September 20, 2021 - 10 days of burger heaven comes to an end with the top prizes at the Zagreb Burger Festival 2021 taken by visiting chefs from other parts of Croatia.

Now in its sixth year, the Zagreb Burger Festival 2021 sported a new location and several new participants, in addition to old friends, as the Croatian capital showcased the diversity and excellence of the Croatian burger scene. What was once a fairly standard product has expanded considerably in recent years, with all kinds of innovation to the traditional burger concept. 

This year's event was a considerable sales success for the participants, some of whom reported record sales over the 10 days, as the event took place in a new and very relaxed location in Franje Tudjman Park, a short walk west of the centre. 

In addition to the excellent burgers and live music, one of the most eagerly-awaited moments of the festival is the award ceremony for the best burger. This has become a prestigious award over the years, as more attention is paid to quality burgers. The Zagreb Burger Festival is the leading burger festival in the region, but there are several others which have debuted since its inception. 

This year's winner travelled the furthest to be in Zagreb. Marko Bautovic of Guloso in Dubrovnik, was a first-time participant, and he walked away with the Zagreb Burger Festival 2021 gold.  

Silver went to the impressive Reshetka International from Varazdin, one of the stars in recent years. The 2021 silver medal hangs next to bronze (2018), silver (2020), and gold (2019). It has been an award-winning year for the Reshetka burgers, which also took silver at the recent Belgrade Burger Festival, followed by gold in Siroki Brijeg in Hercegovina. 

There was also a local presence on the podium, as The Burger Bar in Zagreb took the bronze. 

The new location at Franje Tudjman Square worked well, with plenty of space in the park for the kids to run around, as well as various play facilties, while the adults chatted with friends over a beer and burger. A great event, and one which is a strong addition to Zagreb's growing culinary reputation and calendar. 

Want to learn more about the Croatian capital? Check out the TC Zagreb in a Page guide.  

September 12, 2021 - The return of a much-loved gourmet event in the Croatian capital, as the 2021 Zagreb Burger Festival kicks off.

The Zagreb gourmet scene has changed dramatically in the last 10 years, and the city is now attracting plenty of plaudits for its diverse and enticing culinary scene.  

In addition to a much wider selection of choice of cuisine, there is an increasing focus on food and festivals, and one firm favourite event which is now firmly embedded into the tourism calendar is back for its 2021 edition in a new location. 

The Zagreb Burger Festival opened yesterday and will continue daily from midday until 23:00 (and 01:00 on Fridays and Saturdays) until September 19.

After years in the same location at Strossmayer Square, the event has moved slightly to the west for this year's edition, to Dr Franje Tudjman square (just off Ilica), where 9 main stands will be offering you the best and most creative burger treats. 

Since its inception, the Zagreb Burger Festival has caught the imagination and creativity of some of Croatia's top chefs, and the annual competition to win the coveted title of Best Burger at Zagreb Burger Festival is always keenly contested. Last year's winners are above. 

There is also a lively music programme... but now to meet some of th stars of the festival - the burgers themselves. Which one has your name on it?

You can follow the latest from the festival on the Zagreb Burger Festival page. 

ZAGREB, 4 Sept, 2021 - The Zagreb Burger Festival will be held in Trg Franje Tuđmana Square in Zagreb from 10 to 19 September.

The sixth edition of this event features burger makers from Zagreb, Šibenik, Dubrovnik and Varaždinske Toplice.

As many as 10 participants will take pat in the contest as part of the festival which will be organised in compliance with the COVID epidemiological rules.

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Zagreb, September 7, 2020 – TCN covered the opening of Zagreb Burger Festival . Now we bring you our One Minute video, showing all the most delicious burgers and capturing the vibe happening right now in central Zagreb

This year, for the fifth time, the kings of street food – burgers – are back at Zagreb Burger Festival. Until September 13, you can try several dozen types of burgers - from prime beef, game, fish and veggie versions, or those in coloured red, green, and black brioche buns.

For those who want to visit the Zagreb Burger Festival and enjoy a drink, there are also cocktail masters, as well as a special stand intended for gin lovers. Of course, beer is also served, as well as soft drinks.

Kids can also have fun at the specially prepared Zagreb Burger Festival Kid’s Zone, which has trampolines. One stand is also dedicated to desserts, so visitors can sweeten up with ice cream and cakes after the burgers.

Due to this year's ongoing Coronavirus situation, the number of catering houses is reduced from last year's 27 to 14. To make it easier for people to keep their distance, plants are set up as part of the festival exterior. A green oasis has been created!

Make the most of the nice weather during the late summer - head down to the Zagreb Burger festival, where you can lounge on the beds, sit on the grass, soak up the vibes and feel like you’re on a picnic.

Zagreb Burger Festival is accompanied by great music, welcoming DJs and performers to the festival's elevated stage.

To get a closer look at the atmosphere, check out TCN's One Minute video, which captures all the best burgers and all the best vibes.

