Weather permitting, every Friday this month, Dolac is playing host to a night market with street-food stands, a central bar, a DJ and a buzzing atmosphere. With a wide variety of locally sourced food options, there’s something for everyone to enjoy on Friday evenings right in the heart of Zagreb.
Along two parallel sides of the market’s parameters, steam rises into the air as workers in multiple street-food stands cook up a variety of meals for eager customers. Two or three metres inwards, visitors sit to eat, drink and natter in rows of communal table-benches, although some prefer the more intimate setting of two and four-seater tall tables dotted throughout the venue.
At the far end from the main entrance, a DJ provides the playlist to which customers bop their heads while waiting in line at the central bar to order their drinks. The overall atmosphere this creates – with fusing aromas and the backdrop of music and chatter – is lively.
The PLACe market project is billed as a revitalisation of Croatia’s marketplace, aiming to bring locals and tourists alike into contact with high-quality, locally sourced food and to emphasise the potential of the marketplace in this day and age. By bringing Zagreb its first night market concept, PLACe shows that the city’s farmers’ markets can become places to socialise while exposing the public to the local gastronomic traditions and offerings of local vendors.
For those interested in good food and a vibrant atmosphere, Friday evenings at PLACe market are a must – but be warned! PLACe market runs only if the weather permits, and is gone at the end of October – so be quick!
Open Weather permitting Oct 13, 20 & 27, 6pm-midnight. Location Dolac market (up the staircase at the bottom of ulica Ivana Tkalčićeva).