When a place has been going on since 1968 with more or less the same good vibe then there must be something to it. I must admit I haven’t been a regular visitor of the famous “Apple” until recently, but it’s never too late to join the club of faithful devoted followers – consequently I prefer Saturday nights in Jabuka which are conveniently united under the name of “Night of faith and devotion”.

All lovers of old school electro-pop and rock with a splash of newer artists will definitely enjoy this playlist.

Although some critiques have complained of Jabuka losing its alternative vibe in these modern globalized times I personally can only say that, not knowing what it had been like 20 or 40 years ago, it’s a place I always go to if I want to dance all night to something different than this year’s chart hits.

The program in Jabuka is more or less the same every week, which is also part of its charm – you can be sure that if you’re in a certain mood looking for something specific, it will provide. Fridays are reserved for Luna Park („Amusement park”) with a lighter note, while Saturdays are the notorious Night(s) of Faith and Devotion. Some nights also become theme nights connected to upcoming concerts in the area.

If you decide to go to Jabuka, don’t worry about what to wear – the place is as dark as it gets. So you can dance away without restraints. 

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Jabuka | Music | Entry Kn 25
Jabukovac 28 | Upper town | +38512441944
Fri – Sat 22:00 – 04:00

So this is the scenario: it’s Monday, one of the usually less interesting days of the week. You’re walking around downtown Zagreb not really looking for a crazy dance-party but not quite ready to go home yet. After all, who said Mondays should be just a dull beginning of the (work) week days.

If this happens, and you’re in the mood for a beer and some live music, not just Mondays, you can stop by this small and cozy bar on Mesnička street and be sure you’ll find what you’re looking for. Because in Tituš, every single day of the week you can be sure there’s gonna be at least someone playing the guitar (or an accordion, a violin or DJ-ing from real old-school vinyl records). Be it either local kids who want to practice their performance skills on thursdays (whoever wants to play at night) or a super professional artist, the atmosphere will always be the same: unpretentious, full of good vibes and music, music, music.

In Tituš, there’s never knowing who can stop by, pick up or bring an instrument and just have fun with it, spreading good energy among the crowd, backed up by the always friendly couple who runs the place (Marija & Davor) who do their job sincerely from the heart and it’s there for everyone to see.

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Tituš | Bars, Music | Beer Kn 15
Mesnička 47 | Upper town | +385917226065
Mon – Fri 08:30 – 02:00, Sat – Sun 19:00 – 02:00

Park, music school, club, cathedral. Take your pick. If you’re into a walk in a park in the very heart of the city, here you go. If you want to learn how to play an instrument or sing, over there you go as well. And if you want to listen to those who have already learned how to play and sing, there you go again. All in the shade of the centuries old walls of the Zagreb cathedral.

Ribnjak is the name of the park where all this takes place. Although in my opinion there are nicer parks in Zagreb (Maksimir, Zrinjevac and its companions along the Lenuci’s Green Horseshoe) one cannot deny that Ribnjak has a special vibe to it, especially during the past couple of years and interesting initiatives such as the Park in Zagreb two-week long music festival at the beginning of every summer.

The name of the club in the middle of the park is “Purgeraj” which could be translated as the meeting point of true Zagreb folk (“purger” being a colloquial word for those whose family has lived in Zagreb for generations).

The music school is called “Rock Akademija” and offers classes of most instruments needed to form a rock-band.

Finally, an interesting and valuable fact is that the gas-station across the street from Ribnjak is open 24-7, if you’re in need of cigarettes or anything else in the center of Zagreb in the middle of the night.

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Ribnjak | Music, Relaxing | Free
Ribnjak | Upper town
24 hours daily

In case you are into taking a silent walk around the upper town of Zagreb around midday, don’t be surprised if the silence will suddenly be interrupted at noon. Don’t be scared either, the city is not under siege, it is just the “Grič cannon” marking its usual noon activity.

According to the legend, the king Bela IV, who proclaimed Zagreb as a free royal city in 1094, left one cannon to the city of Zagreb and ordered that cannon to be in use every day so it wouldn’t get rusty. Officially, the cannon started its daily practice on January 1st 1877.

