Roasted with nothing but salt, over embers burning since 1927 — twenty minutes from Split.
Hajduk has stood in Klis since 1927 — where stone, history and local pride meet.
During the Italian occupation in 1941 the restaurant was seized and turned into a canteen; the border ran just above it. It was returned to the family two years later.
Today, across four generations, we keep the same recipe: home cooking, fine local produce and the hospitality of the Dalmatian hinterland.
A whole lamb, slow-turned on the spit, seasoned with only salt — no water, no pepper. Crisp crust, tender meat, the taste of the hinterland you remember.
Octopus, veal or lamb, slow-cooked for hours under embers. Order a day ahead, minimum 4 people.
Order peka →Lamb, peka, the stone hall and the terrace beneath the fortress.
Above the restaurant rises the Klis fortress — a stone sentinel guarding the only pass from the hinterland to the sea since antiquity.
At Duke Trpimir’s court in Klis, the oldest Croatian charter is written.
Kružić falls defending Klis; the Uskoks leave for Senj — and become legend.
Beneath that same crag, a family lights the hearth of Hajduk. It still burns.
When Kružić’s men held Klis, a hearth burned at Grlo — where the pass narrows like a throat. Every evening before battle the Uskoks came down from the walls for lamb off the spit, seasoned with salt alone — for salt they always had, and time they never did. And they swore an oath: while this fire burns, no guest leaves hungry, and no hero goes into battle on an empty stomach.
They say that in the spring of 1537, when the fortress fell, a girl from the Zagora carried an ember from that hearth in a clay pot and hid it in the rocks below the crag. “Empires pass,” she said, “fire and one’s word remain.” The Uskoks left for Senj — but the ember, the old people say, kept glowing.
Truth or just a fine tale — on that same Grlo, four centuries later, in 1927, a family lit the hearth of Hajduk. It burns still.
The Illyrian Delmatae fortified this crag long before Rome. Over the centuries Klis was a seat of Croatian rulers — the oldest preserved Croatian royal charter was issued at Duke Trpimir’s court here in 852 — the key to Split’s defence and the stage for countless sieges. For whoever holds Klis holds the road to the Adriatic.
For a quarter of a century Captain Petar Kružić and his small garrison withstood siege after siege. When he fell defending the fortress in March 1537, Klis passed to the Ottomans — but its defenders did not surrender: the Uskoks withdrew to Senj and became the legendary Senj Uskoks, swift and fearless, defying both Ottoman and Venetian power for decades.
In 1596 the people of Klis, led by the Split nobleman Ivan Alberti, briefly liberated the fortress in a famous uprising; in 1648 a Venetian army finally won Klis back. The spirit of the Uskoks — those who choose freedom over safety — remains carved into this fortress’s stone.
The name “Hajduk” carries that very spirit — of the hajduks and Uskoks who defied empires from the crags of Klis. At our table, that story lives on, over lamb from the spit and a glass of house wine.
Dalmatian home cooking — prices in euro
Prices may vary with the day’s offering. Ask our staff about allergens and seasonal dishes.
For full allergen information please ask our staff.
Hundreds of guests across Google, Tripadvisor and Facebook.
“We were treated like family. Our waiter even treated us to family-made wine and grappa.”
“The lamb was great. Totally non-greasy and tender. Definitely worth the drive.”
“Great food and great service. So friendly — perfect after visiting the fortress.”
For larger parties and weekends we recommend booking ahead. Send a request — we confirm availability via WhatsApp.
Christenings, birthdays, business lunches or a group arriving from a cruise — we tailor the menu and the space to you.
Private celebrations in an authentic setting.
Menu by arrangement, built on home cooking.
Food delivery to your event by arrangement.
Excursions & groups — we arrange arrival and menu.
Lamb off the spit, peka and a view of two thousand years of history — a gift to remember. Vouchers are valid for food and drink, in the amount of your choice.
Order a gift voucherFor small parties, usually not. For 6+ people, weekends and peka we recommend booking via WhatsApp or phone.
Yes — parking is by the restaurant. We are glad to help you back onto the busy road too.
Yes, pets are welcome on the terrace.
We accept cash and cards.
About a 20–30 minute drive, right below the Klis fortress.
A day ahead and for at least 4 people — via WhatsApp or phone.
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