Colonna bar & caffe

Address: Ul. Ilije Smiljanića 2, Zadar, 23000, Croatia
Instagram: colonna.cocktail.bar

Style: Activity-led bar, Cocktail bar
Established: 2021

With few experienced cocktail bartenders available locally, the pair initially did almost everything themselves, from serving coffee and fresh juices in the morning to mixing the final drinks late at night. Five years on, Colonna remains Zadar's only cocktail-only bar and, according to Moreno, one of just two in Croatia.

That determination has shaped Colonna ever since. The approach to drinks is exacting – if something isn't good enough, it is changed rather than accepted for the sake of convenience – but the atmosphere is deliberately less serious. Moreno describes a loud, warm, relaxed and occasionally chaotic bar, drawing a loyal local following alongside chefs, bartenders, other hospitality professionals and visitors to Zadar. It's the sort of place where a guest arriving for a single cocktail can easily find themselves staying for several hours.

Despite its location away from Europe's more closely watched cocktail capitals, Colonna has gradually built an impressive international network. The bar has welcomed guest shifts from teams including Salmon Guru, Tjoget, Svanen, Baba au Rum, Paradiso, Drink Kong, L'Antiquario and ART, while Simone Caporale has also stepped behind the bar. Colonna has travelled in the other direction too, including a guest shift at Drink Kong in Rome. Moreno says visiting bartenders repeatedly single out the crowd, energy and unusually close interaction between guests and bartenders as what makes working at Colonna memorable.

That exchange is continuing to grow. Guest shifts from ART Katowice and Salmon Guru on consecutive nights in September 2026 both filled the bar, leading to invitations for Colonna to visit Katowice and discussions about a trip to Madrid. It is a long way from Moreno and Dijana's original ambition, which was simply to make very good cocktails in Zadar without compromising on the drinks or the hospitality. What began as an unlikely proposition in a small Adriatic city has consequently developed into a bar with an increasingly international reach, while remaining firmly rooted in its local crowd.