So besides learning about Croatian food and cooking in one of our blogs, now you have the chance to learn what to order and how in Croatia, too!

How to find a café?

If you do find yourself desperate for caffeine and unable to find somewhere to get a coffee, you can try the following sentences.

→ Excuse me, where can I find a café?
→ Excuse me, where is the nearest café?
→ Excuse me, could you recommend a good café?
→ Could you recommend a café where they have a good coffee / beer / wine?

If you know the name of the café, you can ask:

(name of the café)? → Excuse me, where is ___________ (the name of café)?
(name of the café)? → Do you know how can I get to ___________ (name of the café)?

Useful vocabulary:

(café)
(left)
(right)
(straight)
(street)

How to order a drink?

Once you’ve found a café, sat down and decided what you would like to drink, it’s time to order! Waiters are usually very prompt. However, in case a waiter does not see you (or pretends not to) you can ask (Does anybody work here?), which can also be considered a joke between the guest and the waiter, depending on their mood.

If you want to ask the polite way, you can raise your hand and say:

(formal) / (informal), → Excuse me, can I order?
(formal) / (informal), → Excuse me, can we order?

To order a drink you can also try:

(name of the drink)? → Can I have (name of the drink)?
(name of the drink)? → Can we have (name of the drink)?
→ Can I order?
→ Can I have one coke / one beer?
→ For me, one coke, please.?

Useful vocabulary:

(menu)
(waiter)
(waitress)
(to drink)

Coffee and other non-alcoholic drinks ()

Croatians love to drink (coffee), which they usually drink with cold milk, but be warned: Croats drink their coffee veeery slooowly! :-D They love to sit in a café for hours and chat with friends while drinking their favourite drink. A free glass of water is also given when you order coffee, which is a nice extra perk.

In order to tell the waiter what you would like to drink, you need to understand the various ways in which coffee is served in Croatia:

(small cup of coffee)
(big cup of coffee without milk)
(coffee with milk and milk foam)

(coffee with milk)
(coffee with cold milk)
(coffee with cold milk in Dalmatia)
(coffee with warm milk)
(coffee with whipped cream)

(white coffee, coffee with a lot of milk)
(ice coffee)
(ice coffee with ice cream)

And if you prefer tea or some other non-alcoholic drink:

(camomile tea)
(wild berries tea)
(green tea)
(cedevita lemon)
(cedevita orange)
(juice)
(sparkling water)
(tap water)

You might have also tried , a drink that Croatians like to drink on hot summer days. It is a powdery substance that is mixed with water and comes in different flavours.

Beer, wine and other alcoholic drinks ()

Order a drink

Croatian liquor (rakija)

Beer () is one of the most popular drinks in Croatia, especially during hot summer nights. Nowadays nearly every brewery offers both dark beer () and lager beer (). The most common beers are: Ožujsko, Karlovačko, Osječko, Velebitsko pivo, Tomislav and Pan.

means wine. Red wine () and white wine () are separated into continental () and coastal () wines. The best known continental wines are Graševina, Frankovka, Rajnski rizling, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Chardonnay, Škrlet, Silvanac zeleni, Pinot sivi and bijeli. The most popular coastal wines are Plavac mali, Babić, Dingač, Pošip, Malvazija, Žlahtina, Teran.

Croatian liqueurs () such as amaro, kruškovac, pelinkovac, orahovac and maraschino, as well as Croatian (which is very strong and usually made of plums) are also definitely worth a try!

The following common drinks aren’t always on the menu, but can be ordered in any Croatian café … don’t worry, everyone will understand what you are ordering!

is white wine mixed with sparkling water
is red wine mixed with coca cola
is red or white wine mixed with regular water
is a sparkling orange juice (Fanta) mixed with red wine in such a way that separates the juice from the wine and as a result we have a two coloured drink.
or is white wine mixed with coca cola.