Food · Split · Croatia
What to eat in Split
The dishes, drinks and food experiences that define Split, and where locals actually eat them.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Tatyana Peshkova, CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answer
Start with Pašticada, Black risotto and Brudet. Dalmatians traditionally eat marenda, a cooked mid-morning meal; some konobas still serve inexpensive daily dishes such as fish stew or beans before lunch. Restaurants serve lunch from about noon and dinner from about 7pm, often continuously in summer.
Key facts
- Signature dish
- Pašticada
- Vegetarian-friendly picks
- 5
- Tipping
- Tipping is appreciated but not obligatory; rounding up or leaving about 10% for good…
- Food experiences
- 4
12 foods to try
Dish
1.Pašticada
Dalmatia's festive beef stew: a joint marinated in vinegar, larded with bacon and garlic and slowly braised with prunes, wine and prošek, served with homemade gnocchi.
Where: Konobas in the old town and Varoš; it is a traditional Sunday and wedding dish.
Dish
2.Black risotto (Crni rižot)
Risotto coloured with cuttlefish or squid ink and cooked with the chopped cuttlefish, garlic, olive oil and wine.
Where: Seafood restaurants and konobas across the city.
Dish
3.Brudet
A fish stew of several kinds of white fish and shellfish cooked slowly with tomato, wine, onion and olive oil, served with polenta.
Where: Konobas, especially around the fish market and in Varoš.
Dish
4.Peka
Lamb, veal or octopus slow-roasted with potatoes under an iron bell covered in embers; it takes hours, so most restaurants need it ordered a day ahead.
Where: Konobas in Varoš and in the hinterland around Klis; order in advance.
Snack · Vegetarian
5.Soparnik
A thin pie of Swiss chard, onion and parsley baked on an open hearth and brushed with garlic and olive oil, from the Poljica area near Omiš and protected by an EU geographical indication.
Where: Bakeries and some konobas in Split and Omiš, sold by the slice.
Dish · Vegetarian
6.Blitva
Swiss chard and potatoes boiled and dressed generously with olive oil and garlic, the standard side dish for grilled fish.
Where: Any konoba or seafood restaurant.
Breakfast
7.Burek
Flaky filo pastry filled with cheese, meat or spinach, eaten hot for breakfast or as a late-night snack, often with drinking yoghurt.
Where: Bakeries across the city, from early morning.
Street food
8.Ćevapi
Small grilled sausages of minced meat served in soft flatbread (lepinja) with chopped onion and ajvar, a red-pepper relish.
Where: Grill restaurants and fast-food counters across the city.
Snack
9.Pršut and Pag cheese (Pršut i paški sir)
Air-dried Dalmatian ham sliced thin and served with salty, hard sheep's cheese from the island of Pag and olives, the classic start to a meal.
Where: Wine bars and konobas, often as a shared plate with local wine.
Dessert · Vegetarian
10.Fritule
Small doughnuts flavoured with citrus zest, raisins and rakija and dusted with sugar; traditional at Christmas but sold year-round in tourist areas.
Where: Street stalls during Advent on the Riva, and some cafés and bakeries.
Drink · Vegetarian
11.Dalmatian wine
Plavac Mali makes powerful reds on the islands and the Pelješac peninsula, Pošip from Korčula is a popular white, and Crljenak Kaštelanski, grown near Split, is the grape identified as Zinfandel's ancestor.
Where: Wine bars inside the palace and konoba wine lists; ask for local wine by the glass.
Drink · Vegetarian
12.Rakija
Strong fruit or herb brandy; travarica, flavoured with herbs, and lozovača, made from grapes, are offered to guests as a welcome or digestif.
Where: Bars and restaurants, and homemade bottles at the green market.
Food experiences
Marenda
Dalmatians traditionally eat marenda, a cooked mid-morning meal; some konobas still serve inexpensive daily dishes such as fish stew or beans before lunch.
From fish market to plate
Buy the morning's catch at the Ribarnica and cook it in your apartment, or eat grilled fish with blitva at a konoba nearby.
Wine bars in the palace
Small wine bars hidden in the palace lanes pour Plavac Mali, Pošip and Crljenak by the glass with pršut and cheese.
Peka in the hinterland
Drive or take a tour to a konoba near Klis or in the hills, where meat or octopus is roasted under the bell over an open fire.
Quick bites and street food
- Soparnik — Bakeries and some konobas in Split and Omiš, sold by the slice.
- Burek — Bakeries across the city, from early morning.
- Ćevapi — Grill restaurants and fast-food counters across the city.
- Pršut and Pag cheese — Wine bars and konobas, often as a shared plate with local wine.
Vegetarian options
Of the 12 foods in this guide, 5 are usually vegetarian: Soparnik, Blitva, Fritule, Dalmatian wine and Rakija. Check preparation with staff, as stocks and fats vary.
Eating out: tips and etiquette
- Restaurants serve lunch from about noon and dinner from about 7pm, often continuously in summer.
- Fish is priced by the kilo; ask for the weight and price before it goes on the grill.
- Order peka a day ahead; it takes several hours to cook.
- Prices inside the palace and on the Riva are higher; Varoš and the streets behind the market are better value.
- Cards are widely accepted, but some small konobas and market stalls prefer cash.
Tipping
Tipping is appreciated but not obligatory; rounding up or leaving about 10% for good service in restaurants is common.
| Phrase | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Dobar dan | Good day |
| Hvala | Thank you |
| Molim | Please / you're welcome |
| Račun, molim | The bill, please |
| Živjeli! | Cheers! |
| Bok | Hi / bye (informal) |
Questions travellers ask
+What food is Split famous for?
Pašticada, Black risotto, Brudet and Peka. Dalmatia's festive beef stew: a joint marinated in vinegar, larded with bacon and garlic and slowly braised with prunes, wine and prošek, served with homemade gnocchi.
+Is Split good for vegetarians?
Several local staples are meat-free, including Soparnik, Blitva and Fritule.
+Do you tip in restaurants in Split?
Tipping is appreciated but not obligatory; rounding up or leaving about 10% for good service in restaurants is common.