Who would guess that the sunset in Zagreb will be so beautiful? That night after watching the sun going down in front of the Zagreb Cathedral on Kaptol my hosts brought me to a restaurant in walking distance called Stari Fijaker almost two years ago. The restaurant is pretty close to the old city just below on Mesnicka street. After that night I brought my friends there several times and recommended the place everybody traveling to Zagreb.
If you are interested in discovering local cuisines in the cities you visit and if you are not a vegetarian Stari Fijaker is the restaurant to visit in Zagreb. I would suggest to avoid eating anything stuffy for the whole day to prepare yourself for the huge meaty dinner.
I have to admit that the place looks pretty tacky but it is clean, the staff is friendly and the food is superb. Just take your time, definitely give a chance to the recommendations of the waiter and try beautiful Croatian wine varieties including sweet wines with your desserts. The menu has all the mainland Croatian cuisine items. For those who are not familiar with it is a mixture of Hungarian, Viennese and Turkish influences, rich stews, roasted pork dishes and amazing soups. It is also important that the menu is fairly priced. Order a glass of Slivovitz, the famous plum brandy of Croatia when you read your menu, you will love it.
Something else... My father used to have business relationships with factories from former Yugoslavia. His partners from there used to bring me different types of Kras chocolate when they were coming to Istanbul for meetings. All my childhood Kras was the best chocolate in the world for me. Seeing the Kras shop on Ilica street just across Stari Fijaker brought so many memories back. Don't underestimate the brand, make sure you go in and take a look. Believe me, it is delicious...
After all those if you have any energy left take a walk on Tkalciceva Ulica to blend with locals in a bar among many to taste all the different croatian brandies. My favorites are medenica (honey brandy) smokvovaca (fig brandy) and vilijamovka (pear brandy).
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