Bars & cafes – All our local tips

I am quite happy to announce this bar, which has opened a few months ago. Why the excitement? In my opinion, it has almost everything a bar should offer. Let me start with the goodies. Do you feel like jamming? They have a jam stage waiting for you. You can also rent a bike for free! With all this goodies, free Internet doesn’t really sound much, but still I need to mention it.

A really big attraction is also a very cheap beer. You get it for € 1.50 if you order it between 17:00 and 19:00. A small tip: Show up at a bar a few minutes before 19h and order beers for all night, you will get the next one served cold when you will have drunk the previous. But don’t tell this to everyone! When you get hungry, there are panini waiting for you.

The bar with a really nice atmosphere is located in a hidden corner of Ljubljana centre. This summer was really lively there, with small gigs and DJs performing often.

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bar CONESTOGA | Bars, Coffee & tea, Music, Snacks | 0,5 l beer € 2.20
Trubarjeva 43 | Center
08:00 – 01:00 daily

Supposedly one of the biggest commerce centers in Europe, it’s located in the northeast part of Ljubljana. The easiest way there is to take local bus (LPP) nb. 27. Alternatives which will also bring you close are number 2, 7 and 12. You can also take a train from the main station, but I’ve never done that. Once you’re there, you can go around on foot or jump on a free shuttle.

This place used to be a big storage space, but today numerous halls offer a great variety of merchandise products: from fancy dressings to simple gifts and food.

The second reason for visiting the place would be entertainment options: sport events, cinema, cultural shows, etc. The slogan of the place is “This is my city!” and they definitely do a good job making the visitors happy and create possibilities to find everything in one place.

Simply said: a city inside of the city.

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BTC | Bars, Cinemas, Coffee & tea, Shopping, Snacks
Šmartinska 152 | Moste | +38615851100
Mon – Sat 09:00 – 20:00 (shopping)

On the eastern side of Presernov trg square along Petkovskovo nabrezje bank of Ljubljanica River less crowded bars are situated. One of the first here was Caffe Promenada.

This bar, which is one of my favorite bars for afternoon coffee, shows it has been here for some time already with quite an old wooden sign. It isn’t the sign that makes you notice the place but the tables and chairs in front of it with promenade passing in between even though we are in winter time. The café’s front view offers you a beautiful sight over the river of Ljubljana’s main market, designed by very important architect for our city, Plecnik.

This place, though situated in exact center of the city, still gives you reasonably calm option to have coffee and watch the river flow by. If you are more into finding yourself some company, just turn around, people are passing by.

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Cafe Promenada | Bars, Coffee & tea | Coffee with milk € 1.30
Petkovskovo nabrezje 9 | Center
07:00 – 01:00 daily

I first discovered this place one cold winter night when my friend invited me for a cooked wine. I was surprised to get hazelnuts floating on the top of the cup’s content and right away I knew the place hides more than it’s seen on the first sight.

Later on I discovered it’s also a lovely restaurant with chill out bossa nova music and great fusion food. My favourite: chicken quesadilla with guacamole sauce. Mmm, yummy.

In the night the place transforms into a classy, but not too fancy place with a big variety of alcoholic beverages…Can I give you another tip? Only one word: Margaritas! Hmm, actually I don’t even know why the place is called “cafe” – never had one there…

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Cafe Romeo | Bars, Restaurants (Fusion) | Cassadilia € 5.50
Stari trg 6 | Center | +38614269011
11:00 – 01:00 daily

When I was in high school, we went practically every day for our morning coffee or afternoon groaning in Bar Cinkole (named after the owner), because it was one of the closest places.

Some say that they have the best coffee in Ljubljana and some just like the atmosphere.

Inside there are a lot of smaller rooms, all of them decorated with pictures of Marylyn Monroe, James Dean etc. The best room is the last one, with 4 famous pictures of Monroe done by Andy Warhol, colorful walls and a sofa. They also have a lot of tables outside.

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Cinkole | Bars, Coffee & tea | Coffee with milk € 1.20
Poljanska cesta 17 | Center
Mon – Fri 07:00 – 00:00, Sat – Sun 08:00 – 23:00

You know the saying; the same crowd on a bus leads to atmosphere in a bar. Well, that is definitely true in K4!

It is always crowded there because of two things: the program is good and the place is small. Well, small in comparison with giant clubs in other capitals, but 2 floors or better 2 rooms are more than enough for me and obviously for all the other regular visitors. I love the intimacy and the comfortable feeling that you always know where you and your friends are located.

They introduce modern electronic music and urban culture to the people, promote visual artists, DJs, musicians and graphic designers. My favorites are d’n'b and break beat evenings, but I promised myself that I will also try something new this season. Sometimes it is good you don’t know exactly, what you’re going to get.

It is also one of the rare places that hosts gay&lesbians evenings – more known as “Pink nights” every Sunday evening.

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Club K4 | Bars, Music | entry fee € 10.00
Kersnikova 4 | Center | +38614380261
See the program

Strolling the cobbled stone streets in the old part of Ljubljana always leaves me with a great time.

