Coffee places: Not all of them are alike

In Croatia, coffee is sold everywhere you go. Every cafe or a restaurant usually has an espresso machine, and most of the same espresso drinks will be available everywhere. However, both our coffee places and even names that we use for drinks are somewhat specific to the region, and don't always match internationally recognizable names.

So here's a little guide to Croatian cafes and drinks available there. Hopefully, it will be of use both to tourists to this country and Croats traveling elsewhere, to recognize some differences.

Coffee drinks in Croatia:

• Espresso - a shot of espresso in a tiny cup.
• Macchiato - a shot of espresso in a tiny cup, with a touch of steamed milk and foam on it, similar to Italian version, not the one from Starbucks. You might need to specify "mali macchiato" (small macchiato). This is the most popular drink in many coastal areas. Sometimes it's not on menu, in that case you can still order it - it will be billed as "Kava s mlijekom".
• Kava s mlijekom - "Coffee with milk" is a shot of espresso with milk. Internationally known as flat white. In some places it's known as "veliki macchiato" (big macchiato), and some places would ask you if you want it with hot (steamed) or cold milk. This is the most popular order in Croatia.
• Cappuccino - a shot of espresso with milk and foam. A standard drink. It will usually be similar to kava s mlijekom, but contain more foam on top. Sometimes it will be decorated.
• Kava sa šlagom - espresso with whipped cream. In some places, a frozen whipped cream from Ledo is used instead.
• Bijela kava - white coffee, espresso with a lot of milk. This is usually internationally known as latte or latte macchiato. Ordered in Croatia, it will usually come in a large cup or a mug.
• Produžena kava - "lengthened coffee" is usually a long black or americano. Rarely ordered by locals. Sometimes people don't know how to make it, and simply leave the espresso machine running for a long time. These people are not your friends.

Personnel of any cafe, restaurant or whatever is usually called "konobar". It's used for waiters, baristas, bartenders and pretty much everything else unless they cook too. Remember that it's usually a minimum-wage job rather than a career decision, and the amount of their skills will vary.

Some facts common to almost all establishments:

• There's a table service and it doesn't cost anything extra.
• Menus are available at the table.
• You get free water with your coffee.
• Tips are not required or even expected, but they'll be welcome.

Establishment types:

• Cafe, bar, kavana, coffeehouse, kafić etc. - these are all standard Croatian cafes. They serve coffee, teas, soft drinks, beer, wine, liquor etc. Popular places to hang out. Almost all of them are smoking areas.
• Bistro, pivnica - like above, but they'll typically have something to eat too. Pivnica will focus on beer, but they'll also have coffee
• Slastičarna - apart from coffee, they will typically also offer pastries and ice creams to eat on spot, or to take out - these are in fact their main product, and coffee is just a bonus. Typically no-alcohol and no-smoking areas, though perhaps not if you sit outside. You can often get coffee with ice cream (usually listed as Eiscafe, Icecaffe or something similar).
• Restaurant, konoba, pizzeria etc. - almost all of them have coffee machines, as it's common for people to drink coffee after a meal (after a few minutes pass). If they're not crowded at the moment (e.g. in mornings), most of them will gladly serve you just coffee, but they won't be looking kindly at you if you sit down at their last available table and order just a coffee. Don't do that.

The price and popularity of the location are often linked. Here's what brings the price and popularity up:

• Location - more than anything, you're paying for location. The places where there are a lot of pedestrians - city centres, at the coast, shopping malls etc. often feature the highest prices.
• Decor and music selection (usually related).
• Real and perceived quality - usually by logotypes of coffee manufacturer being present everywhere.
• TV (people commonly watch sport matches in their cafe bars).

This should cover about 99% of Croatian cafes. However, there are always exceptions. Places which are different, or otherwise significant and certainly worth visiting. I will describe some of them in future articles. The link will be available at "Coffee places" link on the right side of this page.