Bistros, trattorias and the everyday rooms where Split actually eats.
Bistros, trattorias, taverns and neighbourhood rooms: the mid-tier places where Split actually eats.
Konoba Fetivi in Split's Veli Varos is the Bib Gourmand family konoba on Tomica Stine, cooking grilled Adriatic fish and pasticada to a daily Pazar buy.
Signature: Grilled Adriatic fish, Pasticada with gnocchi, Crni rizot
Order: Whole grilled white fish by weight with chard and potatoes.
Tip: Tue-Sun 15:00 to 23:30, closed Mondays; book ahead for the early dinner sitting and the best whole fish go by 21:00.
Konoba Varos in Split's old fishermen quarter of Veli Varos serves classic Dalmatian comfort cooking, in a stone-walled room behind the Church of St Francis.
Signature: Pasticada with gnocchi, Black risotto, Grilled squid
Order: Pasticada with homemade gnocchi.
Tip: Open 09:00 to 24:00; weekday lunch is calmer than the August evening crush, and the seafood platters are sized for two.
Konoba Matejuska in Split's Veli Varos is a family-run room in a 19th-century UNESCO stone house, cooking the day's market catch over a wood fire.
Signature: Black cuttlefish risotto, Grilled daily catch, Octopus salad
Order: Black cuttlefish risotto with the chef's pour of Brac olive oil.
Tip: Cash preferred; the small terrace fills early in summer, so go for a 19:30 dinner or a late 21:30 sitting.
Sperun Eat and Drink just below Veli Varos in Split is a small-terrace konoba pouring local wine and grilling Adriatic fish daily, kept open through midnight.
Signature: Grilled sardines, Whole sea bass, Grilled squid
Order: Whole grilled squid with chard and potatoes.
Tip: Closed Mondays; book ahead for the terrace in July and August or arrive at 19:00 for a walk-up table.
Villa Spiza in Split's Diocletian Palace runs a handwritten daily board sourced from the morning Pazar, with around 14 cult-followed counter seats.
Signature: Daily handwritten board, Fish in gregada, Wild boar with gnocchi
Order: Whatever the handwritten board lists as the daily fish in gregada.
Tip: Walk-in only at 13:00 for the first sitting; the board changes daily and the small room rotates fast on the second turn.
Konoba Korta sits on a small Split palace courtyard in front of the Church of St Philip Neri, serving Dalmatian seafood and meats under ancient stone walls.
Signature: Squid with barley, Cuttlefish broad-bean pasta, Brudet
Order: Squid with barley and broad beans, finished with new olive oil.
Tip: Open daily through midnight; the cloistered courtyard tables are the ones to book in summer and shoulder season.
Konoba Hvaranin on Ban Mladenova in Split's Veli Varos is a tight family-run room with the city's writers and journalists at the small tables.
Signature: Gregada Hvar-style, White risotto with mussels, Rozata caramel
Order: Gregada Hvar-style stew with rozata to finish.
Tip: Mon-Sat 15:00 to 23:00, closed Sundays; seating is limited, book the dinner sitting.
Konoba Marjan at the foot of the Marjan trail in Split serves classic Dalmatian dishes from a tiny kitchen in a centuries-old Veli Varos stone house.
Signature: Pasticada, Soparnik, Grilled fish platter
Order: Pasticada with gnocchi.
Tip: Cash and card both accepted; small terrace, book ahead in peak season.
Trattoria Tinel in Split's Veli Varos is an Italian-leaning Dalmatian trattoria 30 metres from the Riva on Tomica Stine, open daily 08:00 to midnight.
Signature: Hand-cut tagliatelle, Cuttlefish risotto, Whole fish grilled
Order: Black cuttlefish risotto and a glass of Korcula Posip.
Tip: Best for late lunch from 14:00 when the room calms after the Riva crowd; the by-the-glass list runs Croatian-only.
Pizzeria Galija on Toncieva in Split is the city's oldest pizzeria, opened in 1980, still pulling pizzas off a wood-fired oven that has not gone cold since.
Signature: Margherita, Galija sea-salt focaccia, Calzone
Order: Margherita with the wood-fired char on the crust.
Tip: Open daily 10:00 to 24:00; queue at the door for a table from 19:30 in summer.
Bajamonti on Split's Prokurative square is an arcaded all-day kitchen that runs a steakhouse, a wood-fired pizzeria and a seaside fish house under one roof.
Signature: Dry-aged steak, Wood-fired pizza, Whole grilled fish
Order: Dry-aged ribeye with house ajvar and roasted potatoes.
Tip: Open 07:30 to midnight; the steakhouse menu is dry-aged Croatian beef, and the pizza ovens lit through service from 12:00.
Brasserie on 7 on Split's Riva is an all-day Mediterranean kitchen with French-Croatian dishes, from breakfast platters through to grilled fish at midnight.
Signature: Hand-cut tagliatelle, Riva breakfast platter, Grilled sea bream
Order: Hand-cut tagliatelle with Adriatic prawns and aged tomato.
Tip: Daily 08:00 to 23:00; the Riva terrace is best at sunset, when the kitchen pivots from brunch to grill.
Uje Oil Bar inside Split's Diocletian Palace is the city's Dalmatian small-plates room, built on olive oil tastings, paski sir and Dalmatian prsut.
Signature: Olive oil tasting board, Paski sir with prsut, Brac soparnik
Order: Olive oil flight with the cured-meat board and aged paski sir.
Tip: Order the olive oil tasting flight as a starter; the kitchen will pair it with the cured-meat and aged paski sir board.
Bokeria Kitchen & Wine in Split's Old Town is a tall-ceiling stone room cooking modern Mediterranean dishes from a wood-burning grill into the night.
Signature: Adriatic tuna tartare, Bone-in steak, Tagliatelle with prawns
Order: Tagliatelle with Adriatic prawns, with a glass of Posip from Korcula.
Tip: Late-evening sitting works; the dining room shifts into a wine bar mood after 22:00, with bottle-cellar pours kept until 01:00.
Konoba Gregolevante on Bosanska in Split's Old Town is a small cave-like room tucked into a quiet alley, cooking seafood from the morning Ribarnica buy.
Signature: Daily Adriatic catch grilled, Black cuttlefish risotto, Octopus salad
Order: The daily grilled Adriatic fish with chard and potatoes.
Tip: Cash is the safe bet; the room is intimate so book ahead for the dinner sitting in summer.