Visiting pleasant little restaurants and chick designers’ shops. Every time you can discover something new, a door leading to a gallery hidden between old walls of middle-aged house or new collection of… soaps.

At the beginning of the main pedestrian street of this part of the town, the City hall and the Robb’s fountain in front will welcome you. Continue along the way and at the end turn left. The path will lead you all the way to the castle, where you can enjoy in a great view over the city. Definitely a pleasant choice to spend an afternoon.

For a virtual tour see here.

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Cobbled stone streets | Art & culture, Bars, Coffee & tea, Relaxing, Shopping, Restaurants (Mediterranean)
Mestni trg | Center
24 hours daily

Colnarna or Boathouse lies by the small Tivoli park pond and actually has no boats to let. Instead you can have drinks and sweets, like ice cream and cakes. This time I won’t mention coffee.

The main thing in Colnarna is its garden, a big garden, which sometimes seems too big for the waiters. So don’t come if you are in a hurry. You should come here when you have time to relax and enjoy the sun. Especially on sunny afternoons it is great, because it faces west. So if you are in a romantic mood it is a perfect place to watch the sunset.

The bar is usually very full on weekends and late afternoons, after work, when a lot of people from Ljubljana come for a stroll in the park. Quite a lot of them have dogs with them. At the moment there is an open air library right next to it, where you can read books for free.

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Colnarna | Bars, Coffee & tea | Cappuccino € 1.40
Cesta 27. Aprila 2A, | Siska | +38612511160
09:00 – 21:00 daily

If I’m honest, I’m not 100% sure if this bar is called Cupiterija or Hijo de puta, I think that they use both names. The bar opened a few months ago, so it really is fresh stuff! Before that, the place used to be a really minimalist bar in white. Now you wouldn’t recognize it anymore, because Cupiterija is the absolute opposite. It’s a mixture of different colors and styles. You can say that it’s one of those Gaudi style Spanish bars that every European city must have.

There are a lot of reasons why you should visit this place, but the most important one is definitely the relaxed atmosphere. The staff is so kind and relaxed, that you can think in the middle of fall, that you are somewhere on the beach of Barcelona.

They also have some quite amazing drinks. You have to order lots of chupitos! Small drinks, pure alcohol, with different flavors like chocolate, honey, chilly, weed etc.

Because the place is so great you will probably stay there longer than you expected and you will start to feel hungry. They took care of that and you can order some really nice snacks.

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Čupiterija | Bars, Snacks | chupitos € 3.00
Mestni trg 4 | Center
09:00 – 01:00 daily

Located in the center, near the Parliament and Cankarjev dom, it is certainly a must visit restaurant. It has nice Thai food (I even heard someone say it is one of the best Thai restaurants in Europe), a lot of absolutely fabulous cocktails and a great modern design put into a commie building.

Although this is one of my favorite places to eat, I don’t really get their menu. The restaurant opened about 2 years ago and they changed the menu like a dozen times! First there was only one list of things they can offer, and then they got a weekly menu, after that they got a “real” more page menu and now… well I think that now they have 3 different menus… The only problem is that they don’t explain their system on a web page, so I will help you with this one.

The first menu is the student menu. It’s available for Ljubljana students with coupons, and is the cheapest. There is no time limit for this menu. But don’t forget – if you are not a student of any Slovene university you cannot get this menu.

The second one is a menu at lunch time. It has more reasonable prices (still a bit more expensive than student menu), but not a lot of different options per day.

The third one is the one where prices go over € 10.00. It comes in the evening hours and has a wider range of options.

Now you can choose the right one for your wallet and choose the time of your visit. Enjoy!

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DA BU DA | Bars, Restaurants (Thai) | Pad Thai (lunchtime) € 6.50
Šubičeva 1a | Center | +38614253060
Mon – Fri 11:00 – 23:00, Sat 12:00 – 23:00

One of Metelkova (see this article) clubs is, as all the other places there, active in developing and representing independent and alternative culture, but it is, in my opinion of course, far most successful in variety and quality of music it provides.

This is a place to go for ska, punk, rock, metal, reggae and all mixes in between, but also thematic evenings – such as funk evening every first Friday in month – are great and obligatory to visit. Especially because costumes are expected and it is so cool to move your hips in 80’s tennis player/gymnastic girl outfit.

The inside is quite small but cosy. It’s one of those places where you meet everybody you know in the first half an hour. The summer stage behind the club on the contrary hosts up to 800 people and is used for bigger concerts.

The only minus are toilets which become quite horrific after 1am, so drink something strong after your visit – just to prevent infection

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Gala Hala | Bars, Music | Events € 5.00
Metelkova city | Moste | +38614317063
See program on the website

If you would take a part of Amsterdam and transform it into Habsburg city mixing Mediterranean atmosphere, you would get Gallus bank. It has narrow houses like Amsterdam, Baroque architecture like Vienna and a part of feeling you get in Italian cities with the outside cafés.

