May the 10th, 2025 – The Pizza Festival Zagreb is now underway and there’s plenty to choose from. We decided to make it that bit easier by trying out the offer from each place first so you don’t have to.
“Sposa bagnata, sposa fortunata!” goes one of the most famous Italian proverbs. Italians use it to predict fertility and prosperity for a bride whose wedding day is dampened by rain. We’ll therefore say – Festa bagnata, festa fortunata! – because we believe that the rain that bathed the Dr. Franjo Tuđman Square on the first day of the Pizza Festival Zagreb this year heralded nine perfect days to follow to enjoy the most delicious street food event in the city.
To prove that the ten houses on the greenery of that square are bringing only the absolute best of Italy, we tried it all. On Friday, we visited the 4th Pizza Festival Zagreb, which invites one and all to come and enjoy selected Italian delicacies, with pizza as the king, until May the 18th.
Talented pizza masters are on the square busy preparing pizzas of all styles: from napoletana, romana, canotto pizza to pizza fritta and siciliana. To reach you in their classic or creative versions, they first undergo delicate fermentation processes. As a general rule, all dough made from very carefully selected flour is fermented for a minimum of 48 to 72 hours, which gives the dough lightness and airiness.
As we saw with our very own eyes, the dough is then stuffed with the highest quality ingredients. They include San Marzano tomatoes, fior di latte mozzarella, burrata, stracciatella, ricotta, bresaola, the finest mortadella, anchovies, the Calabrian delicacy Nduja sausage, asparagus, pistachios, artichokes, capers and samphire. There are also pizzas with bolognese sauce, spicy sausages and smoked honey, as well as Italian classics such as cacio e pepe and vitello tonnato in pizza form. The creativity knows no bounds, even including extremely original creations such as pizza with graševina.
There is also everyone’s favourite pasta made from cheese rings, and with Juraj Klepić is in charge of desserts, three absolute hits are guaranteed. We tried to taste something from each hut to make your choice a little easier, and here are our first impressions.
pizza social club
The well-known team from Pizza Social Club is offering five pizzas for this year’s Pizza Festival Zagreb. Especially for 2025’s edition, they’re offering amazing Peperoni Nduja and Cacio e pepe pizzas. We tried their hit from last year’s (Parmigiana with grilled eggplant and the Peperoni Nduja pizza) which we predict will also be this year’s hit because it perfectly combines fior di latte mozzarella, Parmigiano Reggiano cheese and pepperoni sausage. A truly unique “kick” is given by Nduja – a spreadable sausage made from pork, lard and hot chilli peppers. What’s also special is that all the pizzas here are made with Farina Speciale Tip 00 high-quality flour produced in Croatian mills.
pizza re
The Pizza Re pizzeria has remained true to their original trump cards, with which they proved they have a place among the best pizzerias in Zagreb last year. This year, they’re offering Margherita, Piccante, Capricciosa, Pizza Re and Mortadella, and we were most impressed with the latter, which combines the best of Italian tradition and modern flavours. On light, airy base of dough that has been fermented for 72 hours comes rich pesto Genovese, then creamy fior di latte mozzarella and flavoursome mortadella. The overall impression is then rounded off by ground pistachio, fresh basil, black olives and aceto cream.
rougemarin
Zagreb’s RougeMarin is the only one at the Pizza Festival Zagreb that offers Sicilian pizzas with thicker and airy dough, which is also known as focaccia with toppings. In Italian, they’re often called “sfincione”, and in Sicily – “sfinciuni”. They’re offering five generous and creative pizzas, and we tried the Vesuvio, which celebrates classic Italian flavours by perfectly combining roast beef, tonnato sauce, pickled radish, capers and arugula.
al dente
Al Dente is offering six amazing pizzas at this year’s Pizza Festival Zagreb, including a new version of their classic, the Piccante 2.0 pizza, with spicy sausage, pepperdrops and smoked honey. After tasting it, we have to admit that they justified their motto – The Art of Taste.
pizza fritta
Pizza Fritta has remained faithful to the traditional Neapolitan fried pizza this year, which they’re offering in several versions of fillings that are overlapped by two layers of pizza dough. It’s then fried in hot oil until the crust becomes golden and crispy. It’s more than perfect comfort food and certainly a hit among the youngest visitors to the festival.
