Here we will present where you can get best food in Međimorje and its main town Čakovec.

Čakovec is the centre of old Kaikavian region of Medjimorye. It has some really beatiful, but not completely renovated Art Nouveau buildings, and a castle in the centre, the Old City of Zrinski. There is a museum which awaits to be waken up, asleep in 80s. So for culture we recommend the neighborhood city Varaždin. But Čakovec has something else too offer. Great food and refreshing restaturants, great coffee and cakes. This is still a secret, but Čakovec has definitely joined Central Europe again, when it comes to its restarurants. There is also the internationally famous XD Xenia Design shop, which actually started in Čakovec! So Čakovec - haute couture and great food.

In the same way that Čakovec' cultural scene can't keep up with the scene in Varaždin, Varaždin restaurants can't keep up with restaurants in Čakovec. Varaždin's restaurants are too classic but have too little class, whereas gastronomic scene in Čakovec has innovation and freshness. That's why restaurants in Čakovec sometimes even top those in Zagreb. Even on the "classic" side, you get a pizza that you cant get in Varaždin, and hardly in Zagreb. You get the best coffee - for better coffee you have to go to Italy or Vienna. 

That's why Čakovec & Varaždin make together a perfect fit of traditional culture and innovative cuisine. So if you are in Varaždin, come over river the Drava to Čakovec. The cities are connected by train and bus. But before we take a look at the great food, let's see what activites there are in Čakovec!

Things to do around Čakovec

• In nearby Šenkovec, there is a gothic chapel St. Helena. The chapel has gothic frescos which are not so often seen in North Croatian, Kaikavian region due to Turk-wars when a lot of gothic heritage was destroyed.
• Above the chappel there is a hill in ellipsoid shape, for which we have good evidence that it has gotten this shape in prehistoric times. It was inhabited in early medieval and Roman times.
• For you we prepared this easy-going off road bike tour around Čakovec.
• In Pribislavec, few minutes by car there is another castle, that belonged to Festetics, Kaikavian nobility from Turopolje.

Best food, cakes and coffee in Čakovec & nearby

Here you will find the finest restaurants and gastronomic locations, outside form typical newspapers hype. We compared them to the finest restaurants in Central Europe, which we used to visit for many years - in Vienna, München and Venice.

• Dining:

  • For finest dining and dessert we recommend Bistro & Winery Shamper.

  • A bit outside of Čakovec in the middle of greenery there is restaurant Kneja, a delightful getaway.

  • New creative restaurant in Čakovec since 2016 is Mundoaka located in the centre, which combines world's tastes with Kaikavian tradition of Medjimorye

• Pizza

  • For a great pizza from stone oven definitely restaurant Barok, where maybe the service sometimes might be a bit better. 

• Wine

  • ​For a real autentic wineyard you have to make it a bit further away from Čakovec - to Lovrec Wine in St. Urban. But it is worth the short trip, a wine cellar from 16th century and romantic views over wine-hills are awaiting you.

• Cakes & dessert:

  • Cakes made with creative fantasy - Shamper.

  • Pies and cakes you can get in the new Merci coffee shop, which is located just behind the main church in the centre. Our favorite cakes are gluten-free choco cake and traditional cake međimorska gibanica - best you can get in Čakovec. 
     

• Coffee:

  • Close to Merci there is famous Casa Latina, best coffee shop far and wide. They roast their own coffee, and make great cappuccino and mini Irish coffee which we both recommend. You can take the cake from Merci and go over to Casa for great coffee. For even better coffee you will have to go to Italy or Vienna. 

*all reastaurants serve also traditional Kaikavian dishes.