Fife — Restaurant in Grad Split

Beware - Overrated Tourist Trap

I discovered this restaurant about 5 years ago and really enjoyed it. When I returned last year I was disappointed but I thought maybe it was just and off day, so when friends said let's try it out one more time, why not. Big mistake!

This restaurant is a victim of its pass success, the restaurant is not about to handle the large volume of business, seating people at dirty tables, we were seated this evening with two sisters and they ordered a rice dish which arrived less them 5 minutes later, the two women were clearly disappointed with the pre-made dish. Our dish arrived shortly after and it was a grilled meat dish that tasted like a block of sea salt. The one dish was fried calamari with French fries and they ask that they fries be crisp not soggy of course even the fries were rushed, clearly cooked in oil that wasn't hot enough. He could have received better French fries at McDonald's. The mixed salad was pre-cut vegetables from a machine and threw in a bowl. I know Croatia mainly Split has become a tourist trap as far a food which is sad. However this lack of effort and just throwing bad food on a table to customers who know they have limited choices is unacceptable in the culinary world and the restaurant owner should be ashamed of herself/himself.

Additional the restaurant is understaffed and they are not welcoming at all. I blame the owners once again. To be honest I won't feed my dog the food we received. The only reason this restaurant stays busy is the fact they have no real competition.

As I left I told 2 people looking at the restaurant don't eat here as they looked at the tables. They thanked me and went elsewhere.

My advice to anyone traveling to Split is save your money rent an apartment like I did this time, buy real food from a supermarket and cook a nice meal for your. Croatia has a lot to learn before becoming a food destination. It's a real shame a seaside, beautiful place with no real world class restaurants, or even good down to earth cooking.

There is more to the culinary world then, pizza, grilled salted meats,...

We just arrived in Split today and were excited to try this restaurant, but were totally appalled by how we were treated by the service staff. I feel that even one star is too good for them.

Here's what happened. The outdoor section was full, so the waiter there asked us to seat ourselves at any available table in the indoor section. We obliged since they appeared very busy. As the table for four was not yet cleared, our two sons went to the toilet, and my husband and I sat down first, while waiting for the waiter to come and clear it. Another waiter came and while clearing the table, he accused us of being impatient, seating ourselves before the table was set and choosing a big table, instead of table for two. Naturally we explained we were a party of 4 and what the other waiter had said to us. He said he wasn't aware and continued complaining and accusing us of being rude seating at an unset table and treating the restaurant as a fast food restaurant.

My son who had returned and heard his accusations asked him to pause and apologize for being rude to me and my husband. Not only did he not apologize, he raised his voice and asked us to leave the restaurant. We sat there dumbfounded while another waiter left menus on our table, and no one else came to set our table or make good of the situation that just took place.

My family decided we didn't want to waste our only night in Split trying to set things right at the restaurant and possibly make a bad experience worse, so we put it behind us and went on to have an enjoyable dinner elsewhere.

This experience at Buffet Fife was not only the absolute lowlight of our 10 days in Croatia so far, it's by far the worst experience we've ever had in all our world travels the...

First things first, the food was good, especially the pašticada with gnocchi—it was a standout. The mixed grill was also solid, but the fried squid was just average, and the fries didn’t have much flavor. Overall, I’d rate the food itself an 8/10. Portions are reasonable and the prices are decent if you consider they're situated in the centre of a touristic city.

However, a few other aspects of the experience weren’t as positive. We had to wait a while before someone came to take our order. The waitress, though, deserves credit—she was professional and efficient once she got to us. Despite the initial wait, the food arrived remarkably quickly after ordering. But then, the staff seemed to disappear, and we had to wait quite a while to ask for the bill. So, there was no middle ground.

What bothered me most was the ambiance. We were seated next to an extremely loud group. Now, I’m from a big, chaotic city where noisy, crowded restaurants are the norm, and I don’t usually mind it. But this group was on another level. I don’t begrudge people having fun, but the constant table-slamming laughter every 10 seconds was too much. While this isn’t directly the restaurant's fault, I do think the staff should step in when a group’s noise level becomes excessive. I could tell from the staff's facial expressions that they weren't too fond of the group either...on hindsight, that's probably why they dissappeared.

Taking everything into account, I’d give this place a 3/5. However, if you’re seated next to a more considerate group, I think most people would find the experience satisfying,...