Recently, we haven‘t spent much time on neighborhood pizzerias, but our attention was recently drawn to Pizzeria & Bar Klara. The reason is simple—their marketing is very good, they constantly appear on social networks with attractive photos and actively manage their profiles.
All the praise we‘ve heard and read about them motivated us to check if there is real quality behind the successful promotion. Pizzeria & Bar Klara is located, as you guessed, in the Klara neighborhood. To be honest, this neighborhood isn‘t particularly gastronomically imaginative, but it‘s becoming more populated and shows potential for opening good venues. Although the name of the pizzeria isn‘t especially imaginative, we arrived with high expectations. We visited the place over the weekend during lunchtime.
We were greeted by friendly staff, and we took advantage of the nice weather by choosing a table on the terrace. While the wine list didn‘t leave a positive impression and could use some work, the beer selection is somewhat richer. However, a compliment goes to the signature cocktail menu, some of which are quite original. Since it was a hot day, we tried a refreshing combination of rum, yuzu, and lemon, and we weren‘t disappointed with our choice.
The menu is concise and clear, with 13 pizzas and a smaller number of sandwiches and salads. Conceptually, the pizzas are inventive and lean toward the gourmet style, with prices ranging from 10 to 15 euros. However, since we didn‘t want to pay ten euros for a basic pizza, the margherita, we decided to try several different options that seemed more interesting to us.
The pizzas arrived at the table in a commendable ten minutes. The restaurant staff also brought scissors for cutting, which is an excellent practice since canotto-style pizzas, with their high and airy crusts, are much easier to eat this way. The waiter quickly, efficiently, and professionally cut the pizzas in front of us. The dough is clearly the result of high hydration, certainly above 70 percent, but what is truly praiseworthy here is the structure. Namely, while with many high-hydration pizzas the bottom remains wet and soggy, here the dough, thanks to slightly longer baking at lower temperatures, was almost crispy on the bottom. Achieving such a texture is a great success in itself.
The pizzas were mostly very successful. Some were very good, while others left room for improvement. Diavola (€12.90) consists of San Marzano tomatoes, mozzarella, spicy kulen, caramelized onions, and ‘nduja. The already praised dough is an excellent base here, and the San Marzano tomatoes are not overly seasoned, which we liked. The kulen is decent, the ‘nduja is somewhat milder than we prefer, and the caramelized onions are very good, though we‘re not sure if they‘re homemade. Spicy strands, which add extra crunch and texture play, are a fun addition.
Benvenuti (€12.90) is also successful. It‘s a successful white prosciutto-themed pizza, consisting of a ricotta and garlic base, prosciutto, sun-dried tomatoes, aceto, and olives. Although we have minor criticisms of the prosciutto, which should be tastier, the base is very light and fine. Fantastic Kalamata olives and fine sun-dried tomatoes round off the impression of a very good pizza.
The other two pizzas were somewhat less successful. Pescatore (€14.90), with a black olive pesto base, shrimp, arugula, and anchovies, is imaginative and visually interesting. However, the black olive pesto is on the upper limit of saltiness. Although olives themselves are salty, the pesto could have been toned down as its intensity overpowers the whole pizza, while the other ingredients work well together.
Bresaola (€14.90) is the least successful, mainly because of the truffle sauce, which, as expected, has an industrial taste. The bresaola itself is very good, soft and juicy, as are the other ingredients, but unfortunately, the sauce spoils the overall impression. Truffle sauce is an ingredient that serious pizzerias should avoid; it almost always brings an artificial, intrusive flavor and overwhelms the natural characteristics of quality ingredients instead of complementing them. If it were a real, homemade truffle sauce, it would be a completely different story—but of course, the price would then be much higher.
The atmosphere in the place is very pleasant, and the interior is large and nicely decorated. When paying, we noticed a young pizza chef, Filip Di Giusto Kolak, behind the pizza counter, which makes us look forward to the future of Klara pizzeria. He is a young man who has worked in several top Zagreb pizzerias and at pizza festivals. In a short conversation, he told us that he recently started working here and plans to introduce innovations and new pizzas with the head pizzaiolo.
Although we had a few criticisms, we left Klara pizzeria satisfied and believe it is definitely worth a visit. The dough is excellent, but some ingredients, such as the industrial truffle sauce, prosciutto, and small details, need improvement. That‘s exactly why we‘re excited about the announced changes they plan to introduce, as the potential is obvious. Pizzeria Klara is already certainly among the fifteen best pizzerias in Zagreb, and their dough is undoubtedly among the very best in the city.
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