Pivovara Medvedgrad

 

One of favorite places all year round, in winter large inner dining place divided in three smaller. Always busy but not crowded, warm but not hot, and well aerated. In summer outside space, in shade of hundred year old lime tree, far from heavy traffic, and city rush. Every day menu is supplemented with seasonal homemade dish. Often in summer months with food and beer you can hear live music. Lunch with salad and beer costs less than 10 euro.

Our first night in Zagreb is a Sunday. Most shops and all restaurants seemed to be closed on Sundays. So when my wife and I came came across this beer garden, we just had to stay for a few beers and food. It's about a 10 minutes (3 block) walk west from the Westin Hotel. The neighborhood it's in is not in a tourist section by any means, so I am glad we didn't venture over here too late. But, once here, we were glad we came. It was a nice night out, so we sat in the beer garden. We ordered a round of beers from a really quick waiter, who seemed to be serving the entire garden. It's right off the street, with an enclosed garden filled with picnic tables. The waiter didn't speak a lot of English, but just pointing at the menu worked. They brewed five beers: lager (3.8% abv), dark ale (4.0), extra strong dark ale (7.0), wheat beer (4.6), and black lager (4.0). I had a 0.5l of the extra strong dark ale and the dark ale, and both were pretty good. Food was also very good. I had a smoked ham hock plate with all the sides. Beers cost only like 3 Euros for a 0.5l, and food was also very reasonable. On the way out, we stepped into the restaurant indoors. Very cool looking. It had that old beer hall vibe going, with long communal tables and dark wood. We were glad that we wandered over here to eat, and didn't decide to look for something better. This place was more than good enough to satisfy two hungry (and thirsty) travelers.