We checked out Zagreb’s Asian Street Food Festival – here are the highlights

(Photo: Ante Dvoravić)

The Asian Street Food Festival has returned to Zagreb’s Josip Juraj Strossmayer Square, bringing another week of international flavours, live music and cultural events to the city centre.

We stopped by on the opening day to see what this year’s edition has to offer, and the square was already busy with visitors moving between food stalls inspired by cuisines from Japan, China, Korea, Thailand and Sri Lanka.

The festival, now in its fourth year, features 11 food and drink stalls alongside workshops, demonstrations and evening DJ sets.

The atmosphere on Monday afternoon was relaxed and lively, with queues forming steadily at many of the more popular stands as visitors sampled dishes ranging from bao buns and sushi to curries and desserts.

One of the first stops for many visitors was the Central Bar, where this year’s cocktail menu focuses on Asian-inspired ingredients including yuzu, lychee and soy.

The selection includes drinks such as Tokyo Spritz, Osaka Sunset and Spicy Geisha, alongside the festival’s official beer and a range of non-alcoholic options.

Asian cocktails by Filip LIpnik – Cooler Mango and Spicy Geisha (Photo: Ante Dvoravić)

Among the busiest food stalls during our visit was Rou Ji Amo by Mario Mihelj, serving the Chinese street food dish often referred to as a “Chinese burger”.

Rou Ji Amo by Mario Mihelj (Photo: Ante Dvoravić)

The warm flatbread filled with marinated beef or chicken proved especially popular with visitors looking for stronger, richer flavours.

Nearby, Sando x Burger Institute by Mate Janković offered Japanese-style sandwiches including chicken katsu, kimchi beef and ebi katsu versions.

Sando x Burger Institute by Mate Janković – Chiken Katsu (Photo: Ante Dvoravić)

Despite their simple appearance, the sandwiches stood out for their balance of textures and carefully layered ingredients.

The colourful Kawaii stall attracted plenty of attention throughout the afternoon, particularly from visitors stopping to photograph the Korean tornado potatoes and bright dessert options.

Kawaii – Tornado Potato (Photo: Ante Dvoravić)

The menu also includes spicy cucumber salad, matcha drinks and ice cream.

Noel Street, linked to Zagreb’s Michelin-starred Noel restaurant, brought a more modern interpretation of Asian street food to the festival.

Noel Street – Chicken Katsu (Photo: Ante Dvoravić)

Many visitors were ordering the pork gyoza served with Thai green curry, chilli oil and mushrooms, while dishes such as chicken katsu and spicy tuna also drew interest.

At Curry Bowl, the focus shifts towards Sri Lankan flavours, with dishes inspired by the streets of Colombo. The kotthu, chopped roti mixed with eggs, spices and cheese, was among the more filling dishes we tried during the visit.

Curry Bowl – Kotthu (Photo: Ante Dvoravić)

Jellyfish in Space once again drew crowds with its bao buns and colourful cocktails. New menu additions this year include salmon rice cakes and bao buns filled with pulled turkey, alongside returning favourites such as pulled pork baos.

Jellyfish in Space – Bao Buns with pulled turkey (Photo: Ante Dvoravić)

Thai cuisine remains one of the festival’s main attractions, and Thai-Thai continued to attract steady queues with dishes including pad kra pao gai, pad thai and spring rolls.

Thai Thai – Pad kra pao gai (Thai Basil Chicken) (Photo: Ante Dvoravić)

One dessert many visitors appeared to return for was the mango and passionfruit strudel served with coconut ice cream.

For sushi fans, Soho Sushi offered tempura prawn rolls, poke bowls and fresh sushi combinations in a more casual street food format.

SoHo Sushi (Photo: Ante Dvoravić)

Meanwhile, Gyoza Bar by Purple Monkey focused on comfort food, serving duck, pork and apple-filled gyoza with rich umami flavours.

Gyoza bar by Purple Monkey – Gyoze (Photo: Ante Dvoravić)

Dessert stalls once again played a major role in the festival atmosphere. At Gdje je Jura, visitors queued for mango sticky rice and the returning Dubai Fry ice cream, which quickly became one of the most talked-about desserts of the opening evening.

Gdje je Jura? – Mango sticky rice (Photo: Ante Dvoravić)

Away from the food, the festival also features a week-long programme of workshops and cultural events.

Opening day included a traditional Japanese mochi pounding presentation led by Maki Nagayoshi from the Pink Pig restaurant.

Maki Nagayoshi from Pink Pig (Photo: Ante Dvoravić)

Upcoming events include cooking workshops, matcha tastings, wine and painting sessions, karate demonstrations and children’s origami workshops.

Music is scheduled daily throughout the festival, with DJs performing each afternoon and evening.

(Photo: Ante Dvoravić)

Where: Trg Josipa Jurja Strossmayera, Zagreb
When: 18-24 May 2026
Working hours: Mon–Fri 12:00 – 24:00 h, Sat–Sun 11:00 – 24:00 h
Entry: Free