Eli's Caffé in Zagreb--Wake Up and Smell the Coffee

Eli's Caffé aka eliscaffe strikes me as the kind of place the protagonist in a Woody Allen movie would meet the wildly attractive (but totally unsuitable) love of his life.  He would pursue the girl, get the girl, lose the girl, and end up back at Eli's where the perfect cup of coffee would be his only consolation.

He'd sit at the counter and tell owner Nic Orosi his tale of woe, but Nic (@nikorosi) would just keep sliding him perfectly brewed cups of coffee. No words necessary. No logo. Just taste. Pure love in a cup.

The all white interior of Eli's Caffé is punctuated by a bright red counter top along the bar. At first glance it looks like a gallery space--a gallery devoted to the art of coffee. The vibe is cool, but not pretentious. It's a refuge for those seeking a superior coffee experience and taste. After your first cup you'll know you are in the right place. One of the writers in our press group stumbled upon Eli's the week before our trip began and was anxious to take us there on our last day in Zagreb. You can read Kimberley Lovato's article about Eli's Caffé here. (NOTE: this is not a direct link to the article, look for November 4th post under the blog tab.)

Throughout our visit in Croatia we were constantly bumping up against Bourdain and his entourage, either they'd just left the place we were visiting or they were scheduled to arrive the next day. That could explain why once we got to Livade in Istria (the Disney World of truffles and home of restaurant Zigante) --instead of truffels all we found were cigarette butts, empty shot glasses and a trail of carnage in the wake of Bourdain's crew. Thank God we got to Bibich first, who knows what mayhem they may have caused there.

Eliscaffe was the perfect end-cap to our trip. I'm sure Eli's will soon be ferreted out by the No Reservations producers if it hasn't already, but I'm glad, at least for the day we were there, it was a Bourdain free zone.

You can find the location and hours of operation for elilscaffe here.

Links to all Croatia Series Posts:

Croatia Series Preview

Croatia Part 1: Bibich Dégustation

Croatia Part 2: The Splendors of Split

Croatia Part 3- Šibenik Caressed by the Sea

Croatia Part 4- Zadar, The Perfect Date

Croatia Part 5 - Pilgrimage to Pag: Land of Paški Sir

Croatia Part 6 - Istria--Truffles, Olive Oil, Prosciutto & Wine!

Croatia Part 7: A Taste of Zagreb

Eli's Caffé in Zagreb--Wake Up and Smell the Coffee