Best authentic local restaurant in Split, Croatia: Villa Spiza

Our cook of the night

Travel Essentials

When traveling, food is an important part of the experience. I am not much of a foodie but my sister and family friend who I was traveling with are. So, the importance of high standard food quality was stressed and highlighted throughout this Croatia trip. We arrived Split around late afternoon via bus from Dubrovnik and wanted to have some authentic Croatian food. Our Airbnb host, Zorica recommended us to check out the restaurant Villa Spiza and I am glad we did, because the restaurant was absolutely fantastic. My travel girls and I had a great experience there because Villa Spiza isn’t one of those commercialized dining place but a small, cozy and local place. The menu of Villa Spiza changes every day according to what the local fish market has to offer on the day. There are also meat options available. However, all dishes are fresh and none of the dishes are served with overnight ingredients. This makes the place popular for both local and travellers, because everything is fresh! When we arrived at around 7:20 pm, the restaurant was already packed and by the time we were seated (around 7:50 pm), many dishes were already sold out. In the end, we all got a hot vegetable soup as starter then 2 grilled fish (Sea Bass and Wild Sea Bream) and a truffle pasta.

I love how the food was prepared in front of us and it made me feel like I was peeking in someone’s home kitchen. The dishes were well seasoned and cooked. I especially liked the barbequed Wild Sea Bream. The skin of the fish was crispy yet on the inside was overflowing with juices and tender meat. Overall, Villa Spiza was a great start to our Split adventures and I would highly recommend the place for those who are looking for more local, down to earth places to dine out at. My advice is to go there early, maybe around 6 before they run out of any ingredients for daily menu. Also this is an ideal restaurant to dine for 2-4 people. It will be hard for a big group to dine there.
 
As for now, Happy Jetsetting! ✈

Vegetable Soup

Grilled Sea Bass, Grilled Wild Sea Bream and Truffle Pasta (Left to right)

Grilled Sea Bass with Smashed Potatoes and Sautéed Vegetables

Grilled Wild Sea Bream with Smashed Potatoes and Sautéed Vegetables

Truffle Pasta with Veal

Yummy food= Happy Travel Girls

Map: Villa Spiza, Ul. Petra Kružića 3, 21000, Split, Croatia

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