Croatia: Kopun Restoran (August 2016)





My spouse and I enjoyed lunch at Kopun Restoran on a Saturday afternoon in late August 2016. We encountered Kopun during a walking tour of Old Town Dubrovnik. Kopun is located near the top of the monumental Baroque staircase that leads to Ruder Boskovic Square, where the Church of St. Ignatius of Loyola (Crkva sveti Ignacija) and the Jesuit College (Jesuite Collegium Ragusinum) are located. (One or both of the latter two sites must be backdrops for the “Game of Thrones” show, because some niche tours stopped there for photographs; in fact, one industrious tour guide stores swords and shields at Kopun for his guests to use in their photos.) The restaurant is open for lunch and dinner daily, although abbreviated hours may exist in winter months (see their website for details).


Kopun Restoran, which opened in 2012, offers both indoor and outdoor seating. The outdoor terrace provides dining space for approximately 90 patrons at tables positioned beneath huge umbrellas, with large fans operating in summer and heaters in winter. A huge triple-branched pittosporum tree provides additional shade. The air-conditioned, bright white interior dining space hung with minimalist artwork seats 40+ patrons. Kopun hosts private groups and events indoors or outdoors.

Kopun serves authentic regional cuisine using recipes handed down through the centuries; however, they also serve continental dishes such as fish and seafood. The word “Kopun” means “capon”, which refers to the castrated rooster that is part of its most famous specialty dishes, capon in mushroom sauce, capon stuffed with herbs/meat/vegetables (which feeds 3-4 people and must be ordered a day in advance), and capon with oranges and honey (kopun na dubrovacki nacin). We ordered the delicious last dish with the oranges and honey, which is described in sixteenth-century playwright Marin Drzic's comedy called “Dundo Maroje”. We also shared another favorite local dish called “dirty spaghetti “ (sporki makaruli, or pasta with goulash sauce) as a starter (which was entrĂ©e-sized). Our bill totaled 409 Kunas ($59) for one starter, one main dish, and three rounds of drinks. 


Our lunch at Kopun was one of our favorite meals of our trip!









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