Eating in Makarska is quiet, seasonal and heavily seafood-led. The best evenings usually involve a konoba, a jug of house wine, and food that arrives without much ceremony. Here is how we recommend eating your way through the town.
Last updated · November 2025
Traditional Dalmatian konobas
A konoba is a traditional Dalmatian tavern — usually family-run, usually a stone room with a short menu and long service. This is where locals eat.
Expect grilled fish sold by weight, black risotto with cuttlefish, octopus salad, and pašticada (a slow-cooked beef in red wine) — dishes that have been on Dalmatian tables for generations.
The shortest menu is often the best sign. It usually means whatever the fisherman brought in that morning.
Seafood restaurants
Makarska sits on one of the cleanest stretches of the Adriatic, and fish is genuinely local. Ask which of today's fish is fresh — the honest answer is what to order.
Grilled white fish with olive oil, garlic and parsley is the classic. Add a side of blitva (chard with potato and olive oil), a glass of Pošip or Plavac Mali, and you have most of Dalmatia on the table.
Restaurants on the promenade
The waterfront restaurants along the promenade are the best place for a longer evening. Sunset over the marina, tables spilling onto the pavement, and menus wide enough for a mixed group — pasta and pizza for the children, fish and steak for the adults.
It is where visitors and locals mix most naturally.
Romantic dinner spots
Quiet courtyards a street or two back from the promenade; a small terrace facing Osejava for the sunset; a table on the marina late in the evening after the crowd thins.
For a longer, slower dinner, look one street inland from the water — the smaller places are almost always the more romantic ones.
Family-friendly restaurants
Most restaurants along the promenade are relaxed about children — outdoor seating, wide menus, and the sea a few metres away to keep everyone happy between courses.
The Old Town has quieter, more traditional options, though the streets themselves are more of an attraction than the restaurants for younger kids.
Cooking with what you find at the market
One of the pleasures of a longer stay is eating in. The morning market and the small fish market at the harbour make it easy: local tomatoes, olive oil, fresh bread, whatever is on the boat that day.
A simple grilled fish on a terrace, with a bottle of local wine, is as much a Makarska evening as any restaurant.
Local tips before choosing a restaurant
Book ahead in July and August, even for casual places. The best konobas fill up two or three days in advance.
Card is accepted almost everywhere, but a few smaller konobas are still cash-only — ask before you sit down.
Ask what the fisherman brought in that day; the answer is usually the right order.
Frequently asked.
What food is Makarska known for?+
Fresh Adriatic fish and Dalmatian classics — grilled fish, black risotto, octopus salad, pašticada, olive oil and local wine.
Do restaurants in Makarska take reservations?+
The better ones do, and it is worth reserving in July and August. Konobas in particular fill up two or three days in advance.
Where do locals eat in Makarska?+
In the konobas one or two streets back from the promenade, and at small family-run restaurants in the Old Town. The short menu is usually the sign.
Are vegetarian options available?+
Yes — most restaurants offer pasta, risottos, salads and grilled vegetables. Dalmatian cuisine is heavily seafood-led, but vegetarian meals are always on the menu.
