There are always small culinary treasures to be found all over the country. But I like them the most if they are off the beaten path and if they are creative. This is the case with Lambizza of Lamb Pizza served in Sinac near Otočac. Lika region.
Sinac
Sinac is a tiny village at the very spring of Gacka river. Well, the best known and the most popular spring, that is. It is known for their wonderful historic mills.
We have visited the place several times before but we did not know about pizzeria Ruspante. It opened only in 2018. On our last visit, we wanted to have a classic Lika meal. Like all should when in the region. https://atomic-temporary-6581387.wpcomstaging.com/2019/05/26/mills-of-gacka-river/
We did not know about Ruspante but I am sure the meal would have been better than what we had.
Ruspante
Pizzeria Ruspante is not much when looking from the outside. But interior is lovely and the staff is great. That is what matters. Ruspante (meaning a free range chicken. In Italian) is a place founded by a local family when they decided to come back from Ireland after spending 5 years working there.
Pizzas at Ruspante are some of the best I had in Croatia. But one has to be seriously hungry for them! They are incredibly rich and filling! They are made of locally sourced flour but some other ingredients are imported to keep the best quality.
The menu is not too long. Just the way it should be. We, of course, decided to take several different pies to taste as many as possible. The only thing that needs improvement was their selection of beer (if I recall correctly).
Lambizza by Ribafish
But there is one pizza that most people are talking about when coming to Ruspante. It is their famous lamb pizza. This particular pizza was created in cooperation with popular local food blogger Ribafish. It is a twist on one of Croatia’s national treasures: lamb on a spit and spring onions. Of course, this is not lamb on a spit but thin pieces of lamb meat are baked with pizza. Delicious! But also, you better be quite hungry to experience it!
In general, Ruspante is an excellent choice for hungry travelers when in the region and it is even worth getting of the highway (cca 15 min drive) or a detour when you are done with Plitvice. It is only about 20 min drive from the Plitvice Lakes park. I would say that these pizzas are worth taking a whole trip to experience something new. Just like we did 🙂