Burgers in Split: Where to Eat Them and What to Expect

What a burger in Split looks like

Burgers in Split come in two reliable formats. One is the Croatian chain burger, built for speed and consistency, with branches near the city centre and shopping malls. The other is the sit-down burger on a restaurant menu, eaten with cutlery if you like, in a courtyard inside the old town. The two styles answer different needs: a quick refuel versus a relaxed meal with a drink and a table.

Submarine describes its food as fresh and organic, natural and wholesome food from carefully picked local suppliers, and its locations page lists three branches in Split with separate timetables.

Submarine Burger in Split: three branches and their hours

Submarine Burger runs three Split branches: Split Centar, Poljička 39 and Mall of Split. Split Centar opens Monday to Sunday from 11am to 11pm. Poljička 39 runs Monday to Thursday 11am to 11pm, Friday to Saturday 11am to midnight, and Sunday 11am to 11pm. Mall of Split opens every day, including Sunday, from 10am to 10pm.

Pick the Poljička 39 branch for a later Friday or Saturday burger, since it stays open until midnight while the other two close at 11pm. Mall of Split opens at 10am, an hour before the centre branch, making it the earliest of the three. Split Centar keeps a consistent daily timetable, making it a straightforward choice when you are not sure of the day.

The chain's own description is broad: fresh and organic, natural and wholesome food from trusted local suppliers. That phrasing points to a Croatian supply chain rather than a fast-food import.

Burgers at Fig inside Diocletian's Palace

Fig occupies a courtyard in the heart of Diocletian's Palace and serves breakfast until 12:00, then lunch and dinner from 12:00. The two beef burgers sit on the lunch and dinner menu, not the breakfast menu. Fig's own page describes its breakfast menu as vegetarian or vegan, so a burger is a later-in-the-day order.

The BBQ Burger costs 18 euros and comes with a 150g beef patty, slaw, bacon, local cheese, garlic mayo and an in-house tangy barbecue sauce, plus a side of fries. The Jalapeño-Blueberry Burger costs 16 euros, pairing a 150g beef patty with jalapeño-blueberry marmalade, pickled red onion, smoked gouda, chimichurri mayo, mache and fried onions. Both are marked as optionally vegetarian, which means you can ask for a meat-free version. If you want a burger-adjacent plate without the beef, Fig's menu also lists a Mexican Pulled Pork at 21 euros with red beans, grilled lepinja, pico de gallo, sour cream and lime. Lepinja is the flat round Balkan bread used across Croatia for grilled meats and sandwiches. The menu also lists flatbreads and a quesadilla at 13 to 16 euros, which occupy similar quick-lunch territory without being burgers.

Burgers as a quick lunch versus a sit-down meal

The choice comes down to time and setting. Submarine's branches suit a short stop, and their locations page gives phone numbers, email addresses and timetables for each branch. Fig is a courtyard table inside the palace, so a burger there takes longer and comes with a cocktail list that includes a pelinkovac cocktail, the Croatian herbal spirit.

On price, Fig's burgers are listed at 16 to 18 euros, with sides and salads at 10.50 to 14.50 euros and cocktails at 11 to 14 euros. Submarine's page does not list burger prices, so ask at the branch or check its menu. For a short city visit, the chain wins on speed and Fig wins on atmosphere.

What to expect from a burger in Croatia

Expect the burger to reflect its setting. At Fig the menu pairs a 150g beef patty with local cheese, smoked gouda, bacon, slaw and house sauces, and the BBQ Burger comes with a portion of fries, enough for a proper lunch. At a chain branch the build is simpler and the pace faster.

In high season, a courtyard table at a palace restaurant is best booked ahead or taken early, while a chain branch moves faster. If you want something other than a burger, Split's steak and grill options and its Best Pizza in Split sit in the same quick-meal bracket.

Choosing between a burger and Split's seafood and konoba dishes

A burger makes sense on a tight schedule or when travelling with children who want a familiar meal. Split's konoba cooking — grilled fish, seafood risotto, pašticada — rewards a longer, slower lunch, so it suits a day when you have time to sit. A useful rule is to put the burger in the arrival or departure slot and the konoba meal in the middle of the trip.

If the burger is a fallback rather than a destination, our Cheap Eats in Split pick points to bakeries, sandwich shops and other low-cost bites around the city. That keeps the sit-down budget for the seafood meal that Split does best.

Where each option sits in the city

Submarine's Split Centar branch is the most central of its three locations, while Poljička 39 sits on a major street east of the old town and Mall of Split is out of the centre, suited to a shopping stop or a drive. Fig is the most central burger of all, inside Diocletian's Palace in Split Old Town, where the surrounding streets are pedestrianised.

If you are staying in or near the old town, Fig is walkable from most of the historic centre, though the palace courtyard can be busy at lunch. Submarine's branches need a short walk or a bus from the old town, which makes them better for a day when you are already heading that way.

Which burger suits your day in Split?

Pick Submarine Burger if you want a quick, consistent chain burger with three convenient branches and a 10am start at the Mall of Split. Pick Fig if you want a beef burger in a palace courtyard from noon, with the BBQ Burger at 18 euros or the Jalapeño-Blueberry at 16 euros, and are happy to sit down. Either way, leave room in your trip for at least one konoba meal, since that is what Split does best.