Konoba Batelina in Banjole

At Batelina, the Skoko family cooks the day’s catch. Choose your fish from a platter, and try starters made with less sought-after species.

Danilo and Alda Skoko opened the konoba in their family home in Banjole in 2000. They wanted to cook their own catch for guests and rely less on selling fish to middlemen. They began by grilling and frying fish, then added fish stews, risottos and pasta. As they developed their recipes, they learnt to use parts of the catch they had not cooked before.

Their son David Skoko also helped develop the cooking at Batelina, where he began his career as a chef. Danilo still leads the kitchen. Alongside the family’s own catch, they buy fish from other fishermen, choosing what to cook according to the season and what has been landed. They do not serve meat dishes.

Book a table in advance, especially in summer. There is no fixed printed menu. The staff explain the dishes on offer, and you choose your dinner at the table.

Fish starters

Cold starters arrive in small portions to share. You can taste several species and preparations in one course, with the staff explaining each dish. They make pâté from conger eel, prepare sardines in a vinegar marinade known as savor, and marinate red mullet in lemon.

The cooks also use fish offal and can prepare several dishes from a single fish. Alongside marinated fish and pâtés, the starters may include white fish carpaccio and octopus or spider crab salad. The selection changes with the catch.

Choosing your fish and the rest of dinner

After the cold starters, you can continue with homemade pasta, risotto or brodet, the local fish stew. For the main course, the staff bring fish to the table on a large platter, explain the species and suggest how to cook them. Your chosen fish is grilled or prepared in a sauce, depending on the species and dish. Seasonal accompaniments include chard with potatoes or fennel.

Istrian wines make up most of the wine list, and sommelier Ilija Bunčić can help you choose a bottle to go with the fish. Alda makes the desserts, including mascarpone cream with figs and cannoli filled with ricotta cream.

Distance from Bale: 28 minutes driving (33.2 km)

Types of food: Fish, Pasta, Cakes

Parking: free of charge

Working time on Sundays: closed

Working time on Saturdays: from 17:00, to 23:00

Working hours from Monday to Friday: from 17:00, to 23:00

Address: Čimulje 25, 52100 Banjole, Istria, Croatia

What to do: refreshments, food and drink

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