Best Pizza in Rovinj: Where to Eat It, Old Town to Riviera

What Rovinj pizza looks like

Rovinj sits in Istria, an hour or so by road from Italy, and Al Dente — the town's pizza address worth planning around — leans Italian: blistered, puffy-edged Neapolitan-style bases with a high, airy rim, which is what the canotto name describes. The kitchen bakes them in a wood oven at around 400°C and tops them from the Italian larder, from Margherita di Bufala to Tartufo.

That does not mean Al Dente is the only pizza in town. Smaller pizzerias serve simpler pies alongside grilled meat and pasta, and they tend to sit away from the waterfront. The two experiences are genuinely different evenings, and it helps to decide which you want before you set out.

Al Dente Old Town: a garden table on Via Nello Quarantotto

The old town branch at Via Nello Quarantotto 20 has a garden plus indoor seating, the more atmospheric of the two settings once it is running. It is the branch built for the old-town evening: narrow streets, a table in the garden, and a short walk back to wherever you are staying in the centre.

The restaurant lists this location as closed until May 2027, so for the 2026 season the Riviera branch by the main square is the one open for business. Treat the old-town garden as a future option and plan the rest of your Rovinj eating around the open branch.

Al Dente Riviera: a sea-facing terrace by the main square

The Riviera restaurant at Obala Pina Budičina 10 is the one to book now: a terrace by the sea, steps from the main square, open daily for lunch and dinner. It is the easiest of the two to reach on foot from the harbour and the obvious choice for a first evening in town.

The trade-off is that a main-square terrace is a people-watching spot rather than a hidden local one. You pay for the position and the view of the water, and in high season it is the visitors' table. That is the atmosphere some people come to Rovinj for; if you want a quieter evening, a smaller pizzeria off the waterfront is the alternative.

What to order at Al Dente

Start with pogača, the Croatian flatbread-style pizza dough baked with toppings and served as a shareable starter. Al Dente lists garlic, Grana Padano and pesto Genovese versions at 2.50 to 4.00 euros, plus small pizza buns called kruščići, which keeps the table fed while the main pizzas bake. For the pizza itself, the Margherita di Bufala at 14.00 euros is the cleanest test of the dough and the oven, while the Tartufo at 28.00 euros brings truffles into the mix, a very Istrian indulgence. The Mortadela & Stracciatella at 19.00 euros is the richer, creamier option and a good one to Split alongside a simpler pie.

The rest of the menu covers homemade pasta and risotto, including spaghetti alla carbonara, paccheri with seafood and a black risotto with cuttlefish, plus an Istrian cold platter to open a meal. If you want a steak instead of pizza, there is a bistecca Fiorentina on the meat list.

The menu beyond pizza: pasta, risotto and Istrian platters

Al Dente's pasta is made in house, and prices run from 21.00 euros for cacio e pepe or carbonara to 28.50 euros for lobster fra diavolo with tagliatelle. That is restaurant pricing rather than snack pricing, so a pasta course here is a sit-down decision rather than something to grab on the move. The Istrian cold platter at 26.00 euros is the most local thing on the starters list and works well for a table of four to pick at before the pizzas arrive. Pair it with the tuna tartare or the carpaccio and you have a lighter meal without going near the oven.

Pizzerias away from the waterfront

Away from the seafront you get a different kind of night: smaller places with simpler menus and a mix of pizza and grilled dishes. They tend to suit a casual family dinner or a late bite after a walk rather than a set-piece evening. If you want pizza specifically, though, Al Dente's wood-oven pies are the reliable bet, and the Riviera branch by the main square is the one to book now.

If pizza is not what you are after, Rovinj has other quick options worth knowing before you commit to a table, from bakeries and konobas to burger and sushi spots. Our guide to Cheap Eats in Rovinj is the place to start when you are weighing up a budget lunch against a proper dinner.

How pizza is priced in Rovinj

At Al Dente, the classic pizzas sit between 14.00 and 16.50 euros, with the Margherita di Bufala at 14.00 and the Piccante at 16.50. The gourmet list goes higher, with Tartufo and the aged roast beef pizza at 28.00 euros, so the gap between a simple margherita and a truffle-topped pie is more than a tenner.

What pushes the bill up fastest is the add-ons: a 26.00-euro Istrian platter and 8.00-euro desserts turn a pizza dinner into a full three-course meal. A shared pogača, one pizza each and a dessert to Split keeps things closer to the price of the pies themselves. Prices in Rovinj are in euros, and Croatia has used the euro since 2023.

Booking a table in high season

Al Dente takes bookings through its website, which matters most in July and August when sea-facing terrace seats at the Riviera branch are the first to go. Book a few days ahead for a weekend dinner and you stand a much better chance of the table you actually want.

Lunch is the easier slot: the Riviera branch serves from midday to 23:00 daily, so it fits an afternoon in town. If you are set on the old-town garden once it reopens in May 2027, book as soon as your dates are fixed.

Pizza for a quick lunch or a sit-down dinner

Pizza works for both, but the setting decides the pace. A midday pizza at the Riviera terrace, with the sea in front of you and the town still quiet, is a fast, satisfying stop before an afternoon exploring Rovinj.

In the evening, the Riviera terrace is the table to book now: a slower meal with a starter of pogača, a shared platter, and a bottle from the Italian-leaning wine list. The old-town garden, once it reopens in May 2027, will be the quieter choice for a long dinner. If you would rather skip pizza altogether, the burger and sushi options in town cover the other moods.

Which Rovinj pizza table should you book?

For most trips in the current season, book the Al Dente Riviera terrace on Obala Pina Budičina: it is open, central and gets you a sea view with a proper Neapolitan-style crust. If you are travelling once the old-town garden reopens in May 2027, that branch is the more atmospheric choice for a long dinner.

Whichever you pick, order a pogača to start, share a Margherita di Bufala as the benchmark, and add one gourmet pie if the budget allows. Keep a smaller off-waterfront pizzeria in reserve for the night you want something simpler.