How La Štruk became one of Zagreb’s tastiest tourist attractions

(Photo: Private album)

By Hana Klain

La Štruk is a truly unique restaurant located in the very heart of Zagreb. A variety of foreign languages can often be heard within its walls, while visitors leave delighted after discovering one of Zagreb’s most iconic traditional dishes.

The founders of La Štruk – Igor and Sven Mladinović, together with Alen Markulin – took a bold step more than a decade ago by opening a restaurant dedicated to a single dish: štrukli, prepared in many different ways according to a traditional recipe.

Over the years, they have become one of Zagreb’s most recognizable culinary destinations. For Croatia Week, they shared their story and experiences with us.

More than ten years ago, when you decided to open a restaurant serving only one dish, how many people told you that you were completely crazy, and why did you choose štrukli?

Absolutely everyone said it. And even those who didn’t say it were certainly thinking it. Experienced restaurateurs were especially sceptical. They were convinced the concept made no business sense because “nobody eats štrukli in restaurants; it’s something grandmothers make at home, and the preparation is far too time-consuming and complicated to be profitable.”

The most common comment was: “You have a fantastic location – open a burger bar or a pizzeria instead.”

Igor, Sven and Alen (Photo: Private album)

If you had to describe La Štruk to a tourist visiting Zagreb for the first time in just one sentence, what would you say?

A genuinely authentic taste and atmosphere of a warm, welcoming and open Zagreb, the kind of city it has always been throughout history.

What surprises you most about foreign guests when they try štrukli for the first time?

How willing they are to put scalding-hot bites into their mouths. Štrukli come out of the oven piping hot and are best left to cool for five to ten minutes, but tourists dive straight in and refuse to give up.

What question do tourists ask most often that still makes you smile every time?

It depends very much on where they come from. Asian visitors are usually the most surprised because fresh cottage cheese is not something they commonly eat, so they tend to be a bit sceptical. They carefully study the menu until they find something familiar, and that’s almost always “apple.” As a result, about 90% of our apple štrukli are sold to Asian guests.

Have you ever heard such an unusual comparison for štrukli that you had to write it down?

The most common comparison is to lasagna, and it often takes a bizarre turn:

“It’s very similar to lasagne, but totally different.”

If you had to choose one version of štrukli that best represents Zagreb, which would it be and why?

Without a doubt, traditional savoury cheese štrukli baked in cream. Unlike the Zagorje version, which is baked dry, Zagreb-style štrukli are baked in cream, giving them a distinctive richness and creamy flavour.

(Photo: Private album)

How important are štrukli to Zagreb’s identity?

Given Croatia’s history and geographical position, where many cultures and cuisines have left their mark – Italian, Austrian, Hungarian, Turkish and others – it is difficult to say that any dish is exclusively ours and completely original.

But štrukli are probably the closest thing to that. Somewhere between Austrian strudel and Turkish burek, they have taken the best of both worlds.

In that sense, they have enormous potential to become an even more important part of Zagreb’s identity. We work toward that every day, but there are also city and national institutions that could do much more to support that effort.

Many restaurants keep expanding their menus, yet you have remained faithful to one ingredient and one concept. Is that simplicity the secret to your success?

I believe it is. I don’t know why there isn’t more courage here for single-dish restaurants. Most places try to offer everything from lobster to ćevapi.

When people see that you spend twelve hours a day focused on just one dish, they trust that you’ve perfected it. And that’s true.

Personally, I would always rather eat pizza at a place that makes only pizza than somewhere serving ten different Italian dishes.

Is there a guest story or anecdote that you always enjoy sharing?

There have been countless stories over the past 13 years, but the pandemic period was particularly memorable. That strange pause in everyday life affected everyone’s state of mind, and many guests came looking for a little escape from the madness.

One of the most memorable moments was when a young man contacted us because he wanted to propose to his girlfriend and then take her out for dinner. Since everything was closed because of COVID, he had no options.

He asked if we could open the restaurant just for them and serve štrukli because his girlfriend loved them.

He proposed. She said yes. We opened the restaurant just for them and served them štrukli.

I hope they are still happily married today.

(Photo: Private album)

What is more important for a restaurant’s success – an outstanding recipe or the feeling of hospitality guests take home with them?

According to all relevant research, food quality ranks only third when guests evaluate their overall experience.

If you offer good or very good food along with excellent service and atmosphere, you will usually receive excellent reviews. On the other hand, even exceptional food combined with average or poor service will almost always lead to poor reviews.

To be clear, people don’t come to La Štruk simply because they are hungry or looking for the pinnacle of modern gastronomy. They come because they want an authentic local experience, and that is much more than just food.

For many travellers, food is the best souvenir. How often do guests leave with a little package of štrukli “for later”?

Quite often. They take home a package of štrukli, but they also buy souvenirs from our gift shop inside the restaurant.

The most popular items are ceramic magnets shaped like the dishes in which we serve our štrukli.

Still, I believe the experience they have at La Štruk is the most valuable souvenir they take home.

(Photo: Private album)

If you could invite any famous person in the world to try your štrukli, who would it be and which variety would you serve?

Over the years, we’ve welcomed ambassadors, first ladies, prime ministers, world-famous athletes, actors and many others. But we don’t really care about hosting someone just because they are famous.

If the question is who we would like to treat to a meal of štrukli, it would definitely be Matija Babić from Index.hr. When nobody believed in us, he gave us valuable media support without expecting anything in return. Now that La Štruk is well established, everyone wants a piece of the story.

More importantly, through his work over many years, he has contributed to making this country a better place.

What would you say to Croatia Week readers who have never visited Zagreb and have never tried štrukli?

I’d tell them that quite a number of people actually plan their travel routes specifically so they can visit La Štruk.

So if you’re already in Zagreb, it might be a shame to miss it.