Dining in Split and Makarska, Croatia

|
|
Updated On:

***This post will be updated soon!  We’ve been going to Makarska three summers in a row now, so I will make one separate post for Makarska (including new restaurants), and one for Split.

(Original post: 2013)

We spent a week of our travels in Makarska, Croatia – it’s a wonderful town along the Dalmatian coast, south of Split, but north of Dubrovnik.  After Makarska, we had five days in Split, which is a bigger city, best known for it’s old town and Diocletian Palace. Overall, we had some really great dining experiences, but we observed a bit of a trend – overall, customer service declines a great deal the further south in Croatia you travel.  Bear in mind, I am making a very big generalization, and there are certainly exceptions.  But in comparison to our excellent experiences in the restaurants in Zadar last year, we were left a bit cold when it came to some of the restaurants in the Dalmatian region.  We also noticed (not surprisingly) that prices were not only higher in Split, but in the Dalmatian region in general. I was also HIGHLY disappointed to see that Pepsi was big in Dalmatia.  That part sucked big time.  I need my Coke!  (My friends and regular readers know that I am a Coca-Cola girl.  NO Pepsi!) Here are some of our thoughts on the restaurants we visited in both cities…..

Makarska

Orion – We visited this beach side pizza place twice.  The pizza was good – both times we got the shrimp pizza.  Our server was the same young woman each time – she was great and was very attentive.  Nice place, decent food, good service.

Shrimp pizza and calamari at Orion
Shrimp pizza and calamari at Orion

***

Susvid – This restaurant came highly recommended, so we checked it out on our second night.  It’s in the square of the old town, just next to the church.  Don’t get me wrong, we liked it, but we weren’t wowed by it in any way.  Miloš had calamari and I got the seafood risotto.  Perhaps it was just an off-night?  We meant to retry it out, but it didn’t happen.

Our table at Susvid
Our table at Susvid

******

Bounty Bar – Located by the main beach in Makarska, this is a big bar/restaurant with a great location.  Miloš’ steak was quite good and I had shrimp pasta in white sauce which was also quite tasty.  Our server was pretty good and the place has a nice atmosphere.  I’d recommend it.

******

Mirela – This seaside restaurant along the main beach of Makarska was great!  We had very good service, and our food was excellent.  We started with a cheese plate that was super tasty, and the scampi pasta had real scampi in it combined with shrimp.  The calamari was good, but doesn’t make our top list.  But overall, good restaurant.

Delicious cheese plate
Delicious cheese plate
Tasty pasta with shrimp and scampi
Tasty pasta with shrimp and scampi
******

Point – We had lunch at this restaurant in the old town square.  I had the shrimp soup and the grilled vegetables.  I really liked the soup a lot – great taste and texture.  The veggies were good, but the serving size was smaller than expected.  Miloš had steak.  Overall, we thought this place was WAY overpriced for what you get.

******

Konoba Kalalarga – We had to book a reservation at this place a day in advance.  It’s located at the end of the narrow street that separates the main road from the old town.  Our food was great, as was the service.  It’s easy to see why this place is so highly recommended.  I had shrimp and Miloš had steak.  All our food was well prepared and flavorful.  Totally recommend it! IMG_7386 IMG_7387 ******

Restoran Dinners Delight – We actually ate at this place twice, not only because the food was so good, but also because we received top-notch service.  We were first seated in the small crowded dining area next to the sea, but with the heat wave being what it was, it was just too uncomfortably hot to sit there and I needed to leave.  The hostess immediately asked us if anything was wrong and when she found out that I couldn’t deal with the heat, she moved us up to the second floor terrace of the main building.  Up there we had more of a breeze and a nice un-crowded setting.  (We sat in the same place the next day.)  On the first visit, Miloš got the shrimp pasta and I got the shrimp risotto.  Both were SO good.  Then the next night, I got grilled shrimp skewers and Miloš got the shrimp pasta again.  We had the same server both nights, and he was great – attentive, helpful, and incredibly polite.  We highly recommend this restaurant! IMG_7411 IMG_7412 IMG_7410 IMG_7468 ******