pastamisee
To give our palates a little break from pizza, we decided to try the Pastamisee cheese ring pasta and we didn’t regret it. We simply fell in love with their creamy pasta in cheese sauce and toasted pepper with freshly grated truffles at the first bite. For those who aren’t particular fans of the strong aromas of fresh truffles, they also offer the excellent classic Cacio e pepe.
zagyland
The most unique pizza this year definitely comes from Zagyland from Konjščina. They’re the only pizzeria in the eastern part of Zagorje that makes pizzas exclusively according to the original Italian recipe with proven quality Italian ingredients. After their premiere at last year’s Pizza Festival Zagreb, the innovative chefs from Zagorje have now created Grašizza – a pizza with graševina. Grašizza has graševina in the dough, is stuffed with rolled pancetta with pepper, sausages, Veneto peppers and topped with a dressing of graševina and peppers.
Not only is this pizza entirely original, but all its flavours are also perfectly balanced. We also tried their excellent Caesar pizza, which on a base of San Marzano tomatoes brings fior di latte mozzarella, anchovies and capers, then Aceto cream, Caesar dressing, pancetta chips, oregano and Kalamata olives.
gdje je jura
Last but by no means least, we tried two new desserts from Gdje je Jura. The always inspired and creative pastry chef Juraj Klepić has nailed it this time with his own version of tiramisu. Tung Tung Tung Tung Tiramisu consists of coffee-infused biscuits, which are then dehydrated and coated with chocolate and cocoa butter. That’s followed by a cream of Martin Albus hazelnut liqueur and his own craft mascarpone, Cappuccino espuma, gianduja, and pistachio paste with pieces of pistachio.
He also created the dessert Cannolini bombardini especially for the Pizza Festival Zagreb, which consists of 3x cannoli Siciliani with ricotta and white chocolate cream, and pistachio and berry crumble.
Then there’s his exciting Brr Brr Pistaccino (pistachio gelato, crispy sponge cake, kadaif, milk Belgian chocolate, pistachio paste). The names of the desserts are related to the new Brainrot trend on TikTok, according to Juraj.
ginglebells
In order to experience that Italian La vita è bella all the time, the skilled masters from Ginglebells have taken care of their signature cocktails and spritzes. This time, they come with basil, which perfectly follows the theme. The well-coordinated team of the Central bar is in charge of other “current affairs” with an excellent selection of wine, beer, brandy and soft drinks. It’s also worth noting the fact that the Pizza Festival Zagreb is environmentally conscious and plastic-free. A deposit of €1.00 is paid for the festival’s reusable glasses, which you get back when you return them.
happy hour, entertainment, workshops and more
Good news for all those attending the Pizza Festival Zagreb who use ZABA Mastercard cars. They can enjoy 10 percent Happy Hour discounts every day from 18:00 to 19:00. In order to make this Festa Italiana memorable for everyone with its great atmosphere and music, 13 excellent DJs will be performing every day from 19:00 to 23:00. On Saturdays and in two live sets, they’ll perform from 12:30 to 16:30.
As far as the accompanying programme is concerned, we’d particularly highlight the interesting workshops. The first on the schedule is a workshop on the use of TABASCO® sauce in pizza making, led by chef Ivan Temšić from Zagreb’s famous Noel. It will take place on Wednesday, May the 14th at 17:00. That’s followed by a special experience in the form of the first outdoor workshop on making Napoletana pizza by Vedran Bošković and KitchenAid, which will take place on Thursday, May the 15th at 17:00.
Then comes the popular Wine&Paint workshops, scheduled on Fridays at 18:00. The Staropramen Movie Night is set for Wednesday, May the 14th, starting at 20:30. It will bring the opportunity for a romantic evening with Fellini’s classic “La dolce vita” under the stars. On Saturday, May the 17th, the now traditional Food Quiz by Metro will play out under the creative host Ribafish. On all days of the festival, the youngest visitors will have plenty of entertainment and fun at hand in the Zaga children’s zone.
For daily news, how to register for the workshops and the quiz, make sure to follow the Pizza Festival Zagreb on Facebook and Instagram.
Location: Trg dr. Franje Tuđmana, Zagreb/Dr. Franjo Tuđman Square, Zagreb
Duration: May the 8th to the 18th, 2025
Opening hours: Mon – Fri 12:00 – 00:00 / Sat – Sun 11:00 – 00:00
Entrance: Free
