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Ajdovo Zrno
A relatively recent arrival on the Ljubljana dining scene, 'Buckwheat Grain' serves soups, sandwiches, fried vegetables and lots of different salads. And they have terrific, freshly squeezed juices, including the unusual rose-petal juice with lemon. Enter from Mali trg.
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Ali Baba
Carpets and low brass tables decorate this cosy little restaurant, whose Iranian and Indian dishes are popular with journalists and students.
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Breskvar
This cosy gostilna in Trnovo serves some of the finest home-cooking in town. The shady garden is a delight when the warmer months roll around, but we also love the retro dining room with scenes and memories of old Ljubljana.
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Burek Stand
The burek stand southwest of the train and bus stations serves some of the best cheese, meat and apple burek in town.
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Cantina Mexicana
The capital's most stylish Mexican restaurant has an eye-catching red-and-blue exterior and haciendalike decor, with sofas and lanterns inside. The fajitas ( €7.50 - €11.70 ) are great.
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Chez Eric
This tastefully decorated restaurant has a short but well chosen menu. The three-course set dinner is €25 .
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Delikatesa Ljubljanski Dvor
Locals queue for huge, bargain slices of pizzas, salads, and grilled vegetables sold by weight to take away or eat on the spot.
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Don Felipe
Southeast of Krekov trg, Don Felipe was Ljubljana's first Spanish restaurant and it remains the best. It specialises in tapas and paella and has some striking decor.
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Gostilna As
The 'Ace Inn', in the passage linking Wolfova ulica and Slovenska cesta, is the place for a special occasion, with seafood, a good wine list, and a few classic Slovene dishes dominating the menu. You can also enter from Slovenska cesta 30. The As Lounge in both the cellar and a glassed-in terrace is much more informal, with sandwiches (around €4.15 to around €7.25 ), salads from( €4.15 ), and a few less elaborate main courses (from €8.30 ).
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Gostilna Pri Pavli
A wonderful holdover from the socialist era, 'Paula's Place' is an attractive, country-style inn in an enviable location that has managed to retain its old-school style and prices. The Farmer's Feast ( €22.10 ) is a two-person blowout.
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Harambaša
At this small place in Krakovo you'll find authentic Bosnian - Sarajevan to be precise - cuisine served at low tables in a charming modern cottage atmosphere with quiet Balkan music and a lively crowd.
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Hot Horse
Hot Horse exists to supply Ljubljančani with a favourite treat: horse burgers. The branch in Park Tivoli is just down the hill from the Museum of Contemporary History .
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JB
Old-world charm, a hybrid Slovenian-Mediterranean-French menu, a top-notch wine list and very stylish decor have made this restaurant one of the most popular in town for a fancy meal.
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Julija
Julija serves up decent risottos and pastas either outside on the pavement terrace or in a Delft-tiled backroom behind a cafe decorated with 1920s prints.
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Kebapči
For a taste of the Middle East, try this little hole-in-the-wall up an alley off Trubarjeva cesta.
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Kitajska Zvezda
If you're looking for a fix of rice or noodles, try the 'Chinese Star' on the river just south of the Old Town. Szechuan dishes, including the mapo doufu (tofu with garlic and chilli) are quite good.
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Lunch Café
More New York than Ljubljana, this cafe, from the people who brought you Pri Vitezu, is the perfect spot for a late breakfast (from €3.50 ), even later brunch (from €8.50 ) and nosh until late. Pasta dishes (from €3.75 ) are notable.
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Manna
Festooned across the front of this canal-side restaurant in Trnovo is the slogan ' Manna - Bžanske Jedi na Zemlji ' (Manna - Heavenly Food on Earth). It didn't feel quite like paradise the last time we visited, but the decor is stylish, there's a wonderful covered inner courtyard for dining almost al fresco and the setting is pretty nice.
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Mexico 1867
Mexico 1867's lurid colours, unappetizing scenes of civil war scenes and sombreros notwithstanding, the huge menus offers some authentic Mexican favourites, including nachos, chimichangas , tacos and fajitas.
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Mirje
Just a few blocks southwest of the centre, this little trattoria serves a wide range of pizzas and pastas, as well as a few more ambitious main courses. The decor - light wood furniture, checked tablecloths and blue-and-white trim - is upbeat and welcoming.
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Paninoteka
Healthy sandwich creations on olive ciabatta are sold here to take away or to eat outside on a lovely little square with views of the castle.
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Pen Club
This artsy restaurant, at the top of old wooden steps in the headquarters of the national journalists' association, is a favourite with Slovenian literati. It just has to be one of the cosiest and most romantic eateries in town; try to bag a table on the terrace balcony.
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Pizzerija Foculus
Pizzerija Foculus pizza from €4 . Boasts a vaulted ceiling painted with spring and autumn leaves.
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Pod Rožnikom
This place 'Under Mt Rožnik' (sort of) and just downwind from the zoo in Park Tivoli serves southern Slav-style grills, like pljeskavica (spicy meat patties) with ajvar (roasted red peppers, tomatoes and eggplant cooked into a purée) and starters such as prebranac (onions and beans cooked in an earthenware pot). Worth the trip.