The bank is located in the centre of Ljubljana, southern of the Cobblers Bridge. Here you can relax, buy some gifts for you and your friends in great shops with old vinyl, CDs with ethno, funk, jazzy music, wooden toys etc. There are also some nice places where you can eat, from pancakes to steaks, sit down and order a cappuccino or just buy a beer and go down the stairs to Ljubljanica river.

The whole area is reserved for the pedestrians, except for the most southern part of the bank which is a parking space of the residents. You don’t have to worry to be hit by a car; just be careful if there are any cyclists near you.

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Gallusovo nabrezje | Art & culture, Bars, Shopping
Gallusovo nabrezje | Center
24 hours daily

There are a lot of reasons why Godec (Musician) Pub is a perfect place to spend your evening.

First of all, it’s hidden from the mass of tourist and filled with locals. Also, beer is not as expensive as it is in the center. It’s located in Siska near Celovska Street, so it’s great for those staying in Siska who are not in the mood to go in the center.

But the most important reason to go here is the rock rock rock. Actually, you will hear all kinds of rock. From glam, progressive, indie, hard rock to brit and american punk. And you can pick the song you’d like to hear because they have a jukebox.

So for all you rock lovers out there: visit Godec pub. You won’t regret it.

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Godec Pub | Bars, Music | Beer € 1.90
Celovška cesta 68 | Siska | +38640520622
Mon – Fri 07:00 – 00:00, Sat 10:00 – 00:00, Sun 17:00 – 00:00

By the Koseski bajer pond (see the Koseski bajer pond article), bar Pri Cvicku is situated. The lovely bar is called after Dolenjska’s (Lower Carniolia – Slovene region) great “Cvicek” wine. It offers great views of the pond.

Gostilnica Pri Cvicku is a simple bar, quite known among the locals and it attracts a crowd that wants to enjoy their coffee or a glass of wine Cvicek. This rosé wine is bought directly from wine producer so you shouldn’t be disappointed, but be prepared, this wine could be  quite dry for some tastes.

They also offer dried sausage with minced lard, which is traditional Slovenian, but obviously it is not suitable for vegetarians since it’s made of bacon and spices.

Bar Pri Cvicku can be an excellent stop on your way around Ljubljana on The Path of Remembrance and Comradeship.

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Gostilnica Pri Cvicku | Bars, Coffee & tea | Coffee € 1.30
Marjekova Pot 23 | Siska | +38615174095
09:00 – 22:00 daily

Gajo was founded by Drago Gajo, ‘a guy who’s always there’, a guy that leads, develops and represents majority of Slovenian jazz scene. The place is, in a way, his ‘child’, 14 years old if we are precise, where many jazz lovers feel at home.

During the summer everything happen outdoors in a garden in front of national gallery. During the winter, logically, because we don’t want to see musicians with frozen fingers, shows are indoors in club itself.

Every Monday club Gajo hosts student jam sessions, that are for me, since I am totally uneducated kid knowing just jazz classics, a bit too extravagant and ‘new age’. But full tables show that a lot of people enjoy jamming performances, and sometimes, when the atmosphere is just right, Gajo joins the session by playing drums.

Live concerts are mostly on Thursdays or Fridays, but sometimes things happen also on other days, so it is not stupid to check the program on their website in advance.

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Jazz club Gajo | Bars, Music | Beer 3 dcl € 2.00
Beethovnova 8 | Center | +38614253206
See program on the website

This is one of the most popular and recognized places among locals. It’s located on the promenade by Ljubljanica River and it offers a great ambiance for feeling the vibes of the city centre. In this colder months of the year they also offer a delicious cooked wine.

Probably you never saw so many cats ending at the same place. Am I speaking metaphorically? Check it out yourself!

Happy hours in afternoons! …Cheers!

p.s.: and if you want to play a real tourist and buy a souvenir, here you can choose among big variety of cups…with cats on it, of course! Lovely!

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Kavarna macek | Bars
Krojaska ulica 5 | Center | +38614253791
Mon – Sat 09:00 – 00:30, Sun 09:00 – 22:00

Šiška is becoming a better and better place to live and CUK (center urbane kulture/ center for urban culture) Kino Šiška earns much of the credits for this. It opened last fall, but already has a huge impact on the Ljubljana scene. In the last few months it hosted a lot of important musicians from Slovenia and abroad (Josipa Lisac, Lollobrigida, Isis, Pan Sonic, Juno Reactor…). They have mostly music events, but also photo exhibitions, theater and dance events, some workshops…

In the past Kino Šiška was a cinema (kino in Slovene) and was build as a part of Šiška municipality center.  When Ljubljana got a new cinema complex in 2001, the majority of smaller cinemas closed their doors. They wanted to renovate Kino Šiška into a multipurpose hall for different kinds of contemporary events and almost a decade later we finally got it!

My favorite events in Kino Šiška are YU GO! Nights. Each of them presents 3 or 4 bands from ex-Yu area and can also be tagged as nu yu scene. YU GO! is on every third Thursday in month.

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Kino Šiška | Art & culture, Bars, Cinemas, