Getting Drunk with Locals: 10 Best Local Bars in Zagreb, Croatia
In Zagreb, they dig drinking and love music. The two aren’t mutually exclusive, so ditch your hostel-mates for the night to find natives who will appreciate your drunken singing. This is OTP’s top 10 places to drink like (and with) the locals of Zagreb.
Cica-cica means “the boob” in Croatian. Suckle the teet juice, like rakijas or schnapps, in this tiny, eclectic hangout. Outside, there are washers and dryers that double as tables, while inside, you’ll find sinks to belly up to. Plus, it’s right in the heart of it all on Tkalciceva Street, around the corner from the kebab shop of your dreams.
Maraschino Bar
Named after the sweet cherry liqueur from Zadar, Maraschino Bar pushes the swank-o-meter needle way up. The two-story bar is housed in a former grocery store, and while you won’t find any Croatian staples on the shelves, they’re well stocked on booze. It’s popular with the young and casual crowd, especially on the weekends when they crank up the music and it gets packed and smokey.
Route 66
Route 66 is Zagreb’s requisite rocker bar. Billy Wyman and Cliff Williams from AC/DC have downed some moonshine here (evidenced by the signed photos), so be ready to rock out with your cock out. There are pool tables and foosball for you gamers, pizza and hot dogs for the grazers and, in the summer, there’s a little garden outside for the sun-loving types.
Are you young? Are you laid back? Do you fancy yourself an intellectual? In Croatian, KIC stands for “cultural information center,” and they do their best here to mix booze with cultural events like movie nights, lectures and photography exhibitions. This artsy bar is located on the 2nd floor of a building with views of Preradovic Square. Expect to be mentally stimulated until everyone is too drunk to care.
Walk by Titus and there’s a solid chance you’ll see someone inside playing a guitar under the arched ceiling. Or an accordion. Or DJ’ing tunes from old vinyl records. This bar puts the chill in “chillaxin” and is a cozy place to park it with a beer and listen to live music almost every night of the week. If you’re a one-man band, Titus is your chance for Croatian stardom.
Kolas
The snuggie of boozeries, this small brick basement bar is usually rammed with locals who nestle in for the drinking long haul, although it’s a popular stop for a nightcap as well. Here, you can listen to well-chosen indie tunes that are the perfect compliment to the Bohemian backdrop. Kolas translates to “locals”; thank you Zagreb for making our job easier.
Photo by: spottedbylocals.com
Rainbow Bright would have an orgasm with the amount of visual noise Klub Kino Gric is spewing. The walls are paneled vertically in a range of colored wood, with bright tables and chairs that punctuate the psychedelic landscape. Klub Kino Gric is both a club and a bar. The club: open Thursday-Saturday with free entrance. The bar: on one of the three front floors that are often used for art exhibitions. There’s also a comfy projection room where you can catch a flick with your cocktail. It gets super crowded in the evenings, so lube up your elbows to slide right in.
Photo by: mattrfield
Set in an old hi-fi store, this bar is superior in both the drinking and music scene. It’s lively and popular with everyone, from younger hipsters to aging rockers. It feels like a cool pub with Guinness ads and photos of Frank Zappa and The Doors all over the walls.
Naked fluorescent lightbulbs (aka you will look like a zombie) make up Krivi Put’s peculiar decor. Patrons drink under primary-colored light bulbs that dangle above sparse artwork and photographs that are highlighted with strip lighting. There’s a bar counter at one end, and a small stage at the other where rock bands set-up on Tuesday nights.
Limb
If Google was smart enough to understand “Zagreb bar, opposite of touristy,” a picture of Limb would be the top search result. Limb is underground, which hides it from wandering fannypackers. The bar consists of two itty bitty colorful rooms, and a glass-enclosed terrace with a tree in the middle. The crowd is slightly older here, but always artistic. And they love bobbing their heads to the weekend DJ’s who spin funky club tunes.
Be prepared: People in Zagreb are damn friendly and hitting up any of these spots puts you at risk of authentic fun times and cultural immersion. Clear some space on your facebook friendlist and add some Croatians to the mix.
I’m Kyle, a 2002 graduate of UC Santa Barbara with a degree in English and Art History. My studies also include time at Cambridge University, but short of picking up phrases like “cheers” and an affinity for “a good curry,” the experience was more social than academic. In addition to fashionable beers and cuisines from far-flung places, I started embracing things like currency conversions and the metric system. In other words, it was when the travel bug nestled in for the long-haul.
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Love it! This is a great list
I have to mention, Kic has the BEST hot mulled wine in the entire city (also known as kuhano vino in Croatian). They serve it everywhere but it’s always watered down but at Kic it’s the best!