January 9, 2023 - As countless stories of increased prices in Croatia circulate with the adoption of the euro, meet a lucky black cat cafe in Zagreb, where things just got a little cheaper - Crni Macak.
Along with many other people who had a longer association with Culture Club Mesnicka, I was very saddened when the owner announced suddenly that the iconic cafe and alternative music venue, which also happened to be my local for the previous year, announced that it was closing, as previously reported on TCN.
Wonderful people, great events, perfect vibe. And I had only been in the neighborhood for a year, so I can only imagine what true locals felt about the closure. Thankfully, I hear that they have reopened elsewhere (if someone wants to let me know where, I will add to this article and pay a visit). And of course, in addition to being sad to see them go, it left me without a local. After years of driving all over the country to meetings - many of them in Zagreb - for a blissful year, I could organise coffee meetings just a couple of minutes from my front door.
Weeks went by until suddenly, just before New Year, the premises reopened, with a new name - Crni Macak (Black Cat). It had a different vibe, and a younger feel, but it still had lots of the charm, as well as the board games that had been there previously. There is something civilised about popping out for a pint and a game of chess.
I popped in for a pint on New Year's Eve to meet a friend and was pleasantly surprised to find that the price of my staple at that pub - a cool Niksicko bottle - was 2 kuna cheaper than before at 19 kuna, a fine start. I took a photo of the bill, for I was curious to see and document how much the price would go up the next day, as Croatia entered the Euro. There were certainly plenty of price hikes elsewhere.
I popped down last night for the first time for a cold one after a long day of vlogging and blogging (maybe a combined term could be flogging, as I was exhausted) and ordered the same. How much more was this going to cost me than a week ago?
To my VERY pleasant surprise, the price of my pint had got cheaper, down from 19 kuna to 18.84. A small reduction, perhaps, but a nice gesture from the Crni Macak team to round kuna prices down rather than up to match the new euro price. 2.50 euro for a pint in my local - I can certainly live with that.
I thanked the waitress for the pricing and asked if I could publish the two bills. She explained that they had wanted to keep the prices down and explained what Crni Macak was - the reason why the clientele was a little younger, as explained on their Facebook page:
A welcoming bar dedicated to SF, fantasy, gaming, board-gaming culture and all gaming-related things.
The first in Zagreb apparently. The cafe is a real warren of rooms, and that made it excellent for previous niche concerts. Those rooms are now given over to Dungeons and Dragons (is that still a thing, asks this Boomer?) and a host of other games - both online and off.
There is a lively list of events through the month of January. I can't say that it is particularly my scene, but I do wish these guys the very best.
And to have a local bar for my meetings and general unwinding - and at a reasonable price (a beer is 5 euro just 50 metres away) in such a good location, well - 2023 started well.
You can follow the lively programme of events on the Crni Macak Facebook page.
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