Baltazar (Nova Ves 4, +14666808, noon-midnight Mon-Sat) offers authentic regional meaty delicacies in rustic surroundings. Gostionica Tip-Top (Gundulićeva 18, +14830349, 7am-10pm Mon-Sat) is steeped in literary history. Ambitious, pricy Marcellino (Jurjevska 71, +14677111, Sept-July noon-11pm Mon-Sat. Closed Aug) is worth every kuna. Okrugljak (Mlinovi 28, +14674112, www.okrugljak.hr, 10am-1am daily) is the grande dame of Zagreb eateries. You can dine in opulent surroundings at Paviljon (Trg kralja Tomislava 22, +14813066, noon-midnight Mon-Sat).

A new bar scene has hit town, flagshipped by the self-styled coolest spot in town, ­kola. The handful of trendy new joints around it - Apartman (Preradovićeva 7, +14872168, 9am-midnight Mon-Wed, Sun; 9am-1am Thur-Sat), a funky first-floor spot on the corner with Teslina, Golf Caffè, Pif, Maraschino (Margaretska 1, +14812612, 8am-1am Mon-Sat; 9am-1am Sun), a two-floor spot named after the sweet cherry liqueur from Zadar, Maraska - now create a right-angle of chic drinking by the flower market on Preradovićev trg, two minutes from Jelaičića. On the other side of the square, by the market, run the parallel pair of streets that comprised the bar quarter through the 1980s and '90s: Opatinova and Tkalčićeva. The latter has lost its verve, but Tkalčićeva is still a great night out. Bohemian Melin (Tkalčićeva 47, +14828966, 9am-1am daily), a cult spot with bags of character, is a shabby wonder, and the simple Funk Club (Tkalčićeva 52, no phone, 9am-1am daily) comes alive at night. A bar crawl here is ramshackle and random, a world away from the cosmopolitan sheen of Preradovićeva.

Mention must be made of Zagreb's penchant for music bars and clubs - fine establishments such as Spunk (Hrvatske bratske zajednice, +16151528, 7am-midnight Mon-Wed; 7am-3am Thur-Sat; 6pm-midnight Sun), a coffee-break bar for students during the day, a garage rock bar serving discerning bohos by night, and Limb (Plitvička 16 (+16171683, 9am-1am Mon-Sat), popular with older boho types who occupy the three tiny colourful rooms and the glass-enclosed terrace, both are too small to stage live acts, but are laudably fussy about the sounds they play.

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