Food & drink
Konoba Matejuška
A stone-walled konoba in an alley behind the Matejuška fishing harbour, doing straight Dalmatian seafood without a single flourish. Small, warm and consistently very good.
167 m away
Konoba Marjan
A small konoba on a Varoš side street doing exactly four things well: grilled fish by the kilo, black risotto, octopus salad and house wine from a jug. No view, no English menu board outside, and a queue by eight in July.
By Ana Kovač
Local favourite
- Where
- Varoš
- Local favourite
This is the one we book first when friends visit. Ask what came in that morning rather than reading the menu, take the smaller fish over the large one, and finish with rakija whether you want it or not — it arrives regardless.
What to order
Whatever is on the ice by the door, grilled whole, priced by the kilo. Ask the owner what came in that morning and take the smaller fish over the large one — it grills better and costs less.
Crni rižot — squid ink risotto, done properly here, which means black all the way through and rich with cuttlefish stock.
Octopus salad with capers, olive oil and parsley. The octopus is tender, which is the test.
Blitva — chard and potato with olive oil and garlic. Every Dalmatian meal has it, and the one here is the reference standard.
House wine from the jug, red or white. It is local, cheap, and better than most of the bottled options on the list.
For the same straight Dalmatian fish behind the fishing harbour, try Konoba Matejuška.
Practical
Around €25–35 a head with wine. Book a day ahead in July and August; there are eleven tables and no website, so call or walk past in the morning to book for the evening. Closed Sundays. The queue starts at eight and the wait is usually twenty minutes if you have not booked, which is a gamble that sometimes pays off.
It is in Varoš, the old fishermen's quarter below Marjan.
How to not feel like a tourist here
Walk past in the morning and book for the evening, which is what the locals do, because there is no website and no one answers the phone reliably. When you arrive, sit where they put you — the tables by the kitchen are better than the ones by the door, because the door is where the queue stands and watches you eat. Order by asking, not by reading: the owner will walk you to the ice by the door, show you what came in, and tell you what it costs per kilo. Take the smaller fish, because it grills better, and because the large one is for the people who do not know to take the small one.
Do not order a starter, a main and a pudding — that is not how a konoba works. Order a fish soup to share, a fish to share, blitva, a salad, and a litre of house wine. Then rakija, which arrives whether you ordered it or not, because it is how a Dalmatian meal ends. Pay cash if you can — the card machine works, but cash is faster and the owner prefers it.
If the queue is too long, Fife is at the bottom of the hill on the harbour.
Where Konoba Marjan is
Places on this map (7)
- Konoba MarjanA small konoba on a Varoš side street doing exactly four things well: grilled fish by the kilo, black risotto, octopus salad and house wine from a jug. No view, no English menu board outside, and a queue by eight in July.
- Konoba MatejuškaA stone-walled konoba in an alley behind the Matejuška fishing harbour, doing straight Dalmatian seafood without a single flourish. Small, warm and consistently very good.
- Blue Cave & Five IslandsA full day on a fast twelve-seat boat: the Blue Cave on Biševo, the Monk Seal cave, Stiniva's famous cove, lunch on Vis and a swim off Budikovac's turquoise lagoon, finishing with a stop at Hvar town. Ten and a half hours, small group, no coach transfer.
- Šolta Sunset & Swim CruiseFive hours to Šolta and back on a ten-person boat: three swim stops in coves you cannot reach by road, an hour in Maslinica for dinner or a drink, and the run home across the channel as the sun goes down behind the island.
- St Nicholas's Chapel, MarjanA thirteenth-century chapel on the Marjan staircase, halfway between Varoš and the ridge. Small, usually locked, and the terrace in front of it is the quietest good view in Split — most people walk straight past on the way to Vidilica.
- Vanilla ClubVanilla is Split's big summer party venue, out by Poljud rather than in the old town, which makes it a destination for a planned night rather than a stop on a bar crawl. Go if you want a large room, a late finish and holiday energy; skip it if you came to find Split's own bars.
- Meštrović GalleryThe villa Ivan Meštrović built for himself on Marjan's south slope, now the best museum in Split. Sculpture inside, a garden of bronzes with a sea view outside, and the Kaštelet chapel with his wooden reliefs five minutes down the road.
Konoba Marjan through the year
- Summer
- Eleven tables in July and August — book the day before, not on the night.
Frequently asked questions
Do you need to book restaurants in Split?
In July and August, yes — for anywhere good, a day or two ahead. Konoba Marjan has eleven tables and no website, so call or walk past in the morning to book for the evening.
What should I order at a konoba in Split?
Whatever fish is fresh that day, grilled whole and priced by the kilo; crni rižot (squid ink risotto); octopus salad; blitva (chard and potato); and house wine from the jug. Ask what came in rather than reading the menu.
Nearby
Within a short walk.
Boat trips
Blue Cave & Five Islands
A full day on a fast twelve-seat boat: the Blue Cave on Biševo, the Monk Seal cave, Stiniva's famous cove, lunch on Vis and a swim off Budikovac's turquoise lagoon, finishing with a stop at Hvar town. Ten and a half hours, small group, no coach transfer.
10 h 30 min248 m away
Boat trips
Šolta Sunset & Swim Cruise
Five hours to Šolta and back on a ten-person boat: three swim stops in coves you cannot reach by road, an hour in Maslinica for dinner or a drink, and the run home across the channel as the sun goes down behind the island.
5 h248 m away
History
St Nicholas's Chapel, Marjan
A thirteenth-century chapel on the Marjan staircase, halfway between Varoš and the ridge. Small, usually locked, and the terrace in front of it is the quietest good view in Split — most people walk straight past on the way to Vidilica.
30 min747 m away
Nightlife
Vanilla Club
Vanilla is Split's big summer party venue, out by Poljud rather than in the old town, which makes it a destination for a planned night rather than a stop on a bar crawl. Go if you want a large room, a late finish and holiday energy; skip it if you came to find Split's own bars.
3 h1.0 km away
Culture
Meštrović Gallery
The villa Ivan Meštrović built for himself on Marjan's south slope, now the best museum in Split. Sculpture inside, a garden of bronzes with a sea view outside, and the Kaštelet chapel with his wooden reliefs five minutes down the road.
From €121 h 30 min1.1 km away
More like this
Food & drink
Villa Spiza
Twelve seats at a counter, a blackboard that changes daily, and cooking that is better than places charging three times as much. No reservations, no table service, and a queue outside from seven. Worth the wait.
Food & drink
Split Food & Market Tour
Three and a half hours through the green market, the fish market and four family-run places inside the palace, eating soparnik, pršut, Pag cheese, fresh anchovies and rožata. Enough food to replace lunch, with the context that makes Dalmatian cooking make sense.
From €653 h 30 min
Food & drink
Kruščić Bakery
A tiny sourdough bakery near the Golden Gate that sells out by early afternoon. Proper bread, burek, and the best breakfast pastry in Split for under three euros.
Food & drink
Zrno Soli
Split's best-known fine-dining seafood restaurant, on the first floor of the ACI marina with the whole harbour in front of it. Expensive, precise, and the view genuinely earns part of the bill.
Food & drink
The Palace Wine Bars
The nine-until-midnight part of a Split night, and the best of it. Small cellars and side rooms inside Diocletian's Palace pour Dalmatian wine by the glass with no music you have to shout over. Arrive before nine if you want a table, and leave around midnight when the lanes empty.
2 h
Food & drink
Bokeria Kitchen & Wine
A high-ceilinged former shop turned bistro, doing modern Mediterranean plates and a serious wine list. The most reliable smart dinner in the centre, and the room is genuinely lovely.