There is much more history to be told about the edifice where the famous cannon resides – the Lotrščak tower. It is one of the oldest standing buildings in Zagreb, the remains of the Romanesque old town walls and fortifications.

One of the interesting facts about the tower is that the city rented it out in times of peace in order to gain money for its maintenance and it was given back its defending purpose in times of peril. There are many stories about this oldest tower in Zagreb, but I will just say you should definitely visit the site to get more information.

In case you’re not so interested in history, visiting is worth it just for the amazing view from the top, which you can climb all the way up to. It’s definitely a special experience to be there right at noon when the cannon strikes.

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Lotrščak tower | Art & culture | Entry Kn 10.00
Strossmayerovo šetalište 9 | Upper town | +38514851768
Tue – Sun 10:00 – 19:00

One of the benefits of living back home is my mother’s cooking – I know it sounds really spoiled, but when you have someone making home-made delicacies every day with the freshest ingredients, you really feel no need for going out to eat. However, there’s one place in Zagreb I will definitely never turn down when it comes to dining out – Prasac.

The name itself can tell you what this restaurant’s philosophy is – it literally means “Pig”. The chef, Dino Galvagno, mixes Mediterranean cuisine with his own inventions, “twists” that he gives to every single dish that carries his signature. He also visits the nearby Dolac market every day in search of the freshest and most interesting ingredients, so the menu is subject to change every day.

But if you stumble upon the tuna steak on beans, be sure not to miss the opportunity and definitely try his homemade bread, which is made with yeast that he had developed and cultivated for months with extra special care. All in all, if you visit “Prasac” during bistro-lunchtime hours or want to enjoy an exquisite dinner, you are sure in for one wonderful gastronomic ride.

Just make sure you’ve made a reservation, because the place is tiny and widely popular. Also, during summer months, be sure to give them a call because it’s vacation season. Dobar tek!

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Prasac | Restaurants (Mediterranean) | 4 course meal Kn 250
Vranicanijeva 6 | Upper town | +38514851411
Mon – Fri 19:00 – 00:00, Sat 12:00 – 15:00 & 19:00 – 00:00

Imagine the following scenario: It’s Wednesday afternoon, the weekend is light years away, your boss is sitting on your neck and you still have tons of stuff to do… What now? A tough question.

Or, rather, it would be tough, were it not for Cica (The Boob). Located in Tkalčićeva street, just around the corner from a great kebab place and Leonardo and Nokturno restaurants, Cica offers mother’s milk for a young working class soul. The place is very small, mostly crowded and a bit chaotic, filled with shouting, laughter and cigarette smoke.

They offer a wide range of home made fruit rakija and two of the best Croatian beer – Velebitsko (light) and Kasačko (semi-dark). The rakija comes from the Istrian peninsula and is kept in various bottles with handwritten labels on them which adds to the atmosphere.

The music ranges from hip-hop, house, alternative rock to whatever the air is in the air that evening. And do not be surprised if you stumble upon an exhibition, movie projection or a poetry evening, there’s something going on all the time. Just order your favourite shot and a beer, mingle and meet new people. Who cares if tomorrow is Thursday!

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Cica | Bars | Rakija Kn 13.00
Tkalčićeva 18 | Upper town | +385958609899
10:00 – 01:00 daily

One of the easiest ways to escape the streets of Zagreb’s centre is to take a bus or just walk to the place between Tuškanac, Upper town’s Jurjevska street and Gornje Prekrižje area, called Cmrok. This giant and slightly rangy meadow, which arises from the woods, is beloved by many citizens who wish to relax surrounded by green grass and pine trees.

Cmrok is reachable by bus No.105 from Kaptol or British square, but I would recommend you to take a nice walk from British square or Upper town. Depending on your choice, you will surely be able to enjoy Zagreb’s residential areas (especially Tuškanac) and/or romantic streets of Upper town before you get to your destination.

The meadow of Cmrok isn’t overcrowded – you can feel free to chill out without being interrupted. There are lots of dog owners who walk their pets, so eventually, you may be distracted by some curious dog. This doesn’t count during Winter time, when snow falls and a great deal of children and grown-ups literally invade Cmrok for the purpose of sleigh-ride.

