food quality and choice in touristic restaurants.

BIG JOCK · 2016-05-30T10:31:09+02:00

Explore tips on finding quality food in Split's tourist restaurants vs local inland spots. Discover how to avoid frozen meals and enjoy authentic dishes.

BIG JOCK Active member

Member since 25 March 2015

BIG JOCKActive member30 May 2016 08:31:09

I have lived in Croatia (central Dalmatia)聽 for 17 years and the food has not changed. Croatian restaurants provide domestic food. Nothing exotic. Now i like domestic food. But my parents in law cook it just fine. Thats what domestic food is after all. Food that can be cooked at home. Now the thing is, touristic restaurants have a limited time to make a lot of profit. So are you getting value for money. Do you even know for instance, if the food is fresh or frozen. Probably not as the sauces mask it. Or they should.
And dont talk to me about the desert menu. Its crepes all day long in every restaurant. So how do you avoid cheep frozen food thats not simply served in a cute environment on the harbour front.

You need to go inland and find the ones that are open all year for realy good quality food. But dont expect fancy food.Its meat and fish all day long. But its how its cooked and the source of the food.
Look for an all year restaurant with food cooked under the Peka. Done correct its fantastic.
I ate food on the Riva in Trogir. It was all set out fancy but was basic. My wife and i only and it cost us over 600 kuna!!!!! The next day we drove out past rogoznica and on the road at a roundabout is a great restraunt. We ate more and better for 200 kuna.

Moral of the story, on the rivas in any town, stick to coffee. If you want good food, head inland to all year establishments.

But hey, thats just my observations in central Dalmatia and may not apply to all locations. Any establishment that may resemble anything i just said is purely coincidental:-))))))

CroatKate Member

Member since 11 September 2015

CroatKateMember06 June 2016 13:18:30

We've only been here 2 months and I agree with a lot of what Jock had to say. In Split there is a restaurant I go as often as I can afford it. Perivoj near the main law courts and a short walk from the palace. It is creative and the desserts are not pancakes (although they may be on the menu) but many traditional desserts with modern twists. Marko, the chef, changes the menu to make room for what is in season. The place is beautiful, too. My birthday lunch was a glass of Croatian prosecco, my husband had a beer, we shared the octopus appetizer, a seasonal salad and he had the risotto in squid ink that was the best I've tasted anywhere, and I had a 250 gm rib eye steak, a bottle of sparkling water to share, a gluten free chocolate cake and almond and lemon ice cream with my coffee. It was 500 kuna with a tip. Worth every penny.
Bokeria is very good with exceptional desserts but it is a little pricey.
We had Chinese food that was reasonable and very good just a short way from the palace, too. It has a nice view since it is at the top of a building.
There is a new Mexican restaurant that just opened. The owner is from Honduras so I'm sure it will be very good, too. We are going tomorrow. She also owns Te Jo Te cafe very near the palace.
There is Fabrique by the F Group that is very good and middle range for prices. They have good choices with an American leaning menu. We didn't try any desserts. The restaurant is beautiful inside.
My grandparents were from Croatia so I love the traditional foods even if I'm only trying them for the first time here. The produce is fresh and full of flavor unlike other places I have lived, Canada, USA, Ecuador, China, I know that the food is pretty healthy. The strawberries taste like strawberries, for instance.