When the European coffee culture — the art of meeting and conversation — began to flourish in Vienna, Trieste, and Prague, it soon spread southward. Split opened its first coffeehouse in 1776 — Bottega del Caffe, on the People’s Square, known as Pjaca.
Pjaca had been the heart of Split’s public life since the 13th century, and the cafe quickly became its most elegant living room. At the beginning of the 20th century, the cafe changed its name — first to Restaurant Troccoli, and later to Kavana Central. Its design mirrored the great Viennese cafes: crystal chandeliers, large mirrors where glances and smiles met, newspapers on wooden holders, and music softly playing in the background. Here, journalists, poets, and merchants from across the Mediterranean shared their stories, and Split learned early to keep its conversation with Europe alive. Since then, one thing has never changed: coffee is not a drink — it is a reason to meet.
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