10 April 2022 - Though it lacks the hype and heritage of its neighbors, pizza in Croatia is nothing to sneeze at. Not only can you find the same high-quality ingredients + wood-fired oven + low prices, but with an added dash of creativity. Here are some local Split pizzerias to add to your “must try” list.

Pizzeria Galija

The one that’s the most nostalgic

Since it opened its doors in 1980, Pizzeria Galija has become a local pizza institution in Split. By the way, did you know that Pizzeria Galija is known to the locals as pizzeria Jerkov? Named after the owner who was once an Olympic basketball gold medalist.

Who can resist a hot pie fresh from the oven? (Image: Management Pizzaria Galija/Tripadvisor screenshot)

Locals often associate their childhood with visits here as they reminisce about sitting in the dark wooden booths with 80s style decor, watching the steam rise from their fresh-from-the-wood fired oven pizzas, and burning the roofs of their mouths while chowing down.

Although the menu has expanded over the last 3 decades to include appetizers, pastas, salads, and mains, their pizzas remain the star of the show. Prices for pizzas range from 65-80 hrk (€9-11), while pastas start at 80 hrk (€11).

Pizzaria Skipper/Grašo

The one with the best view

Pizzeria Skipper is highly recommended for those looking for a stunning view. In fact, this place offers the best views from its terrace out of all the places on this list, all for between 55-78 hrk (€7-10),

Located in Split’s ACI Marina, Pizzeria Skipper is the separate pizza-section of Adriatic Grašo, an upscale, fine-dining restaurant serving the best of Dalmatian cuisine. Both restaurants share the same terrace so the set-up can be a little confusing when you first walk in.

Nothing like pizzas and an ice-cold beer, only made better by this view. (Image: Management Pizzaria Skipper/Tripadvisor screenshot)

While the view is stunning, their pizzas are no less scrumptious. You can often find groups of locals ordering their special meter-long, thin-crust pizzas, topped with the freshest ingredients. Best part is you can choose up to 3 different flavors! Wash that down with a local beer whilst soaking in the sights of Old Town and you’ve got yourself the perfect meal.

Bakra, steak and pizza bar

The one with vegan and gluten-free options

Bakra is one of the oldest pizzerias in town, serving patrons since 1948. Stepping foot into the newly renovated interior, you’re immediately greeted by rustic wooden tables, cozy dimmed lighting, and a wood-fired oven where you can watch all the pizza-making action.

Though famed for their pizzas back in the day, the menu has since expanded to include a wide variety of mouth-watering local dishes, steaks, mains, and sides. For those looking for vegan and gluten-free pizza options, this is the place to be.

Those with food sensitivities will feel at home at Bakra. (Image: Tripadvisor screenshot)

These vegan and gluten-free options may not be immediately obvious from the menu but chat with their lovely staff who are more than willing to accommodate. Prices for pizzas range from 70-110 hrk (€9-15) for one topped with freshly shaved Istrian truffles (a personal favorite!).

Pizzeria Gušt

The one that’s “no frills”

This is the place to go for mind-blowing pizzas, period. Not for a view, fancy drinks, or a variety of menu items, just a good ole’ pie. Pizzeria Gušt has only ever served pizza since they started, and boy have they perfected their craft.

Getting there requires winding through back-alleys and unmarked roads, away from the noise and bustle of Split’s Old Town. Just as you think you’re either lost or trespassing into someone’s yard, there it is like an oasis in a desert, tucked away in the last place you’d think a pizzeria would be.

 Once you manage to find it, you'll be rewarded with some of the best pizzas in Croatia. (Image: Conner/Tripadvisor screenshot)

Its dimly lit interior nestles only a handful of wooden tables covered in red-checkered tablecloths. Looking at the bygone-era lampshades and wall decor, you know little has changed in the decades that have passed. Service here is warm but prompt, while prices range from 45-70 hrk (€7-10) with pizzas coming in 2 sizes - small (mala) and large (velika).

Bokamorra Pizzaraunt & Cocktails

The one to impress your date

You know a pizzeria is serious about serving the best pizzas when they have a sparkly gold, Neapolitan-style oven shipped from across the Adriatic Sea. Accompanying this practical yet stylish fixture, are dark turquoise, gray, and burnished gold furniture and fixtures that make the place simultaneously feel upscale, yet casual.

Sleek ambiance, friendly service, delish pizzas, and unique cocktails, Bokamorra has it all. (Image: Barbs/Tripadvisor screenshot)

On offer are a variety of Neapolitan-style pizzas with unique toppings like figs and goats’ cheese, mortadella and pistachio, leeks and pancetta, or fresh black Istrian truffles with a cream-based sauce. In addition to their pizza creations, Bokamorra is also well-known for their exotic, seasonal cocktails, shaken up by talented mixologists who are more than willing to go off-menu and surprise you with one of their on-the-spot creations.

Though it is the highest-priced on this list with prices ranging from 75-90 hrk (€10-12), Bokamorra is a must-visit to celebrate that special occasion, or for foodies looking for creative food and drink options in Split.

BONUS! Plan B Pub

The one that has something for everyone

Located in the Gripe sports complex that hosted the 1979 Mediterranean Games, Plan B is a favorite haunt amongst locals. While known for their hearty burgers (try the heart-stopping fried burger!), this brewpub also whips up a mean thin-crust pizza and for larger groups, you can even order their meter-long pizzas that are perfect for sharing.

 They don't just do pizzas well, their burgers and ribs are sensational too. Image: Ivana/Tripadvisor screenshot.

The menu also includes a wide variety of mains including wings, burritos, salads, and ribs that’ll satisfy even the pickiest eaters. They also have an extensive beer list that’ll give you a chance to try different Croatian craft brews that pair superbly with any meal here.

On certain evenings, they host bands and artists at Backbar, their twin restaurant that’s located just behind Plan B, and if you’re in the area early, give their breakfast menu a go. Prices start at 30 hrk for a mini pizza to 150 hrk (€7-20) for a meter-long.

So, whether you eat yours with a fork and knife, or folded New York style to keep all that greasy goodness in, check out one of these places on your next visit to Split. After all, remember the United States Congress considers it a vegetable, so technically, it’s good for you, right?

For more, check out our lifestyle section.

As Slobodna Dalmacija/Marija Loncar writes on the 13th of March, 2019, when he first came to Šibenik at the end of 2017 to volunteer at the Youth in the EU, 30-year-old Francesco Lombardi from a town near Naples had no idea he'd experience love at first sight upon arrival.

He had never been to Šibenik before and as he says himself, if someone had told him that after completing his eight-month volunteer job he'd want to stay here and get a job - he wouldn't have believed them.

Such is life, and that's exactly what happened, as Francesco said though a smile, he ''clicked'' with Šibenik at first sight. In addition, Dalmatian, therefore local Sibenik girls, he adds, are the most beautiful girls in Europe.

"Maybe I liked the city because of the sea, because my hometown is near the sea. The nature is beautiful, the old part of town is one of the most beautiful in Dalmatia. Moreover, with its beauty, Šibenik can easily stand alongside many cities in the world. Šibenik is a real little paradise!'' says the young Italian.

Francesco completed his studies in political science in Naples. After graduating, he volunteered, wrote music reviews, visited festivals and did interviews with musicians for local newspapers. He's interested in civic initiatives, and at one time formed an association with friends, wanting to further activate the citizens of Naples in solving their problems.

In Šibenik, Francesco, together with a fellow Romanian volunteer, first worked on the "Development in society" project, which was later selected by the Agency for Mobility and EU Programs as one of the examples of good practice of youth work and for young people, he'll travel to Brussels to present the project should he receive a positive decision on it from Zagreb in the coming days.

After completing that volunteer work, he remained in Šibenik and got hired by the Youth in the EU association and now, with a group of young people from Italy, Poland and Portugal, he's dealing with the issues of the future of the European Union and the importance of voting in the elections, ie the question - do we want to be citizens of the EU or just citizens in the EU - explains Francesco.

The project will be presented to all participants on the April the 16th in Šibenik, and Francesco's paid internship will be completed along with the project at the end of May. When that's done, will he seek a new job and stay in Šibenik? He still isn't sure.

''I feel very good here. Will I be here for amother five months or until the end of my life? I don't know. At the moment, I'm enjoying it as much as I can, because here, I do what I love and what I've been educated to do,'' he says.

In his leisure time, he loves to listen to music, he also loves sport. He used to play football, basketball, tennis, water skiing, but in Šibenik his hobbies are mainly music and movies.

