The Caffe Bar
An integral part of Croatia's social fabric
One of the things about Europe that’s always appealed to me is its cafés and its coffees (which are infinitely better than those in U.S., in my opinion). I used to attribute coffee tasting better because I was traveling and it was part of the ‘vacation elation’ (I just created that phrase!). However, after living in Zagreb for over 10 months, I can confirm that coffee is better here—and the Croatian caffe bar is an integral part of its social fabric.
My apartment building is on a short street, near the corner turn where it becomes another street. If one faces my building’s entrance, to the right there is a tobacco stand, a local fast food purveyor, and two caffe bars. To the left are four caffe bars and a fifth just around that corner. In one city block, there are SEVEN.
Caffe bars open in the morning and often close late, serving coffee, juices, mineral water, sodas, beer, wine, cocktails, rakija (Croatian spirits similar to brandy), imported spirits, and non-alcoholic drinks that mimic those with alcohol. One could spend all day in a caffe bar—and some people seem to do just that. Customers will spend hours chatting over drinks, so much so that I wonder if they have a job. The customers come in waves: before work, late morning, early afternoon, and evening. The transition from coffee to alcohol is typically late afternoon.
And just last night, I found myself seated near two young boys enjoying bottles of Hidra funkcionalna pića (functional drink). I had to pretend I was taking a selfie to capture a photo.
Hidra is made by Zagrebačka Pivovara (Zagreb Brewery), owned by Molson Coors. It is served in a bottle that resembles an alcoholic beverage, like a wine cooler or a ready-made cocktail—made with water, fructose syrup, fruit juice, barley malt, hops, etc.—except without alcohol. It comes in two flavors, lemon and orange, and is enhanced with vitamins, making it a ‘functional drink’.
As a freelancer/independent contractor, I set my own schedule most days. During my work breaks, I frequent my neighborhood caffe bars—emphasis on frequent. I go three to four times per week—officially becoming one of those people that others wonder, “Does she have a job?”
I now have my favorites. For bijela kava (white coffee, like a caffe lattè or café au lait) and cocktails, I go to Fratelli Bar. I am there so often that they know what I’ll order, depending on the time of day I arrive. It’s owned and operated by two young adult brothers, hence the name.
For a gemišt, I go downstairs to the caffe bar on the ground floor of my building, Markiz Pub. They, too, know me, greeting me as I walk by, even if I am not going that day.
While not a caffe bar, I also `have a favorite for cappuccino, a small bakery named for the family that owns it, Sršek. It’s a block and a half away from Fratelli Bar. Accompanying my drink is always one of their mini crescent rolls, which is why I return time and time again.