What I love the most about it is a beautiful view over the Lower town and Mirogoj arcades spreading from the hilly side of the lawn, which makes you in a perfect position to enjoy Zagreb’s cultural heritage while sitting in greenery.

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Cmrok | Relaxing | Free
Cmrok | Upper town
24 hours daily

Zagreb has been known for pretty tasty pastries but if you looked for a cheese cake in a traditional patisserie a few years ago your search would be unsuccessful.

Citizens of Zagreb enriched their list of favourite pastries when the founder of the Café TORTE i to revealed her recipes to the public. After presenting her famous cheese cake, many pastry-chefs decided to put them on their menus and a cheese cake revolution began.

In a comfortable café that looks like a living room (with an exception of its outdoor space) and is supplied with newspapers and magazines, satisfying your taste buds is very easy thing to do. There are a few varieties of an original cheese cake – you may find the one with chocolate or different kinds of fruit, and lots of other lush cakes. Their names are interesting and creative, such as supercalifragilisticexpialidocious cake, for example.

Beside cakes, you can order muffins, brownies and different kinds of biscuits that go well with coffee, tea or home-made red prosecco wine.

The Café is situated in two locations, but the one closer to the main square is in the Kaptol Centre. Sometimes it is very crowded and the prices are more on the expensive side, but having a taste of those pastries could be exactly what you had in mind on a certain day.

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TORTE i to | Coffee & tea, Snacks | Cheese cake Kn 18.00
Nova Ves 11 (1 st floor) | Upper town | +38514860691
08:00 – 23:00 daily

Café Velvet was a former meeting point with a cult status. But several years ago it closed its doors, leaving Zagreb without one more bustling and colorful café. That is, until last year, when the new owners reopened it with a significant touch of an artsy flare. Now Velvet is constituted of a beautifully decorated café, where you can treat yourself with a tasty coffee, freshly made juices, toasts, cakes, pies and soups, and an art-gallery situated right next to the café.

Personally I find Velvet as one of the ideal places for a relaxing chit-chat with your friends. After a hard-day work, when all the lights in Velvet come up, having a pleasant conversation in a smoke-free environment and a nice cup of coffee with all those tasty delights on the menu feels right to me. Even if you don’t have a friend to keep you company, this place is relaxing enough for you to read newspapers or a book, watching locals and movie buffs from Cinema Tuškanac pass by.

Of course, if you are in a very chatty mood, you can make friends with the co-owner Saša Šekoranja, an acclaimed florist and artist, who is there very often. In fact, if one of the customers in some way inspires the artist, he will personally draw the costumer’s portrait and hang it on the wall along with the numerous pictures, mostly blank and waiting for future models.

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Velvet | Art & culture, Coffee & tea, Shopping, Snacks | Fresh juice Kn 15.00
Dežmanova ulica 9 | Upper town | +38514846743
Mon – Fri 08:00 – 22:00, Sat 08:00 – 15:00, Sun 08:00 – 14:00

Have you ever been to a place where you felt like a millionaire, but in a potentially non-pretentious way? I thought that such place doesn’t exist but clearly it does. It is called Galerija Lav. Hence the name, it is also a gallery.

There are three separate rooms, each of them differently decorated but in an equally stunning decor. The owners, art-lovers themselves, carefully paid attention to every detail of the Caffe. Some of the furnishings are high-class designer products (Philippe Starck Louis Ghost chairs, for example) and the paintings and sculptures are originals, ready for sale.

Coffee is served in porcelain cups, along with a cookie (needless to say) and it tastes like it looks like – really good. Its price isn’t overpriced, which is very important.

The location of the place is also great, for it serves as a stand during a walk through the Upper town, as it is situated right over the Stone Gate (Kamenita vrata), one of the Zagreb sights. Actually, the terrace of the Caffe overlooks it, so if you decide to sip your drink in the outdoors you will also enjoy the view.

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Caffe Galerija Lav | Art & culture, Coffee & tea, Relaxing | Coffee Kn 9.00
Opatička 2 | Upper town | +38514922108
Mon – Sat 09:00 – 23:00, Sun 10:00 – 15:00