Konoba menus look like a wall of dialect with prices. There’s no English column, no description, and the waiter is already wiping his hands on his apron walking toward you. Here’s what you’re actually reading.
Read the menu in this order
A typical konoba menu is organised by where the food came from, not how it’s cooked. Top-down:
- Predjela — cold starters. Pršut, paški sir, marinated anchovies, octopus salad. This is the safest section if you want to share.
- Juhe — soups. Fish broth (riblja juha), beef broth with home-made noodles (goveđa juha). Strong on cold days, skipped in summer.
- Tjestenina i rižoto — pasta and risotto. Black risotto (crni rižot, with cuttlefish ink), fuži with truffle (if north of Split), pašticada njoki.
- Riba — fish. Listed by kilo (not by portion). Read it like a fishmonger: brancin, orada, škarpina, list, kovač. Whole grilled is standard.
- Meso — meat. Where the konoba shows its hand. See our meat map of Split for what to look for.
- Priloga — sides. Usually swiss chard with potato (blitva s krumpirom), grilled vegetables, or rice.
- Desert — dessert. Rožata (Dalmatian crème caramel), fritule (small doughnuts), or the universal default: palačinke.
Five words that change everything
- Na žaru — grilled (over charcoal). The default and almost always the right choice.
- Ispod peke — under the iron bell. Order at least 24 hours in advance, eat for three.
- Na lešo — boiled / poached. Light, often fish with potato and olive oil.
- Na buzaru — in white wine and garlic sauce. Mussels, prawns, scampi.
- Domaće — house-made. Always pick this over not-domaće if the choice exists.
Fish by the kilo: the math
Whole fish is priced per kilo, not per portion. The waiter brings the day’s catch on a tray — you point, they weigh, the kitchen grills. A 400-500g fish per person is normal. If a kilo of brancin says €60, expect €30 for your fish. Honest konobas weigh in front of you.
What the konoba won’t tell you
Three things that make ordering easier:
- Ask “što ste danas spremili?” (“what did you make today?”) — many konobas have an off-menu dish of the day that’s the best thing in the kitchen.
- If the menu has a section called “jela po narudžbi” — those are order-ahead dishes (peka, kuhana janjetina). Skip if you didn’t call ahead.
- House wine (domaće vino) comes in a glass jug (gajbica or bevanda). It’s almost always Plavac Mali or Maraština and almost always good.
The unwritten protocol
Eat slowly. Order in waves — starters first, then main, then maybe dessert — don’t list everything at once. Bread comes free (kruh), water doesn’t (voda — gazirana for sparkling, negazirana for still). The bill (račun) only arrives when you ask for it; nobody is hurrying you out.
Stay with us at Sika Apartments on Ćiril-Metodova 36 — three konobas that actually do all of this properly are five minutes on foot.