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September 2, 2020 - The most mouth-watering burgers and all the best vibes from today's opening of Zagreb Burger Festival 2020

The sun was out as Zagreb Burger Festival 2020 kicked off today in Strossmayer Park, in the heart of the Croatian capital. People lounged in deck chairs, sipped gin and tonic or beer while enjoying a relaxed musical soundtrack and carefree vibes.

Here we bring you the best photos of the day, plus details of some of the mouth-watering burgers on offer this year.




Rešetka

There is to be no judged competition this year. Instead, visitors can scan a code on the receipt they receive to vote for their favourite burger. Rešetka, last year's winners, have three contenders at Zagreb Burger Festival 2020; E, Buraz, a beef patty served with chicken liver pâté, smoked garlic cream and cucumber relish, Đurina Frende, a dry-aged tenderloin beefsteak patty, served with rocket pesto and a brown butter mayonnaise, Divji Đuro, a mixed beef, and wild deer meat burger, served with a leek and sour cream spread and a ragu of forest mushrooms. E, Buraz and Divji Đuro were the best two burgers we tried all day (we tried a lot)!




The Garden Kitchen and their wonderful Veggie Deluxe

The Garden Kitchen has four burgers; Smokey DD is a double beef patty with two slices of smoked cheese, BBQ mayo, sliced red onion, and dill pickle. A favourite of The Garden Festival site, they sold over 25, 000 of these burgers in 2019. Their Decadent burger is made from aged rib eye, with grilled onion, truffle mayo, cheddar cheese, and rocket. Top marks to them this year for also offering the only two non-meat versions available – Veggie Deluxe, a vegetarian burger made from falafel with grated courgette, served with hummus, grilled pepper, lemon garlic mayo, and salad, plus Asian Fusion, a burger made with spiced salmon, served with dill pickle, horseradish mayo and salad.


The chefs line up

At Chef's Burger by Ivan Pažanin, they're going all out and only doing double patties at Zagreb Burger Festival 2020. Their Basil Garlic Burger is served with rocket, tomato, onion, and, of course, basil and garlic. With kapula being a Dalmatian word for onion, you can guess the slant of their Crispy Kapula - crispy onion, honey mustard, onion marmalade, fried onion, and pickled jalapeno. Their Original Cheeseburger comes with tomato, pickle, mustard, mayo and ketchup.




Rešetka had the best burgers that TCN tried this year (although the fish and veggie options at The Garden Kitchen were amazing!)

At Zagreb's Cheese Bar, there's a struggle to translate all the ingredients into English. Between several members of laughing staff and TCN's best guesses, we think their menu is as follows; Debs is a double burger served with škripavac cheese, tomato, salad and pickle. Wild is a burger made from wild boar and deer meat served with salad. Gorgo is a beef burger with gorgonzola cheese, Boško u maramici uses an Istrian beef and their Classic is reassuringly standard. Each of their burgers comes with its own special sauce.

Latin fusion outlet El Toro's burgers are all made with Black Angus beef. Their Classic comes with fried onions, an Emmental-type cheese, and salad. Deep Cheese uses Cheddar cheese and pickled fennel, Smokey again has Cheddar cheese, but with caramelised onions and a smokey, spicy BBQ sauce.

Rougemarin has a cheeseburger and a normal burger, plus a smaller Buhtla option for kids. As with their Zagreb restaurants, all of the meat they've brought to Zagreb Burger Festival 2020 is of high quality and is carefully sourced within a couple of hours drive from the capital.

Kascheta's main burger is made using Cheddar cheese, crispy bacon, fried and caramelized onions, mixed salad and BBQ sauce. Hambanjeros has Slavonian black pig bacon, caramelized onions, pickled jalapenos and BBQ sauce. Say Cheese has Cheddar, plus cheese sauce and onion rings, their Smoke Burger uses smoked buffalo mozzarella and. Their XXL Crni Burger is once again the most startling-looking burger of the event as it's served in a black bun. Black bread?? Eye-catching? Yes. Appetising? Hmmm.

Burger Institute has three options, each named after the leads in Sergio Leone's classic western; The Good is a pretty standard burger, livened with a light lime ketchup. The Bad has a red pepper relish, spicy mayo, and pumpkin seeds. The Ugly adds bacon, BBQ sauce and jalapeno peppers.

Zagreb Burger Festival runs until 13th September.

All photos © Mateo Henec

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July 13, 2020 - In their first venture to the Croatian coast, Rešetka's summer menu brings fine-dining quality to seaside streets in 2020

Sometimes you just want a burger, a sandwich, or something you can just eat from your hands. But, just because you haven't got the time or can't be bothered with the faff of fine dining, that doesn't mean you're volunteering for a drastic drop in quality.

That's where Rešetka comes in. Street food providers renowned for sourcing and selling only quality meats, the grill specialists have been a highlight of Zagreb Burger Fest and several pop-ups in recent times. This summer, the experience that has won over the Croatian capital's burger connoisseurs can be found instead along the coast.

