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 dishes: Grilled sardines, Whole sea bass, Grilled squid
Must 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.
Address: Sperun ul. 3, 21000 Split, Croatia
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.
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.