******

Split

Restaurant Central (part of Hotel Central) – This restaurant is right in the middle of the old town, so it provides a great venue for people watching and admiring the beautiful view of the architecture.  Our server here was really good and was helpful with suggesting our meals.  We liked it so much that we visited a second time while in Split.  We HIGHLY recommend the pasta with shrimp in truffle sauce, topped with shaved truffles.  Holy deliciousness!  I had the gnocchi with shrimp and salmon in a white cream sauce – also SO good!  On our second visit, Milos got the grilled calamari, and said it was excellent.  We highly recommend this place!

View from Restaurant Central
View from Restaurant Central
Gnocchi with salmon and shrimp
Gnocchi with salmon and shrimp
Pasta in truffle sauce with shrimp and shaved truffles
Pasta in truffle sauce with shrimp and shaved truffles
Grilled calamari
Grilled calamari

******

Restaurant No Stress – Located literally across the square from Restaurant Central, this was also a great choice.  We had a wonderful seat at the corner of the outside seating area, and our server was incredibly attentive, helpful, and professional.  (He appeared to be the owner or manager.)  I got the grilled monkfish with sauteed vegetables (excellent), and Miloš got steak and fries.  We both thoroughly enjoyed our meals and had a great experience. IMG_7509 IMG_7510

View from our table at No Stress
View from our table at No Stress

******

Konoba Favola – We had lunch at this little restaurant and it was quite good!  Our server was okay – not rude or bad, just too busy.  The food was great though.  I had spaghetti in truffle cream sauce with prosciutto.  It was SO good.  They used the really high quality thick cut Dalmatian prosciutto.  Miloš had the green pasta with shrimp in cream sauce.  His was also good, but not as good as mine!  I’d recommend this place solely on that prosciutto pasta dish! IMG_7496 IMG_7497 IMG_7498 ******

Konoba Marjan – This restaurant was highly recommended, so we booked a reservation after seeing it ranked as the number three restaurant in Split on TripAdvisor.  We had a great shrimp appetizer, and for my entree I had the Amberjack fish.  Apparently it’s only available certain times of year, so I thought I’d give it a try.  It was a good white, but meaty fish.  I did like it a great deal, but still wouldn’t put it on my top list of food I’ve ever eaten.  We had decent service, but not as good as some other places. IMG_7578 IMG_7583 IMG_7584 ******

Kavana Duje – Stay away and do not go to this restaurant!!  It’s right inside the side entrance to the old town near the palace side.  The pizza we got was just okay, and overpriced beyond belief.  But the real kicker was the horrible service.  Our waitress basically ignored us, was rude, and never even said thank you once.  She also swindled the poor American tourists at the table next to us, telling them their receipt printer was broken, so she couldn’t give them a receipt.  (Places in Croatia are required to give you a receipt by law.  If they say they can’t give you one, they are trying to rip you off and take advantage of you.)  Fortunately, when you’re traveling with your Croatian boyfriend, these things don’t happen, but I’m sure it’s a frequent thing.  Just stay away from this place.  It’s the first time we’ve gone somewhere and never left a tip.

Photo of author
Jennifer was initially drawn to Europe for two reasons: music and love.  She lived in Vienna for four years, and now calls Croatia home for much of each year, as she married a native Croatian. Since 2015, Jennifer has worked as a tour director and cruise director on European river cruises for a major American travel company, and has become an expert in all of the cities along her routes on the Danube, Rhine, and Main Rivers. She also has traveled to Disney World almost every year since 1985, and knows Disney World inside and out. As a travel agent, Disney World is her primary specialty, and she has helped many Disney newbies and veterans have amazing trips with her insider information.

4 thoughts on “Dining in Split and Makarska, Croatia”

Leave a Comment

Want travel tips backed by 15 years of expat & travel industry experience?

Get my best tips and updates sent straight to you!

coming soon!