4 Days of Food & History in Zagreb, Croatia

When most people think of Croatia their minds can go a few ways. Game of Throne fans picture themselves flying over Dubrovnik on a fire-spitting dragon. Others find their imagination taking them on a chartered yacht in the Adriatic, as if they were on a “Below Deck” episode. And, honestly, some people will simply ask you “where the hell is Croatia?”.

No matter what picture your brain paints, the fact is, those who know about or have been to this former Yugoslav nation can tell you one thing… it’s a must go destination!

There aren’t a ton of major airlines that fly direct to Croatia from the United States. So, to keep our costs down, we booked a round trip ticket from Washington DC to Copenhagen, then booked one-way flights in and out of Zagreb from there. Once in Zagreb, we picked up our rental car and headed to our home base for the next three nights, Hotel Esplande. It's a beautiful property smack dab in the middle of Lenuci's Horseshoe, a U-shaped group of public squares and parks in a beautiful area of town. The staff were excellent and more than welcoming to our first experience with the Croatian people. Highly recommend making this your home base.

Zagreb is virtually untouched by western tourists, which makes it extremely charming and authentic. After check-in, we hustled over to Botaničar, for hip libations inspired by fresh fruits and to dinner at Konoba Didovson for some classic local cuisine like pašticada, a stewed beef dish with gnocchi covered in gravy and cuttlefish risotto.

After dinner we were craving a night cap. On the walk back to the hotel, we just so happened to stumble upon an outdoor cocktail party in upper town. Admission was free, music was a vibe and the sunset views of the city were incredible. We found that Zagreb has a couple events like this going on during the summer. If you’re in town and the weather is nice, you’re bound to run into a good time

After a quick breakfast, we took a stroll up one of Zagrab’s most famous shopping streets, Tkalčićeva. The cobblestone lined street filled with local businesses was exactly the type of scenery we pictured when we booked our trip.

For lunch, it was all about La Struk. They specialize in Strukli, which is a bubbly vat of cheese and dough made with a variety of salty and sweet items baked in a cast iron dish, served still oozing. If you go sweet, and you’re in for a little bit of adventure, the blueberry is almost like a cheesy blueberry pie. Don’t knock it until you try it!

After a cheesy lunch. We walked our bubbly bellies over to Ban Jelacic Square to meet our small group for a Communism and Croatian Homeland War Tour. Even if you’re not a history buff, I’d highly recommend taking the time to understand Croatia’s complex past. Let your host Luka take you down into Zagreb’s fascinating underground tunnels used in WWII, while you wrap up your experience in an air raid shelter used in the 1990’s during Croatia’s Homeland War.

If you want to drink your sorrows away after listening to the sad stories of the war, head over to Roots for a well-crafted cocktail. Roots is a juice bar by day (until 4:00 pm), cocktail bar by night (after 4:00 pm). Admittedly, its a bit of a westernized establishment in a town with so much history, but we found charm in seeing how the city has evolved since independence. Roots’ cocktail menu changes with the seasons so they always have the freshest ingredients. Definitely a great place to kick back after a long day of exploring.

By now you’re sure to be hungry for more. Dinner tonight is at The Bull on Tkalčićeva street. We ended up with fat noodle pasta with pancetta, a spring risotto with apples and a pork loin seared medium rare (quality) over local grains. Grab a table here if you’re looking for a more of an elevated Northern Croatian food experience. Sit out on the terrace on a beautiful night and enjoy life knowing that all your friends are back home working.

By this point, we’re starting to learn that breakfast as we know it doesn’t exist here. Instead, you can expect coffee and a quick bite. Sometimes, that quick bite can be burek. Let me tell you… since the moment I discovered burek, my life hasn’t been the same. Think of burek as a better version of the stuffed pizza from Sbarro. A flaky dough layered with cheese and usually a type of meat like beef or sausage. For a locals experience, head out to Tržnica Trešnjevka (a locals farmers market) for your taste of burek at Vrući Burek Mira. The place has become an institution over time. The market is also great to walk around in the morning, so grab a cup of coffee, eat some burek and pretend to be a native.

After eating way too much burek, we got in our car and headed out for a day trip to the charming village of Samobor. Samobor is a classic historical town with beautiful parks, nature, good shopping and most importantly, great food. The good news is that to walk off all those extra calories, you can hike up to the ruins of Samobor Castle. This is a former castle dating back to 1260 AD. It was occupied through the 18th century before being vacated and left in ruins. This hike is mostly unmarked, and the castle is not patrolled, which honestly makes the experience more exciting. Once you find the trailhead, just keep walking uphill until you find it.

At the bottom? More food! Head to Gabrek 1929 for the best traditional food in all of Samobor. Cooked like grandma made every dish because she probably did. I still think about the experience we had here. Worth the gluttony! For dessert, Samobor is famous for Samobor kremšnita (cream cake). Think puff pastry filled with custard cream and beaten egg whites. We missed the boat on this one and didn’t find time to seek it out. Slightly regretting it nbd.

Back in Zagreb, after a quick rest at the hotel we’re back at it. Drinks at Mr. Fogg proved to be a fun adventure. This quirky spot in lower town just so happened to serve great drinks. It helped that we made friends with the bartender who did flare bartending in Vegas. Four to seven drinks later, he was our best friend. By this time in our trip, we were ready to call Zagreb home.

Drunkenly in the mood for pizza, we stumbled across the street to Pizzeria Park, a more modern spot for Neapolitan pizza. After 72 hours of Croatian food and three hours at the bar, it hit the spot.

Sad to leave, but excited for the next stop on our journey, we checked out of the hotel and made our way to Korica Bakery for coffee and cruffins before heading out of town.

Overall, Zagreb impressed. You can tell by the rise in cocktail bars to trendy shops that this lesser traveled city is riding the wave of the rise of travel to Croatia. If you've got the time to spend here, add it to your itinerary. You might not find it stunningly beautiful like some of the towns on Croatia's Dalmatian Coast, but the charm Zagreb offers shouldn't be overlooked.