In mid-October, we traveled to Zagreb, Croatia for a long weekend. We had never seen it, but had heard plenty of good things about it, so it was time to see for ourselves. My advice: go there. Do it soon!
Zagreb is the capital of Croatia, a county teeming with beautiful scenery, terrific beaches and exciting cities. In Zagreb, you’ll find very nice 18th and 19th century architecture from the Austro-Hungarian empire. There is a majestic Gothic cathedral in the center of town, and the charming and lively Tcalciceva Street, full of bistros, bars, and cafes.
Zagreb Cathedral
Our lodging was at a place called Zig Zag Zagreb. It offers either traditional hotel rooms or small apartments right in the center of the city. We drove to Zagreb, so it was a bonus they had a private parking garage, as well. We chose one of the apartments as it was equipped with a kitchen where we were able to make breakfast each morning.
We found the reception office, located with their hotel rooms and the parking garage, with no problem. Check in was fast and easy, and getting to our apartment was a three minute walk. The young woman working there was Neda Pontoni. She was born and raised right in Zagreb so became the local we would ask for advice. Since it was our first visit, our questions dealt with restaurants and museums. Unfortunately we had come to the city on the weekend of a national holiday AND the annual Zagreb Marathon, meaning many of the museums were closed. No matter, the restaurants were open, so our main focus was dining.
We also found some cool graffiti.
And that dining did not disappoint at all. Here is where we ate.
Pod Zidom (Pod Zidom 5, +385 99 3253 600)
Yes, the restaurant shares the same name as the street, just a few steps away from the city’s main market. I loved my stuffed eggplant while my wife had a couscous dish with a mint yogurt topping. Yum.
Vinodol (Teslina 10, +385 1 4811 427)
We had lunch here and returned later in the day to enjoy a glass of wine. The bar was a little smokey, but the wine was a nice (and inexpensive!) Malvazia.
Mundoaka (Petrinjska 2, +385 1 78 88 777)
Small, very cozy, and a very inviting place to eat just around the corner from Zagreb’s central square. A delicious pumpkin curry soup was just off the charts great! You must try the fresh made bread, too. The service here was really terrific.
Royal India (Ivana Tkalcic 1000, +385 1 4680 965)
We always like to try foreign cuisine when we travel. As the name implies, this restaurant serves Indian cuisine. The kitchen is staffed 100% by folks from India, they use Indian imported spices, cook nine different kinds of naan bread right there, and use only seasonal fresh veggies and produce. I have lived in Europe more than 25 years, and outside of London’s Brick Lane scene, this was the best Indian meal I have found.
We also found a terrific wine bar called Basement Bar (Tomiceva 5, +385 1 7774 585). It’s not really in a basement, although you do go down a few steps to enter. The vaulted ceilings make a nice setting to sample from a very impressive selection of (mostly) Croatian wines.
The very cozy Basement Bar is at the foot of one of Zagreb’s funicular trains.
We did manage to find one art exhibit open. We rode the funicular train (just outside Basement Bar – very convenient!) up to the Galerija Klovicevi dvori. They had a retrospective of wood carvings by Vasko Lipovac. Fun and funky, to say the least!
What happens in Croatia stays in Croatia, right?
So we saw some art and ate very well. In other words we had a good time and will return soon!