Rešetka owner Nikola Božić has embarked on the summer venture with chef Katarina Vrenc. You'll be able to find their new concept 'Fine Street Food by Reshetka & Katarina Vrenc' at several pop-up locations along the Adriatic this summer. They'll be visiting Istria, Kvarner and Dalmatia, including the islands of Cres and Pag.


Rešetka and Đurina Hiža are renowned for using only high quality, locally sourced produce within their dishes including, this year, beef from a hybrid of Japan's famed wagyu and Holstein, sourced from the first range herd of its kind in Croatia © Rešetka

With a commitment to cooking only with high quality, locally sourced produce and ingredients, the team is known to use premium meats and seafood for their dishes. This year they will offer beef from a hybrid of Japan's famed wagyu and Holstein, sourced from the first range herd of its kind in Croatia. Within a summer menu that combines the best of continental and coastal Croatian ingredients, you'll also find superior snacks such as rich pork belly paired with octopus.

Nikola Božić is also the proprietor of Đurina Hiža near Varaždinske Toplice. As recently covered in TCN, thanks to some quick and positive thinking, though the restaurant closed for a while in the Coronavirus lockdown, Nikola was able to adapt his business in order to remain successful during the period; relying on high quality, locally sourced ingredients, he became a bridge between the small producers he'd spent time finding, and those shopping online from their homes. Their 'Deda Goes Around the World' service delivered meats and other produce throughout Croatia during the restaurant's temporary closure.

If you're planning to visit Dubrovnik, Biograd, Pula, Premantura or Split this summer and can't face another pizza slice, kebab or burger of questionable origin, be sure to look out for the Rešetka logo. Fine Street Food by Reshetka & Katarina Vrenc will visit Plavica Bar on island Cres on 7 & 8 August and the Michelin-starred Boškinac on Pag in the middle of September. Further inland, they'll also be available at the High Grounds Festival in Varaždinske Toplice on 31 July, 1 & 2 August. Grab yourself a handful of delicious food and pick a spot to watch the stunning Croatian sunset, the Adriatic coast and its breathtaking backdrop has long been lacking exactly this standard of street food to accompany.


© Rešetka

September 8, 2019 - Burger lovers, rejoice! Croatia’s favorite street food festival is coming back to Croatia’s capital this month - and after last season’s 170,000 visitors, we can only expect the best from the next Zagreb Burger Festival.

Namely, Jutarnji List reports that the Zagreb Burger Festival powered by TABASCO® opens its doors at Strossmayer Square for the fourth time, from September 12 to 22, to the delight of many foodies and followers of the increasingly popular burger fad. 

Visitors to the festival will have the chance to treat their taste buds to a bevy of burgers, discover what's new in the Croatian gastronomic scene, and indulge in the impossible combinations turned delightful delicacies. 

Twenty excellent burger masters from Zagreb, Ljubljana, Osijek and Rijeka will show their creativity and skill. The TABASCO® Burger Bar will run under the baton of renowned chef Mate Jankovic, The Garden Bar&Kitchen, Good Food, Lars&Sven, Rougemarin, Raclette Burgers&Fries, Bistro Grill Deno, Burger bar, Maredo Grill, El Toro, Submarine Burger, Kascheta, BarBaQ, Reshetka by Đurina Hiža, Barcode Mitra, Brewbites, Torpedo burger, American bar Dollar, Špiro and Bread Club

The plant-based popular BEYOND burgers, which many world-class chefs are grilling thanks to the hype, will premiere at the Zagreb Burger Festival, and visitors will also be able to taste colorful creations from unusual vegetable and protein pairings to slightly "alcoholic” burgers and ones that make you sweat. But that's not all - the burgers on show will also be accompanied by juicy steaks enriched with Kikkoman soy sauces, which are made by natural fermentation according to the traditional Japanese recipe.

The ‘b’ theme continues at the Burger festival with a craft cocktail bar and craft beers. Namely, the Garden Brewery, G3 Spirits Whiskey bar, and other craft beers will be on offer, while cocktail lovers will find it hard to leave the Cocktail Bar Rakijarnica & Mangosta or Jamnica Bar & Marina Nekić. The wine-os in the group won’t be forgotten about either thanks to Jerusalem Ormož wines. Those who enjoy a side of sweetness with their salty kick can enjoy Le Kolač and Robert Hromalić, who can hardly wait to present their sumptuous pastries at the festival for the first time. 

An excellent music program and a playroom for the smallest attendees can also be expected. 

Food competitions, craft beer brews, specialty burgers, imaginative cocktails, desserts and children's activities - we think that’s enough to visit the Zagreb Burger Festival, right?

To read more about lifestyle in Croatia, follow TCN’s dedicated page. 

The popular street food festival is back!

More than 170,000 visitors decided that the Best Burger Award should go to Mason Burgers & Stuff from Istria.

We finally have more details about the yummiest Festival in Zagreb!