Our family's recommendations



We are a very diverse family when it comes to age, interests and day-to-day activities.


Ana is a student, Marija Junior a young working woman, Marija Senior an active and busy housewife and the head of the family, Zdravko, is a gentleman in his best years, having just celebrated his 75th birthday.


Although we enjoy going out together for coffee or meals, we have different individual preferences, as will our guests, therefore we combined our recommendations of what Zagreb has to offer into one map. (See map below!)


You can choose whose advice to follow! :-).



Lunch and dinner



Marija:

In the last year, the Zagreb bistro and small restaurant scene has been blooming. You will find many interesting places around the town, and you almost can't miss with any of them. But, my recommendation would be the newly opened Beštija (24), which features Croatian cuisine with a creative twist, for a very affordable price. Boban restaurant (14) is a higher-quality Italian restaurant, which offers great homemade pasta and creamy risottos.

If you're feeling hungry for pizza, I always recommend Karijola. It has two locations (1 and 2) and it's the perfect thin-crust pizza, the dough is almost crunchy after being baked in their wood fire oven :-). Try the one with baked garlic!
For the burger-lovers, the best burger join in town is Submarine Burgers, two of their locations being in the centre, one practically next to you (4 and 5). Juicy burgers made or organic ingredients, and don’t forget the fries – try the ones with the truffle dressing!


Croatians are always eating something on the go, on the street – so if you want to blend in, grab a sandwich in the oldest and most famous sandwich kiosque in Zagreb – Pingvin (7). 'Toplo-hladno' or 'biftek ficleki' are my recommendations. Healthier and vegetarian/vegan friendly options can be found in Green Point (8) and Juice Box (10).
Vegans and vegetarians, and healthy food seekers, will be well-fed in the Zrno bio bistro (30), which offers 100% organic vegan ingredients, grown on their own fields.


For the sushi-lovers, I recommend Ginger Sushi (26) – it’s fresh, tasty and inexpensive. I also love Umami (27), an Asian-fusion restaurant. Near the place where I live, a Chinese family opened a teahouse - Jing Yuan Teahouse (28) which is worth visiting. They have great dumplings! :-)

Ana:

First of all, the best burger is in Burgeraj (6), don’t listen to Marija. Yes, they are a bit smaller for their price, but they are just so full of flavour… Mmm… Try the onion jam one, or, if you like spicy food, the one with peppers! The place is decorated in a quirky manner, I love it!


My choice for pizza is Gourmetbar Basta (3), a true Neapolitan pizza, and they offer tasty salads as well. I enjoy the ambiance there.I don’t mind Ginger sushi, but it’s a bit boring for me. Try Evergreen Sushi and Salad Bar instead ;-) (29).
Out of the many bistros and hip restaurants, I would choose Pod zidom bistro and wine bar (23) – great food made of fresh ingredients from the Dolac market nearby. You really get value for money here, and I love the elegant interior and the romantic atmosphere – I would recommend it for dinner. Bagel and Lobster Barr (11) tells you what it is through its name, and they have bagels and lobsters available from breakfast until dinnertime. :-) Bistro Fotić (18), inspired by photography, always has good daily offers, and they have breakfast menu as well, in a space that combines shabby chic and art.


In the fine-dining section, visit Apetit Restaurant & Bar (12), they describe themselves as “Middle-European flavours and a touch of the Mediterranean”. I would also recommend Mali Bar (22), a small restaurant opened by the famous Croatian chef Ana Ugarković. There’s always something new and quite special on the menu, and the feeling of the place is quite domestic, not stiff or stuck up.

Marija and Zdravko:

There’s a special dish specific for this part of Croatia – it’s called štrukli, and it is a type of a filled pastry made of dough and fresh cottage cheese. You can eat it in many different ways or occasions – we like them sweet, as desert, but many people have them savoury, baked in the oven, dipped in cream, and some even pot it in soups! So, whether you’ll have it for breakfast, lunch, dinner or desert, eat it sweet or savory, you can’t leave Zagreb without trying štrukli! There are two places we can recommend, one is newer and more “hip” – called simply La štruk (21). They have a vast variety of štrukli, with different toppings and additions. For old-school štrukli, we suggest Le bistro Esplanade (13) – the beautiful restaurant of the Esplanade Hotel (it’s a great place to have a fancy lunch/dinner as well, and this hotel is the most beautiful and elegant one in Zagreb!).


When we go out for a Sunday lunch, as a family, and we want to be sure we’ll get good food and a quality service, there are two places we choose. Restaurant Vinodol (15) is the more popular one among tourists, they serve traditional continental and Mediterranean cuisine and everything we tried so far was great. A good selection of Croatian wines will make your lunch or dinner even better. Try the veal, baked “under the bell”! Another restaurant serving traditional Croatian, continental food, is Kaptolska klet (16), situated on a great location exactly opposite of the Zagreb Cathedral. The famous Croatian chef Tomislav Špiček designed a menu which is traditional, but never boring!


