Bistros of Zagreb

Expensive fancy restaurants with haute cuisine dishes looking like miniature sculptures on your plate are so out. In Zagreb they lingered quite long, and retained their superstar status and popularity until the mid-2000s. Meanwhile, the next global trend was bistronomy, eating out in bistros. Finally, this trend has moved to Zagreb lately. Actually, Zagreb’s era of bistros started a couple of years ago, but this year it really hit us. New ones keep opening, some old ones closed down, the competition is fierce. Besides the most obvious - location, great chef and the quality of food - what makes an establishment stand out and achieve success also includes many other details, like the interior design, music, staff, atmosphere, consistence, events, constant improvements, marketing skills and good communication with customers. Luckily for everyone who likes going out, this new scene in Zagreb is very exciting at the moment, especially during lunchtime.

“Bistros lure you with cool interior, affordable food and good selection of drinks.” Image credit: Taste of Croatia

I won’t even try to list and describe all of Zagreb’s bistros, but outline some basic facts and mention some of the most popular ones. As a matter of fact, many eateries in Zagreb now call themselves “bistro”, although they don’t exactly fit the description. Also, some places that don’t advertise themselves as such, could be regarded as bistros. Anyway, the line dividing a bistro from other types of eateries is quite blurry. Basically, a bistro stands for an affordable, simple, casual, but creative little restaurant with daily specials based on seasonal and local ingredients, more oriented towards lunch than fine dining. The dishes are simple, straightforward, but not banal, and prepared with lots of love and attention. Not too traditional, not too international, and adding a creative finishing touch is a plus. Value for money is the best policy. And it means a lot if you can pair your food with good and reasonably priced craft beer or wine by glass.

“Tuna burger with homemade sourdough brioche, wasabi mayonnaise, Asian vegetable salad, gomashio and fried potatoes at Mundoaka.” Image credit: Mundoaka

Lari i penati in Petrinjska was the pioneer and swept us all off our feet (stomachs?) when it opened some five years ago. It was like a teleporting machine to Berlin or London. With only a few tables and a counter, bursting with cool vibes, it was constantly full, and today it’s still a popular lunchtime spot, with specialties like BBQ ribs, spicy chicken wings, turkey or tuna confit, lamb fillet, gourmet sandwiches and soups... Slowly but steadily, others followed. Bistroteka in Teslina even has the word bistro in the name, clearly explaining their culinary philosophy: unpretentious fresh dishes following the season. It is also among very rare places offering breakfast specials, like poached eggs with spinach and bacon. Bistro Jadranka in Vukovarska Street specializes in lunches, with a small list of dishes changing on a weekly basis. As s spin-off of the next-door Miva wine shop, it boasts a wide selection of wines by glass. Fajn is a charming hidden gem of the Upper Town, adding a touch of fine dining experience to the whole story. Mundoaka is one of the hottest joints in the city ever since it opened in 2014. Even though they use the phrase “streetfood”, it’s actually a sit-down-and-eat kind of place, and the ever-changing menu is a creative fusion of different cuisines and influences, with highlights like black angus ragout, pulled pork, grilled Sicilian pizza, tuna tataki, gnudi, gyoze etc. Fotić is maybe a little more traditional, quite spacious, known as a great place for filling and reasonably priced crowd-pleasing but not boring dishes, both Croatian and international.

“Pork ribs in BBQ sauce with fried potatoes and cabbage salad.” Image credit: Bistro Šalša

Šalša in Trešnjevka neighbourhood is the king of value-for-money lunchtime bistros, with 3 options every day, plus two homemade desserts, which disappear very quickly because they’re surrounded with several huge office buildings. Zrno Bio Bistro is a laid-back little restaurant doing vegan and vegetarian food, with plenty of homemade smoothies and juices. Pod zidom below the central market started as a cafe and wine bar, but soon evolved into a little bistro with several eclectic lunchtime specials every day, seasonal a la carte dishes, and tapas-style bites in the evening. Divas Bistro in Martićeva is a recent extension of the popular cafe in the same street. Hipsterness level is very high, and their concept is modern and creative daily menus. The latest on the list is Bistro 75 in Knežija. Although they have just opened, the word about their gorumet sandwiches and daily stews with Dalmatian flair travels fast so you need to be quick in order to grab your portion.

“Simple yet creative lunch with local craft beer at Divas Bistro.” Image credit: Taste of Croatia

Feels like I have just scratched the surface of the current bistro scene in Zagreb, so consider this a very basic manual for exploring Zagreb’s lively bistros on your own. Next time you want to have a bit different kind of lunch, you’ll be having “sweet troubles”, as the Croatian phrase goes. Meaning, there are so many good possibilities, you can’t go wrong.

Header Image credit: Taste of Croatia

Author: Taste of Croatia