Every city has a neighbourhood where the tourists run out. In Split, it’s Varoš. Five minutes on foot from the palace walls, the selfie sticks disappear and you’re somewhere that feels less like a set and more like a city.
What Varoš actually is
Backed up against Marjan Hill, Varoš is one of the oldest parts of the city: stone houses stacked tight along streets barely wide enough for two people to pass, small churches wedged between them, and on a weekday morning, the main soundtrack is someone’s grandmother arguing with someone else’s grandmother about something that is definitely none of your business. It was originally settled by fishermen and farmers, and it’s still inhabited by locals. That last bit matters more than it sounds. It’s exactly the kind of place Split’s Riva waterfront, clogged with cruise-ship day-trippers, is not.
The growing cluster of restaurants at the gateway to the Varoš quarter is slowly turning the area into one of Split’s prime dining strips, which means there’s a window before it becomes the next thing on every influencer’s list. Go now.
Where to eat
The word to know is konoba. Traditional konobas are synonymous with restaurants, though the word actually translates to a “refuge” where workers would come to eat and drink. Varoš has several good ones, and the standard move is marenda: essentially Croatian brunch, typically eaten between 9:30 and 11:30 in the morning and consisting of whatever the kitchen made that day. Tripe, meatballs in tomato sauce, beans with pasta. Proper food for people who have actually done something that morning.
The most celebrated address is Konoba Fetivi on Tomica Stine 4. The Piplović family has been in the neighbourhood for over 300 years, and the kitchen hasn’t moved on from classic Dalmatian cooking. That’s the selling point. No foam, no microgreens, no reinvention. The black cuttlefish risotto is the thing to order. Fetivi holds a Michelin Bib Gourmand, which in practice means good food at a price that doesn’t make you wince. Book ahead in summer, and call rather than emailing. Open Tuesday to Sunday from 3pm.
For a more straightforwardly local lunch, Konoba Varoš on Ban Mladenova 7 is the fallback that rarely disappoints. Lamb or veal from the peka, blue fish, octopus. It’s a tad pricey but popular with locals and the wine list is long. The peka dishes require three hours’ advance ordering, so decide before you leave your accommodation.
Drinking in Varoš
The caffe bars here are for sitting in for a long time over a single drink. That’s not a complaint; it’s the point. Order a local Plavac Mali or a litre carafe of house wine, find a table on the street, and contribute nothing to the local economy for ninety minutes. No one will rush you. When sharing wine or rakija, make eye contact while clinking glasses and say “Živjeli!” It goes down well. Split does traditional spirits beyond wine, including rakija, a potent fruit brandy served as a welcome drink or digestif. In Varoš, you’re likely to be offered a glass of travarica, the herb-infused variety, at the end of a meal without asking.
What things cost
Local beer runs around €4 to €6 for a 500ml in a restaurant, though the caffe bars in Varoš tend to sit at the lower end. Expect around €25 to €30 a head at Fetivi for a proper meal with wine. Konoba Varoš runs similarly. A casual dinner for two that might have cost €25 a few years ago now runs closer to €40, which is still considerably less than anything within shouting distance of the Riva. The five-minute walk saves you real money, and the food is better.
Getting there
Varoš sits immediately west of Diocletian’s Palace, between the old town and the base of Marjan Hill. Walk through the palace, out the western gate and keep going. You’ll know you’ve arrived when the souvenir shops stop. The streets are uneven stone and tight enough that you and a suitcase cannot coexist. Flat shoes, not sandals. That applies twice over after dark, when the wine has been flowing.
