Whether you’re in Zagreb for a while, or only for a night, trying strukli should be a non-negotiable.
The Croatian delicacy originated in Zagreb and I find it to be somewhat of cross between an Italian lasagna and a Jewish noodle kugel. Strukli has a subtle cheese flavor, luscious doughy noodles and feels like a warm hug. I found that eating strukli feels nostalgic – like a bit of Croatian soul food.
If you’re intrigued now and wondering where to try this unique dish, look no further!
This post is all about strukli – where to get it, how to order it and what it is.
Where to get traditional strukli
In Zagreb there is one restaurant that I would argue reigns supreme. La Struk, in the heart of Zagreb, is everything you could ever want from a Strukli restaurant: unassuming, unpretentious, delicious and incredibly affordable.
The restaurant itself is much like a tavern or wine cave. There are many different areas that you can sit in the restaurant from out front, in the restaurant, in the brick cave or out back in the garden. Eating in each of these different locations could really impact your experience.
Personally, I think the best place to eat is in the garden out back. It’s quiet, always full of patrons and beautifully decorated with plants.
What to order at la Struk
If big menus overwhelm you at restaurants, this place is perfect for you. The menu offers two different varieties of strukli, a few different flavors and that’s basically it.
The first decision you must make, is if you’d like the “gratinated” or “cooked” option. Personally, I much prefer the “gratinated” option, and that is what’s featured in my photos above. The “cooked” version comes served on a plate and is more similar to a soft savory crepe and only comes in one flavor – salty cheese.
The “gratinated” version comes with a few different flavor options, as well as the option to choose sweet or savory. Flavor options are: salty cheese, sweet cheese, walnuts and honey, apple and cinnamon, blueberry, truffle, roasted pepper, pumpkin seed pesto and the weekly special. If you’re a truffle lover, I would definitely give the truffle on a try because everyone around us seemed to absolutely love it.
During our time in Zagreb, we tried four different flavors. Of the savory options we tried salty cheese and roasted pepper and for the sweet we tried blueberry and honey and walnuts.
Personally, I think the sweet ones are the best. I loved both the blueberry and honey and walnut options as they provided an additional texture.
The “gratinated” strukli is cheesy, doughy, warm and creamy. Adding a bit of a crunch from nuts, or a pop from the blueberries enhances the diversity of textures and flavor profiles within the dish.
If you find yourself in Zagreb you should definitely try the strukli!
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