9 Best Restaurants in Zagreb and Environs, Croatia

With its unadorned log walls, wood-beam ceilings, white-curtained windows, lively Croatian folk music playing, and an open kitchen with an open hearth, this is exactly what a restaurant in a great national park should be. Fill up on hearty lička juha (a creamy lamb soup with vegetables), followed by boiled or roasted lamb with vegetables, or suckling pig. Meat and poultry are the focus here, but the desserts are decadent, too: finish off your meal with an apple or plum strudel. The place is buzzing with tourists, but it's one of the only decent restaurants for miles around.

Founded in 1977 by the Vincek family, this sweets shop regularly draws crowds lining up out the door and down Ilica Street. Dozens of ice cream flavors and sundaes are available, along with delicious cakes and desserts to be savored at the limited indoor tables in the slightly dark interior or, more often (tables fill up), taken out. Including Vis à Vis by Vincek, a spin-off offering the same quality but fully gluten-free, Vincek has eight locations in and around Zagreb. Those outside the city are less crowded and offer better sit-down experiences.

At one of the city's few fast-food places, you can select from a range of decent salads and bowls, prepared right in front of you, as well as other light refreshing fare such as ciabatta sandwiches and vegetarian tortillas. Of course, this minichain (three locations in Zagreb) also serves the standbys of burgers and fries, in case you're hungering for more carbs and protein. Try one of their in-house jarred desserts, such as cheesecake.

Located in the heart of Međimurje County, in picturesque Lopatinec, 6 km (4 miles) from Čakovec, Međimurski dvori has been known across the region for top gastronomic offerings and friendly professional staff for years. In 2022 the owners swapped out their restaurant for a catering company, but each Sunday, they host a cheerful open-to-the-public Međimurje Meal (Međimurski Obed), a buffet-style lunch with long community tables, available by advance reservation. The menu includes delicacies like roast turkey and pork, homemade pasta, and regional desserts. Otherwise, the company offers first-class traditional cuisine for private groups (including tourists; eight people minimum) on their bucolic "Fairy-Tale Forest" estate. 

This restaurant with a rustic-style interior and a terrace is the love child of married dynamic duo Ana, from Slavonia, and Pasquale, from Italy. They use fresh ingredients from Italy and Croatia to make amazing pizza doughs and exciting topping combinations. This pizzeria is tucked away above the city hubbub, in the foothills of Mt. Medvednica.

Small yet ever so cozy, its walls decorated with old clocks and paintings by noted Croatian artists, this lovely old villa a few minutes' walk from the main square is the best place in town to try the area's meaty fare. A wider selection of sausages may be available late in the year, after kolinje (the annual sausage-making period, usually in November), when the hogs are butchered and the sausages are smoked. Round off with a glass of bermet, served with lemon and ice.

A five-minute walk from the center of town, Angelus is best known for decent pizza but has a huge menu with plenty of pastas and other meatier fare, not to mention a half-dozen creative salads and lots of beer.

Popular demand has helped this fast-growing chain expand to 11 locations around Zagreb, including this one on Frankopanska near the main square and two other more central spots on Tkalčićeva and Bogovićeva. The restaurant offers a range of all-natural burgers with locally procured toppings, including tasty vegetarian options as well. Don't miss out on the truffle fries.

In the village of Železna Gora, some 5 km (3 miles) south of Štrigova along a country road to Čakovec, stands one of the area's best restaurants, where you can dine on everything from poultry to pork to wild game to seafood. The restaurant is in a lovely 19th-century country villa with wood-beam ceilings. A spacious terrace overlooks the area's sweeping vineyards, and on a breezy day you'll hear the clackety-clack of the windmill just outside.