''I miss having a cinema in town. If we want to watch movies, we need to go to Dalmare, and not all young people here have cars, so it's not really that easy for everyone. In the city I watched some movies organised by Kinoklub Šibenik. It's an interesting initiative,'' he says.

Although he's been living in Šibenik for almost a year and a half, Francesco admits that he doesn't understand Croatian as well as he'd like to, and part of the guilt for that he says, is shared by Šibenik's locals themselves.

''First if all Croatian is really difficult, and part of the guilt lies with me because I haven't been trying hard enough, but part of the guilt is in the hands of Šibenik's locals because they all speak good English. Not just young people but older people as well. They also speak Italian, but when I go to small shops and bakeries I always speak Croatian.

When I go out or to some cafe and when I meet up with people, it's always in Croatian. People tell me I speak well. Here young people speak great English. In all the countries of former Yugoslavia, in Albania... I travelled a lot of Europe and saw that people in all Slavic countries speak English well, but in Croatia it really stands out.

Although, as Francesco states, Šibenik locals are rather temperamental, just like his compatriots, they are slightly distant when it comes to making contact with new people. It's not easy to knock down this wall, but when it comes down to it, their friendship is deep and guaranteed.

''The coffee is very good here. But in Italy, when you order coffee, they know what you mean, and here there's a list of all different types: short, long, large, small macchiato, coffee with milk... In Italy coffee is a quick drink, and here if you order a coffee you know it will take you two hours... Drinking and talking... Pomalo (taking it easy),''

Somehow Francesco also managed to get used to some local pizzas, though, as he himself says, they have nothing on Italian pizzas. First of all because of the mozzarella, a cheese that his hometown is known for and without which there can be no real pizza.

''It's like going to Naples for a burek,'' laughs the Italian, who appears to have no plans to leave this stunning Dalmatian city any time soon.

Make sure to follow our dedicated lifestyle page for more.

Click here for the original article by Marija Loncar for Slobodna Dalmacija

The jury is in: you'll have to head to Istria.

You find yourself in Croatia, where food seems to encircle you everywhere; the smells follow you, the bakeries fill every corner, the markets are bustling, and the grills are burning. One small problem: you’ve spent all your money on your last month’s travels and you are worried you’ll be starving in a city full of temptations and sensations.

In the midst of 5 star restaurants and high class patrons, we bring you something just as good (and far less expensive) as the fancy normality of dining in Hvar. Therein lies Gustico Burger and Pizza Bar, your fast food saviour (with free delivery to boot).

Please see below list of preferred pizzerias in Split. Pizza is a staple food for Croatians and in Split, they knock out killer food fired sensations. Click read more to get an insider's scoop on each eatery. The list is ever increasing (as is the size of our stomach) as we personally pay these joints a visit to give you an honest insight into the eateries in Split.

Pizzeria Gušt

(Slavićeva 1; +385 (0)21 486 333; www.pizzeria-gust.hr)

This is a pizza joint that know their craft and haven’t tried, like many others, to ruin it by expanding their menu in all directions thinkable. Pizzeria Gušt is a pizzeria that only serve pizza, period…read more.

Pizzeria Bakra

(Radovanova 2; +385 (0)21 488 488)

Pizzeria Bakra is one of the oldest pizzerias in town and has been serving patrons for over 30 years…read more.

Pizzeria Galija

Pizzeria Galija is smack bang in the center on a side street to Marmontova and has become a local pizza institution over the past two decades…read more.

Pizzeria-Restaurant Movi

A newly opened one-stop dining spot in the Firule neighborhood to please the whole party and with a killer wood-fired oven pizza...read more

We all know that pizza originally comes from Italy however, Croatians have adopted this poor man's concoction as their staple food, and if you ask an Italian, they'll agree that Split has some of the best pizza they've ever tasted.

Pizzeria Bakra is one of the oldest pizzerias in town and has been serving patrons for over 30 years. The interiors are really rustic with black wooden benches and tables with red accents and dimmed lighting, not to forget the wood-fired oven where you can see the pizzaiolo in action.

The staff at Bakra have been working there for years, giving this place its soul, and at times, attitude. Their pizza is a little on the greasy side but this is exactly why people are coming back; its a wanted grease... They also make a killer lasagne, perfectly matched with an ice cold beer.

Pizzeria Bakra is located within 5 minutes from Riva heading east down the alley next to the bishop's palace towards Bacvice.

Address: Radovanova 2, 21000 Split

Tel: +385 (0)21 488 488