A scorching summer Thursday. We are driving towards Sveti Ivan Zelina in search of the most praised suckling pig in the wider area. The road towards Sesvete is completely jammed, the highway makes no sense, so we search for old roads. No luck, but somehow we make it to our destination. Of course, we are a full half hour late.
This is Bistro Europa, a legendary place best known for its suckling pig and spit-roasted lamb. And certainly for the waitresses in short skirts, which is why many middle-aged men like to come here.
Since we arrived at 16:30, we thought there wouldn‘t be a big crowd. However, the outdoor terrace was almost packed. The waitresses were overloaded and couldn‘t quite handle the rush of guests (which is understandable as there are clearly too few of them for such a number of guests), but we still managed to get a table. The terrace itself is saved by the lush vegetation around the restaurant, but on its own it‘s rather dark, that is, poorly lit. It has only a few weak lights, and there are no large chandeliers in sight.
We ordered the suckling pig in advance, which is absolutely necessary at Europa. The rest of the menu is actually quite broad, from various starters, fish and meat, soups, through house specialties to daily dishes, all of which cost only 6 € and disappear in a flash.
We decided to start with a cold platter, then move on to soups. For some reason, the soups arrived first. The beef soup (3.50 €) was quite standard, with a generous amount of Vegeta, but certainly refreshing after a tiring trip. The cream of mushroom soup (4 €) was not much better, overseasoned and with a strangely sticky texture.
Then came the platter they prepared for us in the kitchen (13 €) with homemade bread (slice - 0.15 €). The kulen was excellent, spicy and with a great texture. The Dalmatian prosciutto was solid, although it lacked some aroma. The homemade bread surprised us, the corn version was soft inside and crispy outside.
The situation in the restaurant, meanwhile, relaxed, half the terrace finished their meal and went their own way. The famous suckling pig (35 €/kg) finally arrived at the table, along with homemade fries (3.50 €), potato wedges (3.50 €), spring onions (3.50 €), fresh cabbage (3.50 €), and vegetables in butter (3.50 €).
Before describing the suckling pig itself, we must highlight one thing that pleasantly surprised us. It was the homemade fries cut like chips. Crispy, perfectly fried, salty enough and tasty. It‘s rare in this type of restaurant for the kitchen to make the effort for homemade fries, which definitely deserves praise. The potato wedges were not particularly impressive, while the vegetables in butter were very tasty.
The suckling pig itself was, as we expected, perfectly roasted, juicy and tender. For the suckling pig, you don‘t even need a knife and fork, it practically falls apart from tenderness. What surprised us was that the meat lacked salt. We don‘t know if it‘s our taste preference, but it seemed as though part of the meat was forgotten to be salted. This was not a big mistake, as we easily added salt ourselves.
Although we were quite full, we decided to try desserts. We heard their pancakes in wine sauce are excellent (4.50 €), and we also tried the cheesecake (4 €). The pancakes in wine chateau come in a large amount of thick wine sauce, which is quite nice, but too sour. Probably because they use house Graševina, which is acidic itself. Also, the walnut filling was almost unnoticeable. The cheesecake was quite decent, freshly prepared and with a firm texture.
When paying, we realized that this abundant lunch for three, where we could barely catch our breath, cost only 88 €. This is the biggest advantage of Bistro Europa - exceptional value for money.
The bistro has several shortcomings it should address, but also pleasant surprises that deserve praise. The biggest problem is the poor lighting on the terrace, to the point that when a cloud covers the sun, it‘s hard to see the person on the other side of the table. The soups are not praiseworthy, they‘re overseasoned. However, the rest of the menu is quite solid, and some things pleasantly surprised us. The homemade bread was very good, while the homemade fries, cut like chips, were so good that we were very pleasantly surprised. Fries like these are rarely seen in restaurants. The main highlight, the suckling pig, is perfectly prepared and it‘s hard to imagine it being better, even though our piece lacked salt.
As for the staff, the waitresses themselves skillfully do their job, balancing trays full of food as if they‘re empty, remembering all orders by heart and everything arrives exactly as we ordered. The only problem is that they are obviously understaffed, so you have to wait a while to place your order, and the same goes for paying. However, it seems that this doesn‘t bother the large male audience too much, as they use the waiting time to carefully watch the waitresses as they do their job.
In the end, Bistro Europa is worth visiting mostly for the suckling pig, sides, and excellent value for money. Go on a sunny day, order the suckling pig in advance and prepare for slow service and poor lighting. Despite the shortcomings, it‘s hard to find better meat for this price in the wider Zagreb area. If you are looking for excellent suckling pig at an affordable price, definitely come. And reserve a table.
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