We all know how important coffee is in the lives of Croats, especially if we consideri the vast amount of time we spend outside drinking coffee with friends. Sure, great interiors and comfy chairs are important, the place being Instagram-worthy also plays an important role, but those things come and go, and the taste of good, and I mean the “Oh-my-god-my-life-has-made-no-sense-until-I-tasted-this-drop-of-heaven” type of good coffee sticks with you forever.
Soooo (taps feet nervously), where can I get my daily dose of mocha, you wonder?
Here’s our Top 5:
1) Elis Cafe
This small café and roastery in Ilica is the winner of multiple best coffee, best café and best barista awards and its minimalist design really puts the focus on what’s most important – the coffee. The detailed process that goes into making a single cup will make sense as soon as you taste the warm goodness that will fill your veins with liquid happiness.
Mon – Fri: 8 a.m. – 7 p.m.
Saturday: 8 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Sunday: 9 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Ilica 63, Ilica 65
2) Café u Dvorištu
Hidden in a backyard, away from the crowd present in most central Zagreb cafés, but still just a few minutes away from Ban Jelačić Square, Café u Dvorištu is an oasis of good coffee and an even better atmosphere. You can sit down and relax in the quirky interior or spend time sunbathing outside while enjoying one of the best cups of coffee in town, locally roasted Cogito Coffee.
Mon – Thu: 9 a.m. – 11 p.m.
Saturday: 9 a.m. – 12 a.m.
Sunday: 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Jurja Žerjavića 7/2
3) Cogito Coffee Shop
Cogito Coffee Shop, Facebook
Roasters responsible for the great coffee at Café u Dvorištu have an equally hidden and equally charming bar even closer to the centre – Cogito Coffee Shop at Varšavska ulica 11. Minimalist design and tables and chairs resembling those from schools in the 1960s, together with great music, let you focus on the delicious coffee without any disturbances.
Mon – Sat: 8 a.m. – 8 p.m.
Sunday: closed
Varšavska ulica 11
4) 42 Coffee Co.
42 Coffe Co., Facebook
The urban industrial interior of this café features repurposed material from mechanic shops and most tables are by the windows so you can watch people and trams pass by. This is also one the first places in Zagreb to feature a big community table because the owners want people to socialize over drinking coffee. This gives you a great opportunity to sit down, enjoy a cup of great coffee (roasted by the owners) and get to know the locals.
Mon – Sat: 7 a.m. – 10 p.m.
Sunday: closed
Vlaška ulica 42, Zagreb
5) Express Bar
Express Bar, Facebook
Another small café in the centre with an aroma of great coffee that you can smell from miles away, is located mere steps from the Main Square. Various blends of Square Mile Coffee go through the mill every day, producing different, but always tasty results.
Mon – Fri: 7 a.m. – 11 p.m.
Saturday: 9 a.m. – 11 p.m.
Sunday: closed
Petrinjska 4
