Gregada is the white-fish-and-potato stew of the Dalmatian islands, layered raw in a wide pot with thinly sliced potatoes, garlic, parsley and white wine, then shaken (never stirred) until the fish flakes.
Where to eat it: 4 restaurants across 1 city.
Gregada is said to be the oldest Dalmatian way of cooking fish, traced by historians to Greek settlers around 380 BCE, though potatoes only arrived in the 17th century. The Hvar version is the canonical one; Split konobas adopted it from the islanders. Konoba Hvaranin, named for the Hvar diaspora, runs the most reliable in-city version.
Common allergens: Fish
Tip from the editors. The Dalmatian rule is iron: shake, do not stir. Stirring breaks the fish and turns the dish into a soup. Use firm-fleshed fish; salmon and cod fall apart.
Konoba Hvaranin on Ban Mladenova in Split is a small-room family konoba, with the local press in the back and gregada as the kitchen's signature.
Why locals love it: A tucked-away Veli Varos konoba where Split's writers and journalists drink Plavac mali, with shelves of books from regulars and seating capped near 20.
Tip: Booking is sensible; the dinner sitting goes first.
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 15:00-23:30, closed Mondays; book ahead for the early dinner sitting and the best whole fish go by 21:00.
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.
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.
More cities are in research. Want gregada covered somewhere specific? Tell us where you want to eat.