Things to do in Ljubljana
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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.
reviewed
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Sokol
In this old vaulted house near the Central Market, traditional Slovenian food is served on heavy tables by costumed waiters. Pizza is available if traditional dishes like obara (veal stew around €6) and Krvavica sausage with cabbage don't appeal.
reviewed
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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 .
reviewed
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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).
reviewed
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E
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.
reviewed
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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.
reviewed
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Smrekarjev Hram
Smrekar's House starters from €5, mains around €17. This Art Nouveau jewel run by the Grand Hotel Union and named after artist and illustrator Hinko Smrekar (1883-1942), famed (in certain circles) for his 'pan-Slavic' playing cards, has always been considered the poshest international restaurant in Ljubljana. It closes in summer.
reviewed
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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.
reviewed
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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.
reviewed
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Sofra
Often touted as the most authentic Bosnian restaurant in town, there's also live music every night from September to June, when your fellow diners are likely to provide as much entertainment as those performing.
reviewed
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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.
reviewed
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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.
reviewed
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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.
reviewed
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Ribca
Ribca dishes around €5. This basement seafood bar below the Plečnik Colonnade in Pogačarjev trg serves tasty fried squid, sardines and herrings to hungry market-goers.
reviewed
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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.
reviewed
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Trubadur
This little sladki bar (sweet bar) with the badly punned name (see street name) serves some of the best cakes on the left bank.
reviewed
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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.
reviewed
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Sax Pub
In Trnovo and decorated with colourful murals and graffiti inside and out, Sax has live jazz at 21:30 on Thursday.
reviewed
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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.
reviewed
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Sushimama
Ljubljana's only Japanese sushi restaurant has simple, restful decor and very fresh fish.
reviewed
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Taverna Tatjana
Looking like an old-world wooden-beamed cottage pub with a nautical theme, this is actually a rather exclusive fish restaurant with a lovely (and protected) back courtyard for the warmer months.
reviewed
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Ljubljana Castle
Known as Ljubljana Castle (Ljubljanski Grad), there have been fortifications of one kind or another on Castle Hill (Grajska Planota) since at least Celtic times, but the existing Ljublijana Castle mostly dates from a 16th-century rebuilding following the 1511 earthquake. It was a royal residence in the 17th and 18th centuries and a prison and barracks in the 19th and first half of the 20th centuries.
About 80% of the castle has been renovated in recent years, and it is now frequently used as a venue for concerts and other cultural activities, and as a wedding hall on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.
The castle was a royal residence in the 17th and 18th centuries and a priso…
reviewed
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Museum of Contemporary History of Slovenia
The Museum of Contemporary History of Slovenia, housed in the 18th-century Cekin Mansion (Grad Cekinov) just northeast of the Tivoli Recreation Centre, traces the history of Slovenia in the 20th century through multimedia and artefacts. Note the contrast between the sober earnestness of the communist-era Room G and the exuberant, logo-mad commercialism of the neighbouring industrial exhibit in Room H.
Its multimedia story begins on the eve of WWI, leading you through a surprisingly effective reconstruction of a typical trench into the quieter days of the postwar Kingdom of Yugoslavia. It gets pretty turbulent in Room E, which deals with WWII and the Italo-German occupatio…
reviewed
