How to Book Gariful in Hvar
Published
Gariful’s own site says it plainly: getting a table without a reservation is “almost impossible.” Ivan Gospodnetić’s waterfront institution at Riva 21 — feeding Hvar’s yacht row since 1981 — books through the BookMeATable link on hvar-gariful.hr, and July–August evenings want weeks, not days.
The Riva’s Front Table
Gariful sits where the superyachts tie up, and the guest book reads accordingly — the house and the Croatian press both list Prince Harry, Giorgio Armani, Roman Abramovich, Magic Johnson and Rod Stewart among the moorings. The theatre is real: a floor aquarium with lobsters circling under your feet, seven of the family’s own fishing boats supplying the kitchen, a 500-plus-bottle cellar that runs to Petrus and Krug Clos d’Ambonnay, and a yacht-provisioning arm for clients who’d rather the restaurant came to them. Our Gariful review scores it for what it is: the Adriatic’s definitive see-and-be-seen fish house, priced like the berths outside.
Booking Against the Yachts
The channel. The BookMeATable engine linked from hvar-gariful.hr, or +385 21 742 999 / [email protected]. The lead. Island guides advise weeks ahead for peak-season dinner — the waterfront front row goes first, and yacht charters block-book. The season runs 1 April to 1 November with doors open 10:00–02:00 daily, which hides the smart move: lunch. The same kitchen, the same Riva, a bookable table two days out.
What the Seven Boats Bring
The menu is priced by the kilo where it matters: grilled lobster at €190/kg, the house “drunken” lobster — flamed in cognac with tomato and Gragnano spaghetti — at €230/kg, top white fish at €98/kg, and a fish platter for two at €190. The approachable end holds octopus salad and black risotto at €29 and grilled scampi at €48; the flex end runs lobster carpaccio at €88, Beluga at €550 and a 250g Kobe steak at €280. Confirm prices when booking — the published menu carries a 2025 date and this address does not move downward.
The Hvar Play
Book the waterfront row for 20:30, arrive by boat if you can and by linen if you cannot, and order the drunken lobster for the table — it is the dish the room was built to sell. On a budget or a deadline, take the 13:00 lunch with the black risotto and watch the same harbour for a third of the bill. The island’s wider table is in our Hvar dining guide; the impress-clients list seats Gariful near the top, and its Adriatic sibling in spirit — family boats, waterfront, no pretence — is Fetivi in Split, one ferry away.
View Gariful on Restaurants for Kings →
Related Reading
- Our full profile: Gariful review.
- The island: Hvar dining guide.
- Across the channel: Konoba Fetivi, Split and Bokamorra.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you book Gariful in Hvar?
Through the BookMeATable engine linked from hvar-gariful.hr, by phone on +385 21 742 999, or [email protected]. The restaurant itself warns that walk-ins are “almost impossible” in season — book weeks ahead for July–August dinner, days ahead for lunch.
How much does dinner at Gariful cost?
Lobster €190–230/kg, white fish €98/kg, fish platter for two €190, with entry plates like black risotto at €29. A seafood dinner for two with wine realistically starts around €250 and climbs with the tank. Menu prices carry a 2025 date — confirm current figures when booking.
What is the signature dish at Gariful?
The “drunken” lobster — flamed in cognac, finished with tomato and Gragnano spaghetti, priced at €230/kg and built for the table. The lobster carpaccio (€88) is the raw-bar flex; the fish platter for two (€190) is the sane centre.
Is the celebrity reputation real?
Documented, not just claimed — Croatian press and the house both list Prince Harry, Armani, Abramovich, Magic Johnson and Rod Stewart, and owner Ivan Gospodnetić runs a yacht-provisioning service for the harbour’s bigger visitors. The floor aquarium and the berths outside do the rest.
When is Gariful open?
Daily 10:00–02:00, from 1 April to 1 November. Lunch is the underused booking — the same kitchen and harbour at a fraction of the evening’s competition and bill.