Imagine this scene: hundreds of people standing in lines hundreds of meters long, not for a concert, not for free tickets, but for… potatoes! Yes, you read that right. Spud Bud, a street food stand in Zagreb, has caused a frenzy with its hit dish – the jacket potato, or as its creator Hrvoje Drahotusky calls it, his original baked potato.
This specialty, originating from the UK, is not your typical junk food. It’s a large baked potato, weighing nearly half a kilogram, with a crispy skin and soft inside, loaded with rich fillings like pulled pork, pulled chicken, chili con carne, and even sweet Heinz beans. Hrvoje has managed to adapt this traditional British dish to modern trends and the tastes of Zagreb’s crowd, resulting in unprecedented crowds at Dolac market.
On Fridays, when Spud Bud operates at Dolac, the lines are so long they stretch down the stairs and beyond, with people waiting up to an hour and fifteen minutes to get a taste of this phenomenon. Hrvoje says his heart is as big as a house because he fed over 600 people in one day alone, but physically it’s impossible to bake potatoes faster or serve more portions in such a short time.
This phenomenon isn’t just a local hit. Hrvoje found inspiration in the legendary British stand Spudman, owned by Ben Newman in Tamworth, who became a viral sensation with over 4 million TikTok followers. Ben has sold thousands of jacket potatoes at various events and festivals across the UK and is now coming to Zagreb to support Hrvoje at the opening of a new location on September 8th.
Jacket potato, once a simple home-cooked meal, is now a global street food phenomenon. In London and other British cities, there are food trucks and venues dedicated solely to this potato, and now Zagreb has its own king of baked potatoes.
If you thought potatoes were boring, think again! Spud Bud proves that even the simplest things can become a hit if made with passion and a bit of creativity. And if you’re already hungry, maybe it’s time to join those hundreds in line and try this phenomenal potato. Or, you know, just drop a comment and tell us your favorite potato topping – maybe you’ll inspire the next Spud Bud menu hit!
