My Best Meals At Restaurants in Split, Croatia, Including Seafood

There are lots of options for restaurants and places to dine out in Split, Croatia, including many for seafood. These include places with sea views or in the old town, overlooking historic sites. Many of the places to dine out are also pet-friendly, and dogs are welcome.

Most restaurant menus feature delicious Dalmatian seafood dishes, the most popular being black risotto. You can also enjoy a variety of pasta and gnocchi dishes, all laden with fresh seafood and sauces. Many places offer sharing platters and stews; these are often ordered by the kilogram.

We found that in the off-season there was no need to book a table at restaurants in Split. This may be different during the peak summer holiday season.

Best Restaurants in Split, Croatia

My favourite restaurants that I dined out at in Split during three visits totalling 7 weeks. This includes many in the old town area and those with splendid sea views. There are also some excellent cafe bars for drinks when not dining out.

Fish Mama Seafood & Steak

In Trg Republike is Fish Mama Seafood & Steak, a fantastic restaurant with views of the colourful Venetian architecture. We enjoyed a special celebration here and thoroughly enjoyed the food and service. They have a diverse menu, with some Croatian favourites, such as Peka octopus and seafood plates.

For our meal here, we shared the Fish Mama’s Plate, which included fish pâté, salted and marinated anchovies, smoked Adriatic tuna, smoked prawns, and mussels. These were all delicious and hit the spot, served with soft, fresh bread.

For the main course, we had their fish platter, which included sea bass fillet, Adriatic tuna steak, grilled squid, scampi, mussels, and Dalmatian chard as a side. The fish was cooked perfectly and rather filling. To round off the meal, we had chocolate cake and a beer. Fish Mama was one of my favourite meals during all our visits to the city.

Adriatic Grašo For Seafood With a Magnificent Sea View

Perched on a clifftop overlooking the marina is Adriatic Grašo. If you enjoy alfresco dining with a splendid sea view, this is a fantastic restaurant to visit. They also have an indoor dining area.

Seafood, including some of the local specialities, dominates their food menu. We enjoyed a fish pâté starter with fresh bread, which was tasty. As it was lunchtime, we opted for a light bite and enjoyed their fish soup and octopus salad.

They also have a comprehensive drinks menu with Croatian beers and wines.

Apetit Restaurant in Old Town

Apetit Restaurant is a posh eatery in the old town area, close to People’s Square. They have a lovely interior and are ideal for a romantic meal out. The servers here are very knowledgeable about the menu and friendly too.

Their menu heavily features local seafood. We enjoyed their grilled squid with Swiss chard and potato. From this, I opted for the fresh swordfish served with courgette.

Bajamonti

Bajamonti was a place that someone recommended I visit before my trip. It is in the Neo-Baroque Trg Republike. They have seats in the square, which are ideal for alfresco dining. The inside is ideal for a posh meal out.

Bajamonti has an excellent menu with lots of seafood options to choose from, as well as an array of pizzas. Their pizzas were delicious and perfect for a lunchtime meal. For seafood, I enjoyed their black seafood pasta; it was delicious and full of fish, including monkfish and langoustine.

Restaurant Leonis

Hidden away in the narrow side streets of Old Town Split is Restaurant Leonis. They have an interesting food and wine menu for diners to choose from.

Having enjoyed the black risotto elsewhere, I tried the black gnocchi at Restaurant Leonis. The food was very flavourful with plenty of fish cooked perfectly.

Kavanazona For Seafood On The Waterfront

Kavanazona is a restaurant along the coastal path to the west of Split. They have a covered terrace and indoor dining area. Kavanazona is a brilliant spot for lunch out, and they have many lighter options on their menu. Food we enjoyed here for lunch included the Dalmatian speciality black risotto, which was delicious. They also do a variety of soups, including a daily special fish soup or cream of shrimp soup.

For main meals, they specialise in seafood platters, where you order the fish or shellfish by weight. They serve these on a large plate, and you serve yourself. All of those we tried were delicious. First, we tried their mixed shells cooked busara-style with pasta. This was delicious, and the shells of the day were clams. For another meal, we enjoyed fried squid served with rustic potatoes, which was a hearty feast. They also had some traditional fish stews on the menu, where you choose the fish to be included in your meal.

Corto Maltese Freestyle Food

Corto Maltese Freestyle Food is a quirky place and a standout for foodies. They have an inside dining area with interesting decor and a few seats outside.

