TENDER COCKTAIL & KITCHEN CLUB
Italian, But Not As You Know It
In Zagreb, where tradition and innovation often go hand in hand, Tender, a new bistro & cocktail bar comes with bold attitude and impeccable style. This cocktail & kitchen club has quickly become a favourite among those seeking something slightly different, because it offers a modern reinterpretation of Italian classics — both in its dishes and at the bar.
Located in the heart of the city, at Račkoga 11, in a neighbourhood bursting with creative concepts of all kinds, Tender has already earned a local reputation of an offbeat gastro oasis where you come for more than just mere food.
The interior is contemporary and lively, designed for mingling and hanging out. A central bar, communal table, and open kitchen dominate the ground floor, giving a balanced air of warmth and urban cool. Upstairs, there is the gallery featuring low seating and a calmer vibe. Tender also has a basement — rumour has it, it will open only for special occasions.
What is served?
Whether you’re in the mood for brunch or an aperitif, Tender is the place to go. Daily specials are hand-written on the mirror, like a spontaneous invitation to try something new. The menu changes daily. Breakfast and brunch include dishes like croque monsieur sandwiches, hummus, a hot cooked dish for the Zagreb favourite early lunch called gablec, but also Italian classics like vitello tonnato, cotoletta Milanese, fried calamari on Fridays, or local štrukli with Italian pesto. Cocktails are served all day, and the wine list is short and Italian. Aperitivo is reserved for cichette – Venice-inspired small bites – and cocktails based on Italian bitters such as Amaro, Campari, Aperol, Fernet-Branca. The combinations are unpredictable, but always delicious, and the motto is always the same — Italians do it bitter.
On Sundays, Tender introduces Sunday Roast – a daily concept coming to Zagreb with a local twist. It is perfect for a relaxed end of the week with an always different menu – because Sunday is just the day for enjoying life and food withoutany rush.
And finally - tiramisu. Homemade, perfect and available at any time of the day or evening – rightfully one of Tender’s main assets.
What our chefs had?
We came to Tender on Friday to have brunch, or gablec as they call it in Zagreb. Since Tender’s ground floor area is quite small, a feel of joyful excitement among the guests ahead of the long Easter weekend was almost palpable. The day was a real spring day, which added to the cheerful mood. Wonderful smells were already wafting from the open kitchen.
That day, the stars of the menu which we just couldn’t miss were fried calamari and the crab sandwich. We also ordered 2 bitter cocktails — Campari Shakerato and Campari Spritz. The food arrived on stylish tin trays. The calamari were perfectly fried and served with burnt lemon that adds a richer flavour to this dish. The crab sandwich was served in a warm buttery bagel, with crab meat in a creamy sauce with pickles, tobikko, and fresh arugula — juicy just the way it should be. Our bitter cocktails went perfectly with these dishes. To finish, we shared a tiramisu made with amaretto, an Italian almond liqueur. It was creamy, slightly bitter from the cocoa, perfectly soaked in coffee and liqueur – yum!
If cocktails around-the-clock, an open kitchen and out-of-this-world tiramisu aren't enough for you – wait until the weekend, because Tender has a list of guest chefs. Every time something new, and every time more reason to come back.
