Some Stuff I Ate in Zagreb, Croatia

Sausage roll from Pekarna Bu & Ba

As far as I can tell, this place isn’t even in Google Maps — it just happened to be near my Airbnb.  The guy behind the counter spoke perfect English (which seems to be pretty common in Zagreb), so I asked him what he recommended, and he pointed to the sausage roll, which he said he eats every morning for breakfast.  It’s not the most Croatian thing ever, but you know what?  The guy’s got a point.  This was really satisfying — the pastry was fluffy and fresh, and its slight sweetness contrasted very nicely with the salty hot dog.  I don’t know if I’d want to eat this on a daily basis, but every now and then?  Sure.

Cevapi from Pivnica i Pivovara Mlinarica

This isn’t the most exciting dish ever — it’s just a bunch of sausages on some flatbread.  Bread and meat!  Sometimes that’s all you need.  The meat was nicely spiced and had some good flavour from the grill, and the bread was chewy and absolutely laden with grease (but in a good way).  The sauce on the side (some kind of ajvar, I think) complemented it quite well.  I didn’t touch the pile of chopped onions, because raw onion is for jerks, but I guess if you’re into that, their crunchiness would probably be a welcome addition.

Pie from Slastičarnica Orijent

Like with the sausage roll, this was an employee recommendation, and like that one, it was quite tasty.  I’m not sure what this was called, but it featured chocolate, banana, and some kind of chewy meringue base.  Chocolate and banana is delicious.  That’s not even my opinion; that’s a fact.  I probably would have ordered something more traditional if it hadn’t been recommended, but I’m very glad I tried this; it’s a top-notch slice of pie.

Burek from Pekarnica Romaja

Alas, this wasn’t particularly fresh (the pastry, which should be crispy and flaky, was uniformly soft), but I’m not mad I ate it.  The beef (or was it lamb?) was very nicely spiced, and I can imagine that the pastry would have been pretty amazing when it was fresh.  Plus, this cost something like two euros for a pretty enormous slice, so it’s a great deal.

Ham sandwich from Pingvin

Pingvin is one of those places that comes up on every other list of the best places to eat in Zagreb (particularly where cheap eats are concerned), and after eating this sandwich, I totally get it.  This particular sandwich came with cured and fresh ham, and I had it topped with everything they have (except onions).  It was really, really good — the ham was above average, the fresh toppings complemented it perfectly, and the sweet and slightly smoky sauce was intensely delicious.  That’s not to mention the toasty, slightly chewy bread, which held up to the heavily-topped sandwich amazingly well.  I liked this so much I was actually going to order it again on my last day, but I went right when the place was supposed to open, and alas, it was closed.

Zagreb torte from Slastičarnica Zagreb

I had read that the Zagreb torte is the thing to order here; I don’t know if I would have ordered it if I had known that was basically a sacher torte, but for what it was, it was quite good.  I’d say it’s on par with the version I had at the Hotel Sacher — and for a fraction of the price.  Hard to go wrong there.

Strukli from La Struk

This was actually a pretty big disappointment.  They specialize in strukli at La Struk, a local specialty that’s kinda like a Croatian version of a cannelloni.  It’s filled with cheese, doused in some kind of béchamel-like sauce, and then baked.  It wasn’t unpleasant to eat, but it was just way too one-note rich; it desperately needed something like a hot sauce to cut through the unrelenting heaviness.

Ledeni vjetar voćni from Cukeraj

Now this was good.  How could it not be?  It’s a vanilla cake layered with cream, custard, and strawberries; it’s basically a trifle in cake form, and it’s as tasty as you’re hoping it’ll be based on that description.

Pizza slice from Mocca Pizza

I’ll admit that I had rock-bottom expectations for this; a two euro slice of pizza in the most touristy part of town?  How could that possibly be good?  But I was on my way to catch a train, and there didn’t seem to be a better (and quicker) option.  And you know what?  It was pretty good!  The crust was respectable and the quality of the cheese and the sauce was decent.  I’m not going to say you need to try this if you’re in Zagreb, but if you’re in the area and you’re looking for a quick bite, you could almost certainly do worse.