Here are the seven best and most surprising restaurants in Ljubljana.
Most restaurant guides list the same places: good food, a nice terrace, friendly service. Useful, but a little predictable.
Living in Ljubljana, I’ve spent years exploring the city’s restaurants and cafés. Some are excellent but fairly classic. Others, however, have something truly different: an unusual setting, an unexpected story, or a concept you won’t easily find elsewhere in the city.
The restaurants below are not just good places to eat. Each of them has its own character. One is hidden in a medieval tower, another occupies a house full of history, and one even plays a small role in Ljubljana’s social life.
If you enjoy discovering places with personality when you travel, these seven restaurants will make your meal in Ljubljana much more memorable.
Amazing places I love to go to!
A Giant Argentinian Steakhouse in an Unexpected Place
This huge restaurant sits in the vast BTC shopping centre in Ljubljana, surrounded by Zara, IKEA and other big stores. The setting doesn’t sound very promising at first. But once you step into the large inner courtyard, enclosed by tall fences, the atmosphere suddenly changes and you feel transported to Argentina. Then you push open the door of a massive building and find yourself in a two-storey dining room decorated with large paintings in the style of Fernando Botero.
Large, beautiful solid wood tables await you.
You’ll feel right at home on these big tables, next to the fireplace in winter. It’s a real success and I was very impressed when the restaurant opened in 2005, just one year after my first arrival in Slovenia (I left and then came back).
So the first impression was excellent, but what followed was, in my opinion, less interesting. Flown in directly from Argentina, the beef cooked Asado style is delicious but overpriced! The side dishes are not delicious. In short, unless you have a big budget that allows you to access the best cuts of meat at this Argentinian steakhouse, I wouldn’t recommend going there.
Rainy day tip: On the other hand, on a rainy winter’s day you can go from the BTC restau Argentino shopping centre to the café next to the restau Argentino and it will be a very pleasant sequence (or replace the restau Argentino with another one not far away which is much better. See the rest of this article)
A piece of Slovenian history: This restaurant owes nothing to chance, as in my opinion it originated in the Argentinian Slovenes. Three waves of migration to Argentina in the early 20th century. Brina Svit has even published a book on the subject with Gallimard. The title is Visages slovènes.
Argentino: Šmartinska cesta 152
A Yugoslav-Era Pizzeria Hidden in Cankarjev Dom
This pizzeria is cleverly hidden at the entrance of one of the passageways inside the vast Cankarjev dom cultural centre. Unless someone points it out to you, it’s almost impossible to notice. The restaurant sits in a recessed concrete courtyard, and its decor is anything but Instagram-friendly. At first glance, the pizzas even look a bit small. With all that, there’s hardly any reason for tourists to stop here — which is precisely why you should.
It was the first pizzeria in Ljubljana, opened in 1974!
Pizzeria Parma is something of a Ljubljana institution, and many locals have been coming here for years. It probably won’t be the best pizza you’ll ever eat, but the place has a unique atmosphere that makes the visit worthwhile. If you’re hoping to experience everyday life in the city, meet locals, and step away from the more touristy spots, this is a great place to stop for dinner.
Pizzeria Parma: Trg republike 2
A Real Slovenian Gostilna Loved by Locals
A gostilna is a traditional Slovenian restaurant. For Slovenians, it’s nothing surprising or unusual, but for a tourist, it will be! My favourite gostilna in Ljubljana is only open for lunch on weekdays. It’s right next to the large BTC shopping centre. The restaurant is tucked away in a large house in a residential area. The food is delicious, well prepared and the prices are excellent for the quality of what you are served.
If you don’t like the food served here, you can safely say that you don’t like Slovenian cuisine.
It’s true that you have to make a bit of an effort to get there by bus, bike or taxi, but for me it’s really worth it because this restaurant is more interesting than any you’ll find in the centre of Ljubljana and you’ll discover Slovenian traditions.
Gostilna “Pri stričku” – Kodrova ulica 8, 1000 Ljubljana
The Best Balkan Cevapcici in Ljubljana
Now we’re off to the Balkans with cevapcicis, the little minced meat sausages that I recommend you try during your stay in Slovenia. Slovenians love them and if you’re invited to a barbecue at a Slovenian restaurant, cevapcicis will always be on the menu. You’ll find them in many of Ljubljana’s restaurants.
Cevapcicis are an excellent way to eat cheaply in Ljubljana.
They are served with ajvar sauce with peppers or kajmak, a kind of butter and cheese. The round bread served on the side is delicious.
Das ist Valter – Šmartinska c. 3, 1000 Ljubljana
A Serbian Restaurant Hidden in the Forest
In the immense forest on the edge of Parc Tivoli, you’ll find a fine establishment, Gostilna Cad. It serves good grilled meats. The interior of the restaurant is typical, but what I find interesting is the large terrace on the edge of the forest, with its beautiful white tablecloths and old, skilful waiters.
It’s like taking a trip back in time.
This kind of restaurant seems to me sufficiently atypical to feature in this article. I highly recommend a visit during your stay.
Gostilna Cad – Cesta na Rožnik 18, 1000 Ljubljana
The Famous 3 a.m. Burek Stop
In Slovenia, when you come out of a nightclub and you’ve had too much to drink, you’re not looking for a kebab but for a burek, this Balkan speciality to which I’ve devoted an entire article and which you absolutely must try during your stay in Slovenia. Bureks are available with cheese or meat. There’s also pizzaburek.
Noberl Burek – Cesta na Rožnik 18, 1000 Ljubljana