For a taste of something completely different, go to Didov san – Grandpa’s dream (17). It’s a cozy restaurant that offers food from the Croatian region of Dalmatinska Zagora (Dalmatian Hinterland), and we’re sure that you will try some specialities there that you have never tried before, from special sausages and cheeses up to lamb, frogs and even eels!
And now a tip for the fish-lovers! If you don’t feel like giving crazy amounts of money for your meal, and fish is fairly expensive in Croatia, visit Ribice i tri točkice (25)! They only serve fresh fish, from our side of the Adriatic sea, and it’s always so good and tasty. We suggest trying grdobina with blitva (moonfish with swiss chard)! :-)


P.s. a recommendation for desert – go to Na cesti b 041 (18) – amaaaazing ice cream! Pistachio is top!



Coffee and tea



Marija:

I am a HUGE coffee lover. There's nothing better than a good espresso to start your day. I always have one at Atrij Cafe - Torte i to (12, you can have very good cakes there as well) or at Bastion No. 19 (19, also a great wine bar!).
Another specialty coffee roaster is Cogito Coffee and they have two locations in Zagreb, a small hipster-style one in the strict centre (15) and another one with an artsy vibe and a very nice terrace, U dvorištu (13). Besides U dvorištu, for hanging out during sunny days, I would recommend the Cafe of the Europa Cinema (8), one of rare surviving non-multiplex cinemas in town.

Ana:

There is another cool place, Quahwa (16), where they also serve specialty coffee and artisan ice teas (try the Turkish coffee made in hot sand!). Speaking of tea, you have to go and have one from a delightful porcelain cup, in a gallery which is also a cafe, Crafter's Lav (11), next to one of the most famous city sights, the Stone Gate in the Upper Town.
But don't leave Zagreb before visiting the cool Botaničar cafe (14). You will enjoy the beautiful interieur, great music and good vibes of some artsy Zagreb hipsters hanging out there.
Two other cool spots are both in the Dežmanov prolaz, very near from our apartment. They are Dežman bar (1, good snacks there!) and Velvet (17), owned and beautifully decorated by the famous Croatian artist-florist!

Marija and Zdravko:

If you want to feel as a local, go have coffee anywhere on the Flower Square (Cvjetni trg) or one of the streets around it.
We also enjoy having coffee on the British Square (Britanski trg), one of the only squares left that has kept the vibe of the older Zagreb. There is a nice little cafe, called exactly like that – Mali Cafe (20), which serves good coffee and Croatian grappas/liquers. Britanski trg is also a market during the day, so after your coffee you can get fresh and home-grown fruit and vegetables there!
Of course, don't forget the Trocadero cafe, just in your backyard (10)!​



Drinks in the evening



Ana:

Swanky Monkey Garden (2) is my favorite, and is very close to you. Good cocktails and drinks on a very cool terrace (heated during colder days!), great atmosphere, frequent DJ performances! A MUST!

My sedond favorite is the Dežman bar (1) I mentioned before. It's a very cool place to be in the evening, with a great choice of wines and prosecco, but also cocktails (during winter they serve winter cocktail - heated!)


I also like to have drinks at Tesla New Generation bar (6), named after the world-famous inventor Nikola Tesla, who was, if you didn't know this fact, born in Croatia! Thank you for the electricity, Mr. Tesla.

If you're after a lot of drinks for lower prices, just go up Tkalčićeva Street, you'll find loads of different bars there! ;-)



Marija:

I'm closer to the non-mainstream scene and people, and we hang out in some more „relaxed“ places. My choices are Melin Cafe (3, funky, with a great vibe and interesting music, an oasis in the middle of very tourist-oriented cafes around it, in the Tkalčićeva street Ana mentioned above), then Pif (4), a laid-back cafe in the strict centre and Pločnik (5), a bit further from the centre, but very cool, combines a recordstore, a pub and a club/cultural space on 3 different floors.

Also, Vinyl (7), where they sometimes have live music and different artistic performances.

A bit further away is A Most Unusual Garden (9), a cool cafe specializing in gin. Go there on a weekend morning as well, to relax in the sun ;-)



Marija and Zdravko:

...zzz...



Other useful tips



There's a bakery very near to the apartment, in Medulićeva street, called Daloro. It's quite ok, but if you want something special, visit Korica in Preradovićeva street. It's an artisan bakery and they make wonderful bread (try the one with seeds!) and croissants, as well as other yummy pastries.


In case you need a haircut, visit our cousin Karlo in his Oz Hair Salon, in Mesnička street! He'll entertain you while cutting your hair, we guarantee it! :-)


In that same street you can find a laundromat - Wash & Go Zagreb!


If you plan on cooking, get your fruit and vegetables in the Zagreb's most popular and biggest market - Dolac, just above the main square. You can find all sorts of home-made products there as well, such as oil, jams, etc, there are a few fish markets and in the lower, closed part there are many good butchers ready to offer you fresh Croatian meat!


There are two grocery stores ear the apartment, called Konzum, a smaller one in Frankopanska Street, and a bigger one at the Brittish Square (Britanski trg).


The nearest Money Exchange is at the crossing of Ilica and Frankopanska Street.



CLICK ON THE ICON IN THE TOP LEFT CORNER OF THE MAP TO NAVIGATE BY NUMBERS :-)