The Best Way to Explore Zagreb Might Just Be On Your Plate

From bustling food markets and Michelin-starred restaurants to lively street food festivals, Croatia’s capital is emerging as one of central Europe’s most exciting culinary destinations

What Makes Zagreb’s Culinary Scene Unique?

Zagreb’s combination of central European and Slavic culinary traditions, modern bistros, innovative chefs and farm-to-table freshness has created a culinary scene that’s both distinct and delicious.

Food Markets

The city’s food markets, or tržnice, are vibrant hubs of daily life. Welcoming visitors since 1930, Dolac Market is the city’s largest and most iconic food market. This revered food hall and farmers market sits just steps behind the main Ban Jelačić Square. It’s known as “the Belly of Zagreb,” an affectionate moniker that describes the market’s role as a focal point of the city’s food culture, where culinary heritage and fresh ingredients meet with creative chefs and modern-day kitchens.

The market’s open-air section features fresh seasonal fruits and vegetables, as well as vendors specializing in locally produced honey and artisanal olive oil. In its covered lower level, butchers, bakers and regional dairy vendors selling sir i vrhnje (a traditional Croatian mixture of fresh cottage cheese and sour cream) set up shop. Beside the outdoor plaza, a separate indoor ribarnica (fish market) section features fresh daily catches from the Adriatic Sea.

The entire market is an immersive sensory experience, from the earthy scent of freshly picked chanterelles to the colorful, pompom-shaped blooms of mimosa flowers, which can be used for teas and salads. It’s also just one of Zagreb’s many neighborhood food markets. Others include the bustling Trešnjevka Market southwest of the city center, Utrina Marketplace, known for its impressive selection of premium meats and cheeses, and Kvatrić Market, with its smaller, more intimate selection of regional specialties.

Restaurants

Zagreb’s top restaurants fuse Croatian food traditions with contemporary culinary techniques. In addition, they utilize farm-to-table principles, sourcing fresh, seasonal produce daily. It’s a city brimming with gastronomic diversity: a place where you’ll find rustic, family-run taverns serve hearty, continental Croatian fare like štrukli (baked cheese pastry), while vibrant new bistros reinterpret local recipes with international influences and innovative, seasonal flair.

Located in central Zagreb, Kiyomi combines contemporary Pan-Asian flavors with a sleek, minimalist aesthetic. Matej Rebernišak

Dubravkin Put, a Michelin-starred restaurant near Zagreb’s main square, is known for its Mediterranean cuisine, raw fish specialties, and extensive wine collection. Domagoj Kunić

Noel, Zagreb’s first Michelin-starred restaurant, has held its star since 2019 and is known for blending traditional Croatian cuisine with avant-garde French-inspired techniques. Domagoj Kunić

Zagreb is home to two Michelin-starred dining establishments. Noel, the city’s first restaurant to earn a Michelin star—and one that it has held since 2019—is a place where culinary artistry takes center stage. Its creative tasting menus blend traditional Croatian roots with avant-garde French-inspired techniques. Michelin-starred Dubravkin Put sits within a cozy urban woodland just steps from Zagreb’s main square. The restaurant specializes in Mediterranean cuisine, particularly raw fish, and features an extensive wine bar with over 500 labels.

But while both restaurants have helped catapult Zagreb to the international gastronomic stage, they are just the beginning of the city’s Michelin-recommended offerings. These include places like Nav, known for its seasonally focused 12-course tasting menu, the Mediterranean-inspired casual bistro Beštija, and Tekka, an intimate dining establishment where Japanese specialties range from sashimi to tempura. Another standout is Kiyomi, a contemporary Pan-Asian restaurant in the heart of the city that pairs Japanese-inspired minimalist design with a menu centered on sushi, dim sum, and robata-grilled specialties. Both the Esplanade Zagreb Hotel’s Le Bistro, which fuses traditional Croatian cuisine with French flair, and the hotel’s modern showcase of high gastronomy, Zinfandel’s, also promote zero food waste and sustainability—increasingly important aspects of Zagreb’s contemporary food scene.

For an updated list of the city’s exceptional dining spots, visit the official Michelin Guide.

Culinary Festivals

Throughout the year, Zagreb is home to a diverse array of culinary festivals that transform the city’s historic squares and parks into open-air dining extravaganzas. From traditional Croatian holiday eats to a rotating lineup of Zagreb’s top restaurateurs, you won’t leave hungry.

