilje, in the armpit of mainland Croatia and the Pelješac peninsula, near Ston - known for oyster farming, salt production and their own Chinese Wall (the Wall of Ston).
Schedule: all the time in the world.
In short: the ideal vacation moment.
We will definitely eat here again when we are in the area. Despite the angry owner. Maybe someday we can explain to him that our night camping at his restaurant was actually a great compliment.
Address: Hodilje 30, 20230, Ston, Kroatië
