Ljubljana is a lulling capital, utterly at ease with itself. With more the feel of a healthy village than a bustling metropolis, Ljubljana impresses the visitor as a city content to breathe slowly and leisurely play the role of capital to a country of almost 2 million inhabitants. Few tourists have yet to scale the ancient walls of this former Yugoslavian republic, but those who have can't believe their eyes. Nor their luck.
Unlike many European capitals, Ljubljana seems to exist first and foremost for the 330,000 citizens that call it home. Its restaurants are no exception. Scattered throughout the city's old town -- with its squares, churches, and foot bridges spanning the Ljubljanica River -- are a hospitable patchwork of hostels and inns that brew up robust Slovenian dishes for market vendors, students, or locals in search of some company for their glass of beer.
One way to enter into conversation with Slovenia is through its food and restaurants. Slovenian food is strongly influenced by the cuisine of its larger neighbors Italy, Austria, and Hungary, which translates into ravioli-like dishes, fish and seafood, sausage and strudel, and hearty goulashes.
And to top it off, Ljubljana is a city where even a traveler on a shoestring budget can afford to eat well, which can't be said for many European capitals. Here's a selection of restaurants, hostels, and inns where the locals convene for a down-home spread of Slovenian victuals in a warm and welcoming atmosphere.
ZLATICA RIBICA Cankarjevo nabrezje 5 Ljubljana Tel. 01 341 06 90 Hours: 8am - midnight, 7 days/week This inviting pub-restaurant with an outdoor terrace is nestled right along the Ljubljanica River and is a prime spot for lunch or a light supper while watching bands of students bicycle past on their way to class. A stone's throw from Presernov trg, Ljubljana's central square, Zlatica serves up a selection of exemplary Slovenian dishes, such as jota, a potage of turnips, beans and potatoes served with a wicker basket of crunchy peasant's bread and a glass of Union, Slovenia's national beer that has a faint flavor of lemon grass. Or if you're feeling slightly more peckish, tuck into a bowl of the local hen stew with garden vegetables and "Cvicek," a famous dry red wine from the Dolenjska region of Slovenia.
Estimated cost per person: $7 - $10
GOSTILNA PRI PAVLI Stari trg 21 Ljubljana Tel. 01.425 92 75 Hours: 7am - 10pm Monday - Saturday This bargain hostel at the end of Ljubljana's most fashionable street has all the straightforward appeal of a simple, family-run Slovenian inn. Make acquaintance with locals and students over the country consommés from the Karst region or one of their Mediterranean seafood dishes. I found myself welcomed and cordially served by three generations of one Slovenian family. Pavla Bago, the grandmother, owner, and cook from the Karst region of Slovenia popped her head out from the larder while imposing her will on the Farmer's Plate, a selection of Slovenian sausage, prosciutto, and sour cabbage, accompanied by mottled buckwheat bread. The mother was at the taps sloshing out glass after glass of the local pivo (beer) for a group of singing Italian university students while Petra, the granddaughter, circulated between tables with platters of stews, meats and cabbages, managing to keep both the grandmother and mother content.
Estimated cost per person: $5 - $10
VINOTEKA SOKOL Ciril Metodov trg 18 Ljubljana Tel. 01 4396 855 Hours: 6am - 11pm Mon - Sat, 8am - 10pm Sun A quirky professor at Ljubljana's art high school tipped me off to this vaulted inn where market vendors and students rub shoulders and warm their hands over miniature cauldrons of the ultimate Hungarian-inspired Slovenian comfort food -- goulash. A friendly waiter perches your personal kettle of meaty ragout precariously over an open flame on your table, from which you ladle the broth and chunks of vegetables over a couple mounds of crisp polenta. Located just around the corner from Presernov Square and the central market, Sokol is the nook in which to break bread after an afternoon of marketing. For a between meal snack, arrange for a plate of sausages, dumplings, or struklji (cheese pastries). The longer I stayed in Ljubljana, the more locals claimed Sokol as their preferred hideaway for a steaming supper in an amicable Slovenian setting.
Estimated cost per person: $7 - $12
CAFFE ANTICO Stari trg 17 Ljubljana Hours: 7am - midnight, Mon - Sat If you come upon a serious thought while in Ljubljana that needs jotting down, this quintessential Italian-inspired café is the place to do it. Beneath its frescoed ceilings and ensconced in the weathered furniture, you'll slow down to the leisurely rhythm of the city with one of their overflowing cappuccinos. You'll want to sequester yourself at a back table with a fork and nibble their homemade pastries while wondering what you should be out seeing. I found myself whiling away the better part of several rainy afternoons in this refined den, twisting my tongue over my Slovenian phrase book in preparation for my next meal. Having recently changed owners, Caffe Antico has started serving light breakfasts to accompany their teas and espressos. In the afternoon try a selection of their sandwiches, such as their open-faced tuna sandwich on toasted grain bread. They also do a crisp glass of Beli Pinot, a Slovenian Pinot Blanc from the Podravje region that will brace you as you consider an ascent to Ljubljana's castle that is perched behind the cafe.
