In Tkalčićeva Street, at number 84, a new restaurant GoodFellas opened less than a week ago. The opening had been announced since the end of March, at a location near the very end of the street where, until recently, a rock pub operated—often lively, but more often empty.
The name is shared with Martin Scorsese‘s film of the same name, and that is precisely what is confusing. Although everyone who has seen the movie remembers the iconic scene where Paulie slices garlic thin with a razor for the sauce, as well as many other scenes with Italian food, there’s no connection to this chain. GoodFellas offers American fast food, which makes the choice of name somewhat unclear.
GoodFellas officially opened on August 28, and we visited the day after. We entered without high expectations, but they did rise after we reminded ourselves of their story. Namely, GoodFellas advertises itself as a place with authentic American fast food and top-quality ingredients, and what is particularly interesting is that they own their own farm and a high-tech dairy that produces up to 500 kilograms of cheese daily.
The place is decorated in the style of American diners, with red neon lights and the logo displayed in several places.
Upon our arrival, due to heavy rain, we took shelter inside, where we encountered our first shock—a menu containing an overwhelmingly large, almost absurd number of dishes. Besides the pizzas and burgers they are known for, the large and somewhat impractical menus feature at least seven more categories. Salads, appetizers, calzones, and snack boxes are just part of an offer that counts more than 100 individual dishes. From a business perspective, such an extensive menu is unsustainable in the long run. It requires holding a huge quantity of different ingredients, which needlessly complicates kitchen operations, increases costs, and the risk of food waste. A strong recommendation to the owners would be to drastically shorten the menu and focus on what they do best. We opted for two burgers, the smallest pepperoni pizza, and a portion of fries.
The burgers and fries arrived first. The burgers were surprisingly solid. Their best feature is the very soft and buttery buns. The cheeseburger (€11.50) was juicy, with nicely cooked meat, while the Ranch Chicken (€7.90) contained tasty and crispy chicken. In both, the ingredients seemed fresh, which is definitely a plus. On the other hand, the pommes frites were rather bland, unsalted, and generic.
The biggest surprise of the evening was the pepperoni pizza (€9.90). Although the salami didn’t impress us and the sauce was only average, the dough was very good. Characteristic of the New York style, it was thin and flexible in the middle, but with well-baked, delicious, and crispy edges. The bottom was firm but not hard. For a fast food restaurant, such dough was a pleasant surprise.
In conclusion, although Tkalčićeva doesn’t need another fast food spot, GoodFellas, despite numerous inconsistencies, makes surprisingly good fast food. We can recommend the pizza, but advise you to stick to classic combinations.
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