Where to Eat in Split Croatia - the best restaurants
While Split always ends up on my destination list because it's the gateway to the Adriatic islands, it’s a buzzing city with an exciting restaurant scene worth exploring in it's own right. Eating in Split is a pleasure not a chore. Fine dining, cheap eats, innovative concepts, it has many different restaurants to try and explore. And each year, new restaurants appear on the scene.
My list of the best restaurants in Split, Croatia populates in my brain like a mental map, remembering places as 'the one that's near the archway' or 'the one on the corner with the upstairs seating area'. I've spent time in Google maps tracing street view or nearby destinations to work (or ‘walk’) myself backwards into finding the names of places.
This list isn't exhaustive, but it's a core list that will ensure you eat well, have many to choose from, and enjoy your dining experience. While the majority of the recommended restaurants are in Split Old Town, a few are on the peripheral only a few steps away. Split Old Town is ground zero for all things tourism, and it's also a beautiful historic area. When visiting Split, you won't have many reasons to venture much beyond Old Town, unless for a day trip or you're leaving the city for another destination.
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Food Culture in Split Croatia
Geographically, the country of Croatia has hundreds of miles of coastline along the Adriatic Sea, a part of the much wider Mediterranean Sea. With that, their cuisine has a lot of overlap with Italy as well as other Mediterranean countries. Pastas, pizzas, seafood, roast meats, rustic food are common items you'll find on Croatian restaurant menus. In addition to the Mediterranean cuisine, you'll also find international cuisine, especially in the bigger cities and more populated islands.
Traditional Croatian Dishes to Try in Split
Burek
Ottoman in origins, burek can be found in many other nearby countries. It's a pastry made of flaky filo dough and filled with a variety of ingredients. Potat, cheese, spinach, or meat, most of the time individual ingredients or combining two to three, it can be eaten hot or cold. Almost every bakery - or pekara - will sell them, and don't worry, there are pekaras every where throughout Croatia. They'll come in different shapes based on ingredients or by bakery. My favorite often changes, but most recently I've been a big fan of spinach and cheese. Yum!
Pastries
Continuing on the pekara theme, as there are many bakeries in Croatia, it also means pastries are a very big deal. Croissants, cream filling, fruit filling, chocolate dipped, soft and flaky, or hard and crunchy, you'll find a pastry that will steal your heart. I often choose a cherry strudel (or Štrudlu s Višnjama) because of family memories. Other
Meat and cheese
Like it's Mediterranean neighbors, meat and cheese boards are a special way to try traditional cuisine. Whether at a restaurant or shopping at a grocery store, you'll be able to find Dalmatian pršut (prosciutto) and sir (cheese) from the region.
Parika or sarma
While paprika is pepper based and sarma is cabbage based, they're both vegetable vessels filled with rice and ground beef. A warming, cozy meal, it gives you a taste of the local cuisine, again influenced by the greater region.
Cafe Culture in Croatia
Similar to other parts of Europe and the Med, Croatia is full of cafes that stay open throughout the day for patrons to stop for the beverage they need. Coffee, espresso, cappuccino, beer, wine, cocktails -- most cafes will offer all options. Just starting the day and need a cappuccino? Find a cafe. In between lunch and dinner and need a pick me? Find a cafe. After a long day of exploring the city and want to rest for a bit? Find a cafe. Some of my favorite memories in Croatia are sitting in an open square, along the sea front, or under an umbrella enjoying a coca-cola, espresso, cedevita, or aperol spritz and taking in my surroundings.
Especially in Split, the Riva promenade is one of the best places for a coffee and a view. With more than you'd ever want to choose from, first decide if you're there for just drinks or food as well. Walk along the riva, see which one has the vibe you like the most and a table with a location you prefer, and you're good to go. You may pay a little more for drinks on the riva promenade compared to some of the other cafes deeper within Old Town or on the outskirts, but it's a memorable place to relax with a drink.
Konoba for Traditional Dishes
Konoba is to Croatia what Taverna is to Greece. It's usually meant for more local, rustic dishes. Often, grilled meats, filling pasta dishes, fresh fish, stews, and roasted vegetables pack the menu. While the intention for most konobas are to be family run and using local ingredients, it's always good to read reviews and check out more info about the restaurant to ensure it offers that kind of experience.
Top restaurants in Split Croatia
Pizzeria Kaleta - Best Affordable Meal in Split
We eat here every time we visit Split, and usually more than once. Calling it cheap eats waters down the true quality of their food, but one of the key reasons we return is their price point. Year after year, Split grows more and more expensive. Between adopting the euro, recovering post covid, and increasing tourism, it’s hard to find an affordable meal in the city.
Pizzeria Kaleta gets you just outside the main hustle and bustle within the Old Town walls. It also has a great outdoor patio space that’s perfect for relaxing, people watching, and enjoying a drink or a meal. Massive pizzas for €15, burgers for €6, and the star of the show, sandwiches on fresh homemade bread. Once we arrived too early because the bread was finishing proving that we had to wait a little, but it’s totally worth the wait. Sandwiches filled with whatever you choose for €5 on fresh local bread - yes please. And also, Pizzeria Kaleta if you’re reading this, please don’t change your prices.
BOKUN Bar and Kitchen - Best Easy Brunch in Split
BOKUN is relatively new to the scene, but one of the better places off of the Riva to grab a quick and easy brunch meal. It’s a small space with a handful of tables in a courtyard with even less tables inside. The interior has a fun eclectic vibe, and the staff are accommodating.
