As Andrea will tell you, in Zagreb you need to drink your coffee, slooowly… AND with a friend.

If you don’t enjoy drinking coffee you will not be interested in reading this post. BUT WAIT, you should listen to Andrea’s video as she talks about why taking time for a coffee in Zagreb is much more than a simple beverage with caffeine. 

So click and listen to this amusing video {Once you complete the video just hit the return symbol at the bottom left-hand corner to bring it back to the beginning}.

It was not hard for us to immediately fall for Zagreb’s charm, as finding time to socialize with coffee is always the right thing to do in this city. We like the way you think Zagreb.

When we first arrived here we read up on the coffee scene and made notes on some    favourite spots, based on the quality of the coffee and the atmosphere of the café.

Here are a few of our favourites so far:

Velvet café has two locations, which are side by side.  It’s very difficult to decide which one to go too as they are both very comfortable, have beautiful décor and  cozy atmosphere. They have impeccable coffee and a great selection of viennoise style desserts which my dessert lover adores. No sense me looking for leftover dessert, it’s gone already!😊

Velvet Café #1    Dežmanova ul. 9,  A post on the Velvet Facebook page reads, “It is my great honour to inform you that Velvet cafe is the first in the world to offer a free reading zone! From today you can enjoy unlimited and uninterrupted access to thousands of books!” Bravo Velvet!

I just love the décor in this café. They have definitely made this place a unique spot. With their comfy sofas and pillows, it simply makes you want to lounge there forever as you sip away on your cup of kava.! We noticed it can get pretty busy there at times. On this particular day (below) it was a warm outside so most locals were out in the café’s courtyard. We basically had the whole place to ourselves.

 

Velvet café #2  .  Dežmanova ul. 9, 

No 2 location has a relaxed boutique-style décor which was definitely done with good taste. Love the beautiful lamp fixtures. Both locations have great, friendly staff . I think in both locations you’ll consistently get great coffee, service and yummy sweets!

 

Amélie café -Vlaška ul. 6,

After a whirlwind morning which began at the Dolac market then visiting other sites in the city, it was nice later that afternoon to soak up the sunshine on the terrace of Amélie’s café. Since then, this café has become one of our favourites when it’s nice outside . We always get tempted by their delicious French-style desserts and we fail to resist to them each time! 😊They also have a bit of seating inside the café which is cozy and fun.

 

Botaničar – Trg Marka Marulića 6

Botaničar is a café near the Botanical Gardens. The café has retro furnishings which includes bright green leather sofas. The café’s décor appears to have been inspired by the nearby gardens as there is a lot of greenery with beautiful plants inside. Because it is close to the university, the day we were there we were accompanied by a number of students. The jazz music they were playing that afternoon was awesome 🎷.

 

Eli’s Café – Ilica 63 

This cafe has a simple but nice modern décor. The interior is quite dark, but it’s a relaxing vibe. The day we were in here they were playing some of our old favourites. The reason we were drawn to this café is that we read beforehand that they roast their own coffee beans and supply it to half-dozen cafés in the city. Great coffee. Nice & strong.

 

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From what we have seen so far, there appears to be two types of places to enjoy coffee in Zagreb. You have tons and tons of café/bars that are open most of the day and they serve both Expresso coffee and alcohol. They usually have both indoor and outdoor seating.

 

You’ll often see some of the outdoor cafés with chairs facing the street for people watching.

 

And then you have the smaller cafés which we seem to be more drawn too.

 

BUT what variety, it is simply HEAVENLY ! One other interesting fact is that in both location type you are served at your table by a waiter. You never just order coffee at the counter. What service! As well we’ve never paid more than $5.00(Can) for two quality coffees made with espresso beans. Not bad at all! With a pastry, about $8.00.

Lastly, I give in, we have to admit openly to something. We are a bit ashame 🙈of ourselves. Two weeks in Zagreb and we still can’t seem to do as the locals, which is staying the same amount of time in cafés as the locals do. We go in, see some people around, but then these same people are still sitting there sipping on their coffee, chatting away when we leave. Okay, we definitely need to get our act together the next two weeks and get even more relaxed here to fit in! 😊

We’ll be back with some more wonderful coffee news later I’m sure. In the meantime, remember to drink it slooowly next time you invite a friend out for a coffee!