Crni rizot is the Dalmatian squid-ink risotto: short-grain rice cooked with squid and cuttlefish ink, garlic, white wine and olive oil, finished with parsley.
Where to eat it: 4 restaurants across 1 city.
Crni rizot likely arrived in Dalmatia with Venetian rule; the technique of cooking rice with cephalopod ink spread north along the Adriatic from Veneto. Today every Split konoba runs a version, with the standard set by Konoba Matejuska's wood-fired interpretation and the K.uzina kitchen's more contemporary tasting-plate form.
Common allergens: Shellfish
Tip from the editors. Black risotto stains; the right consistency is loose enough to spread on the plate.
Konoba Matejuska in Split's Veli Varos cooks the day's market catch in a 19th-century UNESCO-listed stone house with a tight terrace tucked off the alley.
Why locals love it: A family room in a 19th-century stone house tucked into Tomica Stine; UNESCO-listed building, no signage to speak of, regulars-only feel.
Tip: Cash preferred; go for the 21:30 sitting after the first crowd has rotated.
K.uzina in Split is chef Toni Boban's Bib Gourmand room on Kraj Sv. Marije, cooking creative Dalmatian small plates behind the Ribarnica fish market.
Signature: Adriatic tuna tartare, Octopus salad, Crni rizot
Order: The tasting of small plates with whatever the morning Ribarnica delivered.
Tip: Sit on the small terrace facing the fish market for the best evening light; the daily catch board is the menu to read first.
Villa Spiza in Split is the side-lane Dalmatian counter favoured by Spliters, with about 14 seats and a board that turns on the morning Pazar.
Why locals love it: A tiny counter-only room with a handwritten daily board in a side lane of Diocletian's Palace, easy to miss between the busy Riva-side terraces.
Tip: First sitting at 13:00; queue at the door for the second turn at 14:00.
Apetit in Split's Old Town sits on the upper floor of a 15th-century palazzo between the Riva and Pjaca, cooking Dalmatian classics under stone vaulting.
Order: Pasticada slow-braised in prosek with homemade gnocchi.
Tip: Climb the stone stairs to the second floor; the small dining room takes only around 30 covers.
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