From late November through early January, Zagreb converts into a culinary winter wonderland. Advent Zagreb brings more than 25 individual markets to different neighborhoods of the city. The overall event treats both residents and visitors alike to immersive light shows, a massive outdoor ice-skating rink, and dozens of wooden stalls where traditional holiday foods, such as sarma (cabbage rolls) and buncek (pork knuckle), turn Croatia’s capital into “grandma’s kitchen.” Many local eateries add related seasonal offerings to their menus, with even Michelin-starred and -recommended restaurants partaking in the festivities.

The Esplanade Zagreb Hotel illuminated with colorful holiday lights at night, overlooking a busy Advent Zagreb market with food stalls, outdoor seating, and festive decorations. — Advent Zagreb lights up the Esplanade Zagreb Hotel, where the popular Fooling Around food event brings together top chefs, festive décor, and gourmet holiday fare during the city’s annual winter celebration. Julien Duval

The gastronomic epicenter of this beloved event is Fooling Around, a buzzy gourmet street food fair held daily on the terrace of the Esplanade Zagreb Hotel. Here, some of the city’s top chefs and mixologists offer creative takes on Croatian holiday staples, from black risotto arancini balls to honey-infused brandies. These street-style samplings provide the perfect opportunity to taste your way through Zagreb’s most impressive gourmet offerings.

When the weather warms, more than 20 rotating Zagreb restaurateurs head to the city’s Kvaternik Square Market, transforming the space into PLACe Market, a dynamic Friday evening culinary hub. Chefs craft their own street food specialties, from innovative Thai dishes to gourmet burgers and street tacos, each utilizing fresh, local ingredients. Large communal tables bring patrons together to sit, dine, and socialize, giving the market a celebratory air. The event takes place twice annually, from April through October and again from late August through October.

Held at Zagreb’s Trešnjevka Market during summer, Plac Mljac mixes live music with festive light displays and plenty of delectable foods. Both local and international dishes abound at this al fresco night market, which is also the perfect place for sampling an array of craft beers and cocktails. It’s family friendly as well, with creative workshops geared toward kids.

People seated at small outdoor tables around a fountain in a Zagreb park at dusk, with trees, lanterns, and soft lighting creating an inviting atmosphere. — Long summer evenings in Zagreb offer foodies plenty of chances to dine al fresco, savoring meals under the stars. Julien Duval

Each spring, Beats & Bites Festival brings daily pop-up culinary experiences together with live DJs, street food stands, and cocktail bars for an 11-day open-air extravaganza. Taste your way through bites ranging from smash dogs to lasagna-like štrukli, sip wonderfully innovative cocktails, or engage in games of table tennis or wine-and-paint workshops. The event takes place in Zagreb’s Mažuranac Park, typically in May.

Croatia’s largest vegan festival features three full days of sustainable, plant-based gastronomy. Held each autumn at central Zagreb’s Ban Jelačić Square, ZeGeVege Festival offers a diverse array of vegan dishes, like thick, slow-cooked vegetable stew, falafel wraps, and pan-fried Japanese dumplings. Visitors can also enjoy culinary workshops, browse organic groceries and sustainable goods ranging from bamboo toothbrushes to solar cookers.

Experiencing Zagreb’s Culinary Richness for Yourself

From innovative bistros to buzzing annual night markets, Zagreb’s culinary scene is blooming. With so much to experience, these handy tools can help curate the city’s gastronomic offerings especially for your tastes. They also support innovation, professionalism, and sustainability within the local community.

Along with being a portal to carefully curated food establishments—from the city’s top restaurants and bistros to its innovative brewpubs and patisseries—Delicious Zagreb features stories and recommendations straight from Zagreb’s chefs, sommeliers, restaurant owners, and cocktail experts. Discover the city’s best summer terraces, learn where to stop for a pre-theater aperitif and get insider tips to Zagreb’s tastiest spots. You’ll also find recipes utilizing Croatia’s freshest ingredients.

Created in collaboration with the Zagreb Tourist Board, Ana Cooks, Zagreb Loves is a video series that highlights renowned Croatian chef Ana Ugarković as she explores the culinary soul of Croatia's capital. You’ll see Ugarković preparing stuffed peppers in Zagreb’s beloved Maksimir Park, making a white bean stew atop Sljeme—the region’s famed mountain peak—and visiting the city’s Esplanade Zagreb Hotel to share the story behind its homemade štrukli. The show is a perfect way to experience the city’s culinary offerings and how they tie into its historic and cultural fabric.