Gariful — Restaurant in Grad Hvar

Finally, proper fine dining in Croatia!

Many locals somehow got the wrong idea that simply increasing prices makes a restaurant “fine dining.” They put extra effort into this illusion by charging more and more every year, while offering astonished tourists the same cheap grilled food and very slow, poor service. Unfortunately, you rarely have a choice – 90% of restaurants work exactly like this.

But back to the experience. The lady at the reception was wonderful. We arrived a bit early and she entertained us with small talk until our booked table was ready. The service team was very attentive: always refilling water and wine, bringing complimentary homemade bread, and showing us the fish of the day. The tables are spacious, which makes you feel incredibly comfortable. Every detail – from the tablecloths to the lights and chairs – is well thought out (only the logoed wine glasses felt a bit cheap, in my opinion).

The food was delicious and the portions were fair. The only minor issue was with the fish serving: the waitress didn’t do a great job deboning it in front of us and left quite a few bones. Still, her sex appeal made us forgive her 😺.

Overall, the experience was a solid 5/5.

It was a relief to see that Croatians can deliver proper hospitality if they put just a little effort into it! My sincere compliments to the owner – a very pleasant man, sipping his bottle of red wine at the bar while making sure everything on the floor was running smoothly. I’ll definitely...

As per usual, we fell for the oldest trick in the book. The hype of the restaurant where celebrities have dined draws you in, only for you to then fall flat on your face. Absolutely zero atmosphere from the outset with a cold, unfriendly welcome almost as if you should be lucky to have a seat at the table. Our waiter was pompous, arrogant, and unhelpful when it came to talking through the menu, proclaiming that “everything on the menu is special” when I asked him about the specials for the day. Everything on the menu is way overpriced for what it is, and when the bill came, we were charged unknowingly for stale bread buns and for vegetables that were cooked with the fish - not as a side dish - but literally the onions, potatoes, garlic, courgette and tomatoes that were cooked with the fish that we ordered. We couldn’t run out there fast enough after we’d paid. Worst dining experience during our 8 day stay in the island and one of the only things we...

Gariful is the quintessential Hvar glamor spot, right on the marina in town but at one end so a little away from the very crowded areas which tend to be full of younger boistrous drinkers. The menu is well curated with a diverse selection of seafood, meats and appealing appetizers. The grill is wood fired and right near the dining tables with the fish all on display in iced cabinets. The prices match the glamor and are definitely on the high side and maybe even a little too high for the execution. The food was not jaw dropping but was nice. The spinach pesto pasta was really not good so avoid! The oysters were very large and meaty so also probably not the best choice. The wine list is steeply priced but has some great local selections. The service is a little confronting and at times overwhelming with an odd pressure put on you not to pay by credit card with an unlikely excuse given that it takes them 90 days to...