The Unmissable Esplanade Štrukli Days at Le Bistro

(Photo: arhiva hotela Esplanade)

The special offer includes two portions of štrukli for only €16 (HRK 120,55), and is available  until 31 January 2023.

In January, one unmissable culinary destination is certainly the iconic Le Bistro at Zagreb’s Esplanade Hotel, which traditionally hosts the Days of Esplanade Štrukli for guests. 

“Guests simply adore our štrukli, which have become hugely popular over the years, even beyond the borders of Croatia. Some foreign guests even come to Zagreb only to enjoy this dish. The štrukli are delicious and tasty, simply irresistible, and they find their way onto the menu of almost every important celebration and anniversary. January is the ideal time, and true hedonists have been contacting us for days to book their table and indulge in this perfect comfort food, with which we usually recommend a glass of premium or sparkling wine”, said Le Bistro’s Manager Ivan Trbušić.

(Photo: arhiva hotela Esplanade)

Esplanade štrukli are hand made with just a few fresh ingredients, according to the same tried and tested recipe, one over half a century old, which is why they are especially valued. Štrukli are made daily at the hotel’s pastry shop and are synonymous with the tradition and quality of the local gourmet offer. The dough is kneaded and stretched across the entire table until it becomes paper-thin. It is then filled with fresh cheese, and the štrukli are shaped with a thin porcelain plate, to then be steamed, carefully placed in a ceramic dish, topped with fine cream, and crisped in the oven until golden brown. Guests consume them as an appetizer, as a main course with a pinch salt, or as a dessert with sugar.

(Photo: arhiva hotela Esplanade)

(Photo: arhiva hotela Esplanade)

“We serve štrukli to our guests for breakfast along with other local products such as Drniš prosciutto, Pag Island cheese, home-made cracklings, olive oil, and local sparkling wine from Plešivica. They are the most delicious part of almost every important event, disappearing in no time. However, it is the iconic Le Bistro which has the strongest link with this specialty,” said Executive Chef of the Esplanade’s kitchen Ana Grgić Tomić.

(Photo: arhiva hotela Esplanade)

This traditional speciality from the Croatian Zagorje region, created in a hilly landscape of picturesque pastures and fields, has earned its undisputed place in the culinary selection of the Esplanade Hotel from the very beginning. Štrukli were first prepared at the Esplanade Hotel back in 1951, and it all started with the idea to offer visitors and international guests at gala festivities something appealing, authentic, and taste-tested, from different Croatian regions.

(Photo: arhiva hotela Esplanade)

The chefs recognised the value of national dishes as the most attractive invitation for guests who like to enjoy local delicacies, and štrukli have ever since become a staple classic of each of the Esplanade’s menus. Making the journey from vernacular cuisine to elite restaurants, this delicious dish has reached the very top of the offer thanks to the fact that it is handmade, its quality, fresh ingredients, and place within local tradition. The Esplanade’s štrukli have also been tasted by numerous famous guests, including foreign dignitaries, members of royal families, athletes, actors, singers and others, who were never left indifferent to this traditional delicacy.

The special offer of the Esplanade Štrukli Days lasts from 6 to 31 January 2023, and refers exclusively to consumption of two portions of oven-crisped štrukli in the restaurant Le Bistro at the promotional price of €16 (HRK 120,55). Each portion contains two pieces of štrukli. The regular price of one serving is €11.28 (HRK 85). The promotion does not apply to the purchase of frozen or take-out štrukli.