Estimated cost per person: $3 -$6
TRTA Pizzeria Grudnovo nabrezje 21 Ljubljana Tel. 01.426.50 66 Hours: 11am - 10pm Mon - Fri, noon - 10pm Sat; 4pm - 10pm Sun & Holidays With a few more Slovenian expressions under your belt, here's the place to put them to good use. My young Slovenian hosts swear by the pizza pies at TRTA, a homey pizzeria tucked along a tree-lined avenue that borders the Ljubljanica River. In the summer TRTA's outdoor terrace allows for open-air revelry with a scenic view of the river. Inside, a collection of tin watering cans filled with dried flowers hang from the ceiling while a pleasant mix of students and families cut triangles out of their pizzas below. The Pizza Trevisiana is a local favorite, piled with fresh tomatoes, radishes marinated in Italian olive oil and covered in mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. And one of these chewy homemade pies asks for no better partner than a heady bottle of Zlatorog Pivo, the pride of Slovenian lagers. Na zdravje!
Estimated cost per person: $7 - $10
PLAC Vodnikov trg (beside market) Ljubljana Hours: 9 am - 3pm Mon - Fri, 8am - 2pm Sat. Huddle round a heaping bowl of golaz (goulash) while standing at round counters poking up amidst the columns of Ljubljana's famous open air Plecnik market. If you want cheap Slovenian grub with a front row seat to Ljubljana's grandest outdoor spectacle - the marketplace - step up to a bowl of their piping bean soup with chunks of country cured ham and a teetering stack of bread. You'll be squarely in the thick of things here, biding your time alongside neighborhood geezers smoking their cigarettes and sipping their miniature globes of Malvazija, a dry, yellowish wine from the Primorska wine region. Old ladies take a breather from their market stalls selling beeswax candles and honey to warm up around a bowl of Plac's potent minestrone soup. If your stomach is grumbling and you've a few bucks to your name, Plac is the ideal pit stop to mingle with the locals while shoveling in copious quantities of hearty market food.
Estimated cost per person: $2 - $5
FIGOVEC Gosposvetska 1 Ljubljana Tel. 01 426 44 10 Hours: 8am - 11pm Mon - Sat; 11am - 5pm Sun While in Ljubljana, you can't exclusively lull in the luxury of its enchanting old town. One good reason to bust out onto Ljubljana's bustling city avenues is Figovec. Renowned among locals and students alike, this teeming restaurant with its traditional Slovenian farm and country décor offers a sweeping spread of nicely prepared Slovenian classics. Submerge a spoon into their heralded pale pumpkin soup. This will inevitably lead you into the waters that are home to postrv, trout from the Soca River, served with steamed potatoes, beans, and a glass of Sipon, a crisp white wine from one of Slovenia's 14 wine-growing areas. Figovec affords the visitor a glimpse into how the citizens of Ljubljana eat on a daily basis. For an inexpensive lunch, a fixed price menu of thick beef soup, a country goulash, followed by a dish of creamy Italian ice cream will set you back less than a Starbucks coffee and muffin back home.
Estimated price per person: $7 - $13
LE PETIT CAFE Trg Francoske Revolucije 4 Ljubljana Hours: 8am - 11pm Mon - Sat, Noon - 9pm Sunday Discreetly moored to one of Ljubljana's most charming squares, this studenty hovel dabbles in a full palate of breakfast delicacies. Unpack your camera, journal, or travel sketchpad and express your genius alongside Slovenia's future artists, photographers, and designers -- the national arts high school, housed in a beautiful old Plecnik-designed monastery, is right across the square. Try a platter of their jam filled croissants, pastries, muesli and yogurt with several mugs of café au lait. If all this sounds French, Le Petit Café lounges conveniently beneath the trees of the square of the French Revolution. This is the place to find Slovenia's future Warhols and Mapplethorpes, aglow with bright green hair and piercings, ordering glasses of sparkling water and working on their future exhibitions. In summer, there's a sidewalk terrace that serves as front row seating to Ljubljana's fashionistas as they cycle past with their portfolios on their red, yellow, and green bicycles.
Estimated cost per person: $2 - $5
BUREK STAND Prazakova ulica (next to Slovenijaturist) Hours: 10am - 2 am Mon - Sat Modern Slovenia's response to traditional Slo-food, the burek stand is a popular fast food import from the Balkans. Located at stands around Ljubljana and across the land, the burek is Ljubljana's quintessential street food. The hot, flaky pastries filled with cheese, meat, or even apple are ideal as snacks between meals or to sedate the munchies after a late night at the bars. The burek stand is also a good place to meet young Slovenes - while mowing down a few of these deep-fried pastries in the street, don't be surprised to start chewing the fat with other Slovenes just hanging out. Although you won't find the burek next to the granola bars in the health food store -- on a good day the burek can be somewhat greasy - it certainly is a lot more fun. And to appreciate the full range of Slovenian cuisine, it shouldn't be missed.
ZRNO Trubarjeva cesta 8 Ljubljana Hours: 6:30am - 7pm Weekdays, 7am - 1pm Sat Although Slovenia is hardly a paradise for those not prone to integrate at least one four-legged animal into their pot-au-feu, most restaurants these days can conjure up a few palatable vegetarian dishes. Ljubljana isn't home to any vegetarian restaurants per se, however Zrno offers an assortment of vegetarian and vegan sandwiches and snacks. You'll also find garden salads, market fruits, and vegetables to hold you over. On menus across the city, look for classic meatless Slovenian dishes such as struklji, cheese dumplings speckled with chives or tarragon or gobova rizota, mushroom risotto, or ocvrti sir, deep-fried cheese. Also, depending on the season, keep your eyes peeled for jurcki (wild cep mushrooms) that are extremely popular across the country. Milk bars offer yogurts and many local dairy products such as krofi, delicious jam-filled doughnuts.
The Top List of Great Restaurants - Ljubljana, Slovenia