Novigrad nightlife, bar and café guide

Best bar in Novigrad. Its terrace lapped by the sea, overlooking the setting sun, the Vitriol is trendy enough to appeal to weekending Italians without losing its young, lively, local character. As a daytime spot for coffee, own-recipe cakes and fruit tarts, Vitriol is as good as you’ll get. Evening cocktail concoctions have a distinct Italian flavour (Negroni, Garibaldi) but include a zingy Novigrad Beach of gin, Campari and orange juice. Local wines are chalked up on a board outside, beers include Kriek and Kilkenny and there are enough hot drinks to fill an entire menu.

Opened in 2009 around a slew of similarly posh-ish cafés in the centre, Divino serves sandwiches – including the all-Istrian prosciutto, cheese and truffles – ice-cream, cakes and pancakes. The terrace spills out onto the main square with town hall facing and the campanile beside. Relax after a morning’s sightseeing with a coffee.

City-centre spot that attempts to bring a Cuban atmosphere to the Istrian coast with the help of cocktails, friendly staff and DJs on Saturdays.

A young, professional crowd hangs out in this swish café in the heart of Novigrad. A little art on the walls, a decent choice of whiskies and Istrian bitters, Guinness and Kilkenny by the bottle, it’s a cut above most bars in the Old Town.

This slick, urban, black-and-white cocktail lounge seems incongruous among the more low-key cafés of Novigrad, but it works. House music blares from the speakers while silenced hip-hop videos flash on a wide screen. The bartender is ready to give a showy shake to 23 basic types of cocktail, averaging around 40kn each and served in pretty generous portions. There are DJs on Saturdays.