ZAGREB - Croatia and Slovenia - page 128

breakfast, air-con, free Wi-Fi, free parking, lockers, Varšavska 8, tel. [phone], mobile
091-511-5341, www.hostel-shappy.com , [e-mail] ) .
$ Fulir Backpackers Inn, a funky slumbermill named for a legendary Zagrebian bon
vivant, is loosely run by Leo, a can-do Croat who once lived in Ohio. It's colorful, friendly,
and youthful, with a big 10-bunk dorm (€14/€12), two six-bed rooms (€16/€14), and a quad
(€18/€16). Located in an old house just a few steps from Jela č i ć Square, this hostel puts
you in the heart of Zagreb (includes sheets, no breakfast, free lockers, free guest computer
and Wi-Fi, self-service laundry, upstairs at the end of the courtyard at Radi ć eva 3a, tel. 01/
483-0882, mobile [phone], www.fulir-hostel.com , [e-mail] ).
Eating in Zagreb
As a cosmopolitan European capital, Zagreb enjoys a refreshingly varied restaurant scene.
It'salsoagoodvalue;whilemostofthetouristytownsinthisbookhaveinflated-for-tourists
prices, most diners here are natives, and competition to lure value-conscious local foodies
keeps things affordable. Traditional Zagreb-area cuisine is hearty peasant grub—sausage,
sauerkraut, potatoes, sarma (cabbage rolls)—that seems more “Eastern European” than the
seafood, pizza, and pastas of the coast. But consider skipping traditional Croatian food al-
together here in Zagreb—the city provides some desperately needed diversity (non-Croa-
tian options are limited almost everywhere else in the country). Look beyond restaurants,
too:Severalenticingsandwichshops,chichibakeries,andgourmetcoffeebarsarescattered
around the center, catering to businesspeople on their lunch breaks.
People-Watching and Coffee-Sipping
(See “Zagreb” map, here .)
One of my favorite Zagreb pastimes is lingering over a drink or meal along its thriving
people zones, watching an endless parade of fashionable locals saunter past, and wondering
why they don't create such an inviting space in my hometown. The best place is on
Tkal č i ć eva street, Zagreb's main café street and urban promenade rolled into one. It's a
parade of fashionable locals and the place to see and be seen (starts a block behind Jela č i ć
Square, next to the market). I've listed my favorite Tkal č i ć eva eateries next. Honorable
mention goes to Trg Petra Preradovi ć a, an inviting square just a short walk from Jela č i ć
Square (up Ilica street) that bustles with appealing outdoor cafés and bars.
Downtown Zagreb abounds with boutique bakeries and dessert shops. If you'd like a
sweet treat with your coffee, it's generally fine to buy a pastry elsewhere, then eat it with
coffee ordered at an outdoor café—provided that café doesn't serve food of its own.