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So you find yourself in Split. Not too terribly surprising, as it’s the major hub between Mostar and Korcula, two of the cheapest places to visit post-pandemic. You might’ve been travelling for a while, so you’re probably hungry. If it is your first time here, you probably have no idea what restaurants are cheap, have a good atmosphere, and taste good. Certainly, you wouldn’t automatically know what the best restaurants in Split are. If you did, you wouldn’t be here.
After all, there are so many restaurants in Split. How could anyone ever try all of them? It’s probably not possible unless you lived there for many years. However, you don’t have to! Here are the 5 best restaurants in Split, Croatia. They were even all recommended by locals! Obviously, the food is amazing, but the food isn’t the only thing that makes a restaurant. These places really accentuate that.
6. Pizzeria Maslina
Pizzeria Maslina is interesting. Not for its food, although delicious and quite traditional, but for its location. When a local originally recommended it to us, its location took us a while to find it, as Google Maps doesn’t really take you there.
The entrance to Pizzeria Maslina is somewhat hidden. A small set of stone stairs is beside the outdoor patio for Chops Grill. These stairs lead to a near shoulder-width thin alley that leads to a small open courtyard that holds the restaurant. A bit weird, but also kind of cool.
One of the coolest parts of Maslina is just how isolated from the rest of the city it is while being directly in the center of the tourist area. Even if you aren’t going here for the food, which you should, it’s a charming way to get away from the hustle and bustle of tourists while still being able to take in the charm of old town Split. That time away while still being in the thick of things combined with the mouthwatering food makes Maslina one of the best restaurants in Split.
5. GregoLevante
If Maslina is the place to go when you want to get away from the hustle and bustle, then GregoLevante is the place to be right in the middle of it. Located on a small street just around the corner from Funky George and Shotgun, GregoLevante is a blink-and-you-miss-it type of place.
Unfortunately, GregoLevante has only three to five places to sit outside. Therefore, they are almost always full. Plus, these tables are only meant for two. Which is great for couples, but rough for groups. Yet getting a spot outside takes a bit of luck or preparation if you’re one to make reservations. However, eating inside is always an option, even though there are limited seats there too.
Being located on a small street, one might assume that you’d feel watched while eating. However, that is not quite the case with GregoLevante as it’s so easy to be lost in the conversation, surrounding architecture, and the food.
4. Konoba Charm
Konoba Charm lives up to its name. Whether you walk in or just view it from afar, the charm is immediately evident. Although small, the way they incorporate wood and greenery into their decor will immediately invoke the desire to sit down and stay a while.
Konoba Charm is recommended by more than a few locals for their pašticada (a traditional Croatian slow-cooked beef dish) which is to die for. If pašticada is what you’re looking for, then this is the place for you. Just make sure to get there before they run out! After all, they only make a limited amount per day.
With just their pašticada they could be among the best restaurants in Split. However, their other food options and the atmosphere are what change “could be” to “it is”.
3. Fig
Fig is a unique restaurant that one might not expect to be in Split. It is a fancy, upscale Mexican restaurant located in a small courtyard right in the middle of the old town. Fig is the brainchild of an American expat who brings an American twist to Mexican food that we haven’t seen anywhere else. It’s incredible. Every bite teases your taste buds and keeps you wanting more. Even when you are full, you’ll wish you weren’t so that you could keep eating their food.
You can choose to sit either inside which has a sleek, rustic atmosphere or outside in the courtyard. If you pick the latter, there is a decent chance that Old Town Split will feel a bit more real than in most other parts of the old town. As once in a while, you will see locals open their windows or hang laundry on a laundry line right outside their windows. This brings an authentic realism to your meal that might not be found elsewhere.
2. Šug
Šug is the only other fancy restaurant on this list. It’s also the only restaurant that isn’t right in the Old Town. In fact, it’s located right around the corner from one of the best cheap places to eat in Split, Casa De Fuego.
Šug focuses on traditional Croatian seafood dishes. They do an amazing job introducing one to the tastes of the sea without leaning into the touristic aspect of the old town. Unlike most of the restaurants in Split, you have to go through the restaurant to reach their outdoor seating. However, sitting outside is an experience, for if you do then you’ll be sitting on a tile patio surrounding a beautiful garden teeming with dark green leaves and cool warped trees and vines.
1. Villa Spiza
Villa Spiza is by far one of the best restaurants in Split, earning its spot at the top of this list. It’s even called so by many of the locals and expats living in the area. Every day the menu is handmade depending on what fresh ingredients they were able to get from the local market. This means they could have a completely different menu every time you visit.
When you eat a meal at Villa Spiza you can tell it’s fresh. Which as a restaurant that primarily sells seafood is important. It makes you wonder how you’ve ever eaten seafood that was frozen, as every bite releases an explosion of flavour upon your tongue.
Villa Spiza is a must if you’re in Split. Just don’t let it be the first restaurant you eat at, or it might ruin all the others for you. This place even beats our favourite restaurants in Korcula.
I’ll Take It To Go
There are so many great restaurants in Split. It can be so hard to choose just one to go to when mouthwatering smells constantly bombard you as you’re walking through Split. However, this list helps bring down the hundreds or thousands of options down to the 6 best restaurants in Split.
That being said, if you are only in Split for a day or two, then you must try Villa Spiza. They are the only must-try among the best restaurants in Split. Just as Trattoria Tinel is a must-avoid from our experience. At least for seafood, that is.
Do you think we missed any? If so, which ones?
Until next time, stay authentic, stay Nomadic, and let the world inscribe itself upon you more than you inscribe yourself upon it.