Their food menu is unique, with creative names for all their dishes. They had options for seafood or meats on their menu. Their drink menu had some lesser-known craft beer options and wines. I enjoyed their Nikšićko pivo, which is a beer from Montenegro.

For food, I opted for their Ballad of the Salted Sea, which was homemade tagliatelle with a shrimp bisque and cottage cheese.

Mandrach Restaurant

Another place that we enjoyed a meal out while in the city was Mandrach Restaurant. Mandrach Restaurant is near the football stadium. They have a terrace that is famed for its sunset views. Mandrach Restaurant also has an inside dining area with comfy seating.

They have a great food and drink menu with options for meat and seafood. For food, I opted for their seafood platter, which included sea bass, king prawns and mussels served on top of dumplings in a tomato sauce.

Zlatna Ribica

Zlatna ribica is next to the fish market in the city centre and has a reputation for serving seafood, which led me here. It is a small place with indoor seating.

The Zlatna ribica food menu is pretty simple, with a range of fried fish, squid and salad or bread sides. On my visit, I enjoyed a portion of calamari, which was delicious. I found it quiet on a February lunchtime; however, reports say that it’s very popular in the tourist season, and there is often a queue.

Buffet Fife

Another nice place for food out near the Riva is Buffet Fife. They have both indoor and outdoor seating. Luckily, on my visit, the weather was warm enough to dine out with views of the historic Varos area of the city.

Buffet Fife has a great food and drink menu that includes grilled meat and seafood options. Seafood options include sea bass, squid, sea bream and tuna steak. I fancied a simple calamari meal that day, and their version was delicious. As a bonus, the service was good, and there were quite a few others here doing the same as me.

Stari Mornar Restaurant

For food out near the Split FC football stadium, I visited Stari Mornar Restaurant. Stari Mornar Restaurant is a big place. The decor here was a bit dated, and it lacked outside seating on my visit; however, the food and service were good.

Their food menu was big and had options for Croatian food, including Peka, which unfortunately is for four people and requires 24 hours’ notice. For this meal, I opted for the local speciality, black risotto, washed down with a PAN beer. The risotto here was the biggest portion I’ve had in Croatia and tasted good. Overall, I enjoyed this place and would return, hopefully when their outside area is open.

Gourmet Bar Basta On The Waterfront

Gourmet Bar Basta is on the waterfront and ideal for a drink or lunch out. They have some scenic views from the windows or their outside seating area. They serve beer and wine, as well as delicious coffee. Basta is also a restaurant and has a good pizza and sandwich menu.

Terminal F For Tacos near Riva & The Ferry Port

Terminal F is a bar and restaurant near Riva and Split Ferry Port. They have both inside and outside seating areas, both of which are comfortable.

The food offerings include tacos in many flavours, including seafood and vegetarian. Their sharing taco platter was delicious, and they included meats and seafood.

Balkan Kitchen Ćevapi & Kebab Fontana

Just outside the old town walls in Split is Balkan Kitchen Ćevapi & Kebab Fontana. This is a late-night eatery with outside seating. They serve a variety of tasty options, including kebabs and the Croatian speciality cevapi. They serve the kebabs on a plate with salad, sauces, and a delicious flatbread.

Restaurant Vidilica

Another restaurant in Split with epic views is Restoran Vidilica. Restoran Vidilica is on Marjan Hill next to the viewpoint, and the outside tables have views from above of the entire city and sea. We enjoyed a few visits here during walks on Marjan Hill. They have an outdoor dining area, which is perfect for drinks or a meal out.

I enjoyed a few beers here with the dog and really enjoyed the views. They also have a great menu, including seafood options. This includes seafood pasta and more.

Submarine

Submarine is a burger chain with a few locations in the city. I visited their place in the old town and found it really nice. Submarine has a lovely interior, which is pretty cool; they also have an outside dining area.

The Submarine drinks menu impressed me and had some delicious craft beer, including some from the Croatian Garden brewery. Their food menu mostly consists of burgers and salads. For food, I opted for their double smokehouse burger, which hit the spot. This was one of my favourite burgers that I’ve enjoyed in the Balkans so far.

Bepa in Old Town

In People’s Square, there are restaurants at the edges with a view of the old architecture. This includes Bepa, a Mediterranean restaurant with views of the town hall. They have an outside seating area that is perfect for drinks or a meal out. Bepa! has a nice food menu with many options for fresh local seafood, including tuna gnocchi.