Laganini Lounge bar & Fish house — Restaurant in Grad Hvar

My friends and I recently had the pleasure of visiting Laganini Lounge Bar in Hvar, and we were incredibly fortunate to be served by Luca. Managing a group of 35 people, especially when everyone is drinking and having a great time, is no easy feat, but Luca handled it with absolute perfection.

From the moment we arrived, Luca's patience and friendliness stood out. He welcomed us with a warm smile and ensured that each one of us felt attended to throughout the evening. Despite the size of our group, Luca managed to keep his composure and maintained a professional and cheerful demeanor at all times.

Luca's knowledge of the food menu was impeccable. He confidently answered all of our questions, providing detailed descriptions of various dishes and helping us navigate the extensive menu with ease. His recommendations were spot on, and everyone thoroughly enjoyed the plates he suggested.

The level of service Luca provided was truly exceptional. He managed to keep track of everyone's orders without any mistakes, ensuring that all drinks and dishes arrived promptly and correctly. His efficiency and attention to detail were impressive, and it was clear that he genuinely cared about making our experience enjoyable.

Luca's ability to handle such a large group with ease and grace is a testament to his skills as a waiter. He made our evening at Laganini Lounge Bar memorable, and we couldn't have asked for a better experience. If you ever find yourself in Hvar, I highly recommend visiting Laganini Lounge Bar and asking for Luca – you won't be...

Short version: Probably the most arrogant staff I've ever experienced. Don't visit unless you plan to spend a lot of money.

Longer version: This place is next to the sea and has gorgeous views. It's quite expensive, but I found the quality of food and drinks to be high. A sun bed costs 100kn (around €13) and it comes with a 250kn minimum consumption (not hard to achieve given most cocktails cost over 100kn and a burger or pasta cost around 150kn). Again, I have to say the cocktails and food were quite good!

The problem is in the attitude of the staff. When we were going to pay (we had an open tab), the waiter said we'd have to pay cash because our bill was less than 1000kn. Not cool because he didn't mention it before, but fine, we had cash. When we handed him the money and told him to keep the change (more of a rounding than tip, as we felt this was overpriced as it was) he proceeded to give us the change, followed by the words: "we don't take these small tips. Let me tell you what a tip is". We were shocked! He continued by telling us the policy of the place is that they "only want to focus on big spenders and other people are not welcome". These are quotes, I'm not paraphrasing.

Needless to say I'm never coming back to this place. I don't mind spending money on fine food and drinks, but I have a problem with this kind of attitude.

If you want to spend big money (at least 1000-1500kn), you'll have fun and be treated well....

Our bill came to over 8000 kuna and whoever paid (in cash!) left the equivalent of a $100 tip, to which the waiter returned to the table with the payment book to inform us that "it is normal to tip 10%" and requested a larger tip from us, even returning to check and mention it again. We are Australians and don't have a tipping culture so it doesn't come as second nature to us to calculate an exact percentage tip, but the way the waiter was made everyone feel quite uncomfortable and awkward as it wasn't our intention to under tip, and half the people at our table eat at places like this regularly.

8 of us had a nice long lunch here yesterday. Food and drinks are very obviously overpriced due to the location, ambiance, reputation and "exclusivity" - only 4 places to eat in the bay and all are overpriced.

We all shared the first and second courses. Seafood mains were very tasty although 1 of our fish and some of the scampi was a little overcooked. The entrees were actually much better and more exciting than the mains!

Dessert was delicious, but some of the table had an espresso Martini which they considered average.

In my mind I think the food was overpriced, but we have access to very good quality seafood at home, but it was a one off celebration meal and was nice for that. It's just a shame the waiter left a bit of a sour taste at the end...