Konoba Morgan: Game, Truffles and a Son Who Plays the Flute at the End of the Evening
In Brtonigla, on a hill overlooking the Adriatic, an Istrian family serves what they hunt, raise and harvest—then plays music late into the evening.
Brtonigla / Verteneglio, Istria
They hunt the game themselves. The poultry is raised on the family farm. The truffles change with the seasons. At Konoba Morgan in Brtonigla, no two menus are ever the same—it all depends on what the Morgan family has gathered that day.
Darinka and Joško Morgan opened this place on a hill above Brtonigla as a farmhouse restaurant, before turning it into a true konoba the following year. From then on, its reputation spread naturally—through Croatian and international guidebooks, and by word of mouth—while the cooking never changed. Today, the kitchen is run by Ana and her mother. In the dining room you'll find Marko, Ana's brother, who once couldn't decide whether to become a musician or a chef. He chose the front of house, but never gave up music: when the last course has been served and the evening lingers, he'll pick up his flute or sit down at the keyboard. It still happens today.
The signature dish is krestine—fresh pasta stuffed with cockerel's combs, a recipe you'll struggle to find anywhere else and one that says more about uncompromising regional cooking than any description ever could. Around it, you'll find homemade pršut, Istrian sausages, rabbit with black polenta, quail wrapped in pancetta, white truffles in autumn and black truffles in spring. The game comes exclusively from the Morgan family's own hunts—wild boar, venison and hare—and the à la carte menu changes with whatever the day has to offer.
The terrace looks out over vineyards and olive groves, with the blue of the Adriatic on the horizon on clear days. Marko personally recommends the wines at the table, favouring some of Istria's finest producers—Kozlović, Benvenuti, Clai and Roxanich. It's the kind of dinner that effortlessly stretches late into the night, and one you'll never regret lingering over.
Practical Information
Location: Brtonigla / Verteneglio, Istria
Duration: Lunch or Dinner
Estimated price: From €30 per person
