Andrea Pisac

If you’re the sort of person who dives into a new place through food and drink, there’s a thing or two you should know about Zagreb cafés. Kafić, Croatian for café, is a go-to place for drinks of all sorts. With their morning to midnight concept, they’re surprisingly avant guard with their drinks schedule. Coffee is served until wee hours just as spirits, like Croatian rakija, flow freely at the start of the day. On a typical café’s menu, the usual line-up is orchestral rather than soloist: coffee and tea, soft drinks, wine, beer, spirits and sometimes cocktails. But if you’re looking to pair that dark espresso with a chocolate cake or craft beer with burger and chips, this is where the tune stops. Because of a long tradition of eating at home, Croats haven’t missed food at cafés. The golden rule was: eat your breakfast or dinner at home, then meet friends for coffee or drinks. But the winds of change are slowly stirring up. And they’re especially favourable for those who want more than a generic drink.       Cafés are showing a real passion for their brews, like Eliscaffe, run by the four-time Croatian barista champion Nik Orosi. This place where specialty coffees roasted on site are made to perfection and are sipped with equally sumptuous ‘Mak na konac’ desserts has redefined Zagreb coffee culture. Everywhere else in the city coffee is a drink; at Eliscaffe coffee is art. Not long ago, expecting to have breakfast in a Zagreb café would end in disappointment. Locals either