The Štrukli Pilgrimage

Stretched-thin dough wrapped around soft fresh cheese, then baked bubbling in cream until golden. Savoury or sweet, it's the comfort food of the hills around Zagreb.

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Why this dish?

Štrukli (or zagorski štruklji) come from the Zagorje, the rolling green hills north of Zagreb. Dough is stretched almost translucent, filled with fresh cottage-style cheese, then either boiled or - the better way - baked in cream until the top blisters golden and the inside goes soft and rich. The classic is savoury, but a sweet version dusted with sugar is just as beloved.

Zagreb is an easy, handsome, café-loving Central European capital that most travellers skip on the way to the coast - which is exactly its charm. A dish of baked štrukli in an old-town spot, a coffee that locals nurse for hours, the Upper Town's tiled-roof cathedral and funicular: it adds up to a lovely, low-key day out, and you'll have eaten something you'll struggle to find anywhere else.

Our Picks

La Štruk

Address: Skalinska ulica 5, Zagreb (Upper Town)
What to order: Baked savoury štrukli to start, then a sweet (walnut or blueberry) version to finish.
Book ahead: Small and popular; go off-peak or expect a short wait.
Pro tip: Have both savoury and sweet - that's the local way to do a štrukli flight.

Vinodol

Teslina 10, Zagreb

A traditional central Zagreb restaurant beloved for peka-cooked meats and the kind of Croatian classics that don't travel.

What to order: Štrukli alongside other Croatian classics - try the peka-cooked meats or a Zagorje turkey dish - with a glass of Croatian wine.

Good to know

Štrukli come baked (in cream) or boiled - baked is the richer, more popular version. Savoury and sweet are both traditional; don't be shy about ordering both. Zagreb runs on coffee culture - the long, leisurely café sit is practically a civic duty. The Upper and Lower Towns are walkable, linked by a tiny funicular.

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