Peka in Zagreb: Where to Order Lamb and Veal Under the Lid

What peka actually means on a Croatian menu

Peka is a lid, and the phrase ispod peke means "under the lid": meat is sealed in a shallow dish, covered with a heavy metal dome, and buried in embers so it cooks slowly in its own juices. Because the dome traps steam before the meat browns at the end, the result is falling-off-the-bone soft rather than charred, which is why Croatians treat it as celebration food rather than a quick lunch. When a menu lists teletina ispod peke and janjetina ispod peke separately, that is the choice you are making: veal or lamb, not cooking style.

This is also why peka rarely suits a spontaneous walk-in. The coals need hours, and kitchens often prepare a set number of portions for the day, so the meat may be sold out or need to be requested when you book. If your group is Split, most places serving peka also run a grill and spit-roasted meat alongside it, so nobody is stuck. If you want to see how the dish is cooked rather than just eat it, Food Tours in Zagreb can be a good starting point.

Teletina and janjetina: the two meats to order

Teletina is veal and janjetina is lamb, and both appear on Zagreb peka menus as portions for two, often with a side dish included. Veal is the milder, more buttery option and the safer pick for anyone unsure about lamb's stronger flavour; lamb carries more fat and more punch, and in spring it is often advertised as young lamb. Trnjanka has sourced lamb from Pag and from the Drniš area and the hinterland of Šibenik.

A third option exists at Konoba Didov san, where octopus can be cooked under the peka as well, which suits anyone in the party who does not eat meat. The rest of that kitchen leans on the flavours of Dalmatian Zagora, the inland hinterland behind Split, so expect frogs, eel and snails alongside the peka dishes. That makes it the most varied of the Zagreb addresses if you want a table where only half the group orders lamb or veal.

Trnjanka on Trnjanska cesta: the Zagreb classic

Trnjanka sits at Trnjanska cesta 31, behind the Palace of Justice, and has served peka for more than half a century, which is why it turns up in most Zagreb conversations about lamb under the lid. The kitchen adjusts its menu with the season and also runs lamb on the spit, so a mixed table can order one peka for two and grilled meat for the rest. The room is air-conditioned and there is a terrace, though the draw here is the food rather than the setting.

It functions as a gablec stop at midday, a business lunch address and an early dinner venue, and Zagreb locals also book it for larger celebrations, so the atmosphere shifts through the day. As reported in June 2025, it opened from Tuesday to Sunday between 10am and 7pm, which makes it a lunch and early-evening proposition rather than a late-night one. If you want peka as an evening meal, plan to eat before seven or pick one of the other addresses.

Zelen dvor on Samoborska cesta

Zelen dvor stands at Samoborska cesta 170 in the west of the city near the Sava, on a site that has held a gostionica, a traditional inn, since 1937. The menu is built on a grill, spit-roasted dishes and Dalmatian lamb and veal under the peka, backed up by fresh white fish, so it works for a group that wants more than one style of cooking on the table. It is a long-standing celebration and business-lunch address rather than a quick stop.

In June 2025 the veal under the peka was listed at 36 euros and the lamb at 47 euros per portion. Hours then ran from 8am to midnight Monday to Saturday, with Sundays and public holidays closing at 10.30pm, so it is the most flexible of these kitchens for a late table.

Konoba Didov san on Gornji grad and in Kajzerica

Konoba Didov san runs two addresses, one at Mletačka 11 in Gornji grad and a second in Kajzerica at Bencekovićeva 28, so you can pick by neighbourhood rather than crossing the city. Both cook veal, lamb and octopus under the peka, and the kitchen asks for notice on these dishes, which is the practical reason to order when you reserve. The Gornji grad branch puts you in the upper town, while Kajzerica suits anyone staying south of the centre.

As reported in June 2025, veal for two with a side came to 44 euros at both branches, while lamb for two was 52 euros on Gornji grad and 50 euros in Kajzerica. Hours then were 11am to 11.30pm daily in Gornji grad, and 10.30am to 11.30pm Tuesday to Sunday in Kajzerica. If you are comparing a konoba Zagreb table with the city's grill houses, this is the most central option for peka.

Pri zvoncu on 12. vrbik

Pri zvoncu at 12. vrbik is a neighbourhood restaurant in a built-up quarter, with a green-fenced terrace that screens the traffic on the road outside. Regulars come for the gablec lunch, for celebrations, and for a menu that splits between the grill, Zagreb-style veal and Adriatic squid, with veal under the peka as the dish many order. That range makes it the easiest of these addresses for a group that is not fully committed to peka.

It is the kind of place where turning up without a booking is risky, because the same regulars fill it for lunch and for private celebrations. As reported in June 2025 it opened Tuesday to Saturday from 11.30am to midnight, so it is the best of the four for a late dinner.

What peka costs and how much to order

Peka is priced by portion for two rather than per person, and the dish usually arrives with a side included, so two people sharing one peka is the standard order. The June 2025 prices across these kitchens ran from 36 euros for veal at Zelen dvor to 52 euros for lamb for two at Didov san on Gornji grad. For a broader sense of what meals cost in the city, our guide to Zagreb food prices sets these numbers against everyday lunch spending.

Portions are generous, so a table of four ordering two pekas plus grilled dishes and a salad usually ends up with food to spare. If you are a couple, one peka for two plus a shared starter is enough.

Booking ahead and ordering your peka

The pattern across all four Zagreb kitchens is the same: peka is cooked in limited quantities, so you should reserve a table and request the dish in the same conversation. Didov san asks for the order in time, and Pri zvoncu is hard to walk into at peak lunch, so a phone call or an online booking the day before removes the risk. Say which meat you want and how many portions, since a kitchen that has sold out of lamb cannot conjure more.

Weekends and larger groups are where bookings matter most, because these restaurants double as celebration venues and the peka competes with party orders. If you are visiting on a Saturday, book midweek and aim for a lunch slot at Trnjanka or an evening table at Zelen dvor or Pri zvoncu.

Peka beyond the city at Gredice near Zabok

Restoran Ksaver at Dvorac Gjalski in Gredice, near Zabok, is the option if you want peka as the centre of a longer outing rather than a city dinner. It sits at Gredice Zabočke 7, outside Zagreb towards Zabok, and it appears in the same round-up of places to eat veal and lamb under the peka. The trade-off is transport: you need a plan for getting back, and the visit takes most of an afternoon.

Which Zagreb peka should you book?

Choose Trnjanka for a traditional lunch, Zelen dvor or Pri zvoncu for a long evening with a mixed group, and Didov san if you want the central Gornji grad address or octopus alongside the meat. Whatever you pick, ring ahead and name your meat.