It has vegetarian options and also breakfast and lunch dishes that meet everyones needs. We ate their with our parents and between us all we tried the sandwiches, breakfast plates, and breakfast burritos, all good. I think I preferred my breakfast burrito the most - kind of craving that now.
Adriatic Sushi & Oyster Bar Split - Best Sushi in Split
This place is quite a dream. It feels transportive and very lux - truly feels like a treat. With cozy tables in a side courtyard within the Old Town with the typical massive umbrellas providing much needed shade in the afternoon, it’s a perfect setting for a sushi meal.
When we visiting, we weren’t extremely hungry and only ordered four rolls between the three of us, but I’d love to return to try even more. If sushi isn’t for everyone your group, they have a broader menu focused on international cuisine. Fresh flavors, lovely presentation, nice environment - 10/10.
Apetit - Best Fine Dining in Split
Suffice it to say, we’ve been fans of Apetit for going on 10 years now. Confession, it was actually where we had our very first date in 2014. They’ve moved locations and updated their menu since, but it’s been good every time. We may be a little partial to it, but that doesn’t take away from the quality of the food and the experience.
It’s a great choice if you’re looking for a restaurant for a special occasion or wanting to treat yourself. It came as a recommendation when a local friend suggested it as our first date, so it’s always had a little bit of a romantic vibe for us as well. That said, it’s also good for a group of friends or families with older children.
Mazzgoon - Best Restaurant Along the Walls of Old Town
At the very base of one of the gates, you’ll find welcoming Mazzgoon. One of the most unique elements of this restaurant used to be the ability to sit and have a drink along the steps leading up to the walls. The city has since stopped them from seating there, but it’s still a restaurant situated just at the base and gives you unique views of the history of the Old Town. Great for locally sourced ingredients and region inspired dishes, it’s good to get a reservation a few days in advance at the very least to ensure you can get a table.
Spot the tables and entrance to Mazzgoon just on the left where you see the mascot donkey
Bistro Topolino - Best Restaurant at the Ferry Port in Split
If you’re visiting Split, then you’re more than likely heading out to one of the islands conveniently connected by regular ferries and boat excursions. Split is always our jumping off point for taking ferries to the beautiful islands, so spending an hour or two around the ferry port before our boat arrives is a common part of our Croatia travels.
We have come to rely on Bistro Topolino for the perfect place to stop for a coffee, a quick bite, and space to keep our luggage nearby us while we wait. Now mind you, I’ve only eaten at the ground level indoor / outdoor space and never upstairs or inside. This place has mixed reviews, but it seems to be more for those coming for a more serious sit down meal.
For us, it’s always good for breakfast, a coffee, and chilling without being rushed. It does give a sense that it’s more targeted for locals at times, but as long as you are friendly to the staff, they’ll be helpful. And if you need to use the toilet, there’s only a public one but they give you a coin to go to it if you ask.
Fresh Corner - Best Restaurant for Fast and Affordable Pizza in Split
There are lots of slice houses and fast service restaurants throughout Old Town. We specifically like this place because of the family ownership vibe they put off. When we ordered it seemed like husband and wife were behind the corner taking orders. We opted to order it and eat it in their seating area just upstairs. It’s decent pizza for a great price, so it’s great when you’re looking for food, every restaurant is booked up, and you just want something quick and easy.
Bobis - Best Bakery in Split
While a chain throughout the city, it’s always a reliable option for picking up a treat - sweet or savory. It’s honestly hard to pick a favorite bakery when in Croatia. The best one is whichever one has the exact pastry I want on that specific day. Depending on time of day, they might only have a few things on offer or a full selection. Some are better for sweet treats while others are better for sandwiches. When in Split, bakeries - or pekaras - are your friend. A trusted choiced for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.
Café & Restaurant Lvxor Split - Best Coffee with a View in Split
Situated on the main square in Diocletian’s Palace, it’s a spot that’s truly a treat to sit and have a drink. They have red cushions and little wooden trays all around the stairs that step down into the courtyard. Sat here you have a front row view to teh arches and the iconic Saint Domnius Bell Tower. While expensive, it’s definitely worth a little treat to take it all in.
A bit of throwback, reaffirming that this bar restaurant is a total classic. This was from 2016, but it still has a similar vibe.
Cafe Kala - Best Relaxed Coffee in Split
As mentioned early on in this post, Split and the rest of Croatia is a full believer in coffee culture. Cafes are definitely one thing Split isn’t lacking. You’ll find cafes along the riva, in courtyards, and around the city. Searching out Cafe Kala on the back side of the Old Town, slightly away from the hustle and bustle always gives us that chill coffee moment we need.
If Cafe Kala doesn’t have any open tables outside, many of the cafes in the direct area are also good options. At these cafes you’ll find more locals taking their coffee break for the day, a moment to meet up with friends and relax. You’ll also find much more affordable coffees especially compared to the riva.
Enjoy Split as a Foodie
Split has a fantastic food scene. Fine dining tasting menus, quick kebabs, and everything in between can be found within and outside of the walls of Old Town. Try Croatian food, try other cuisines (Asian, Mexican, Italian). Explore outside of the walls of Old Town, get lost within the alleyways, and discover your own hidden treasure. Start with this list, but know that wherever you go in the city, you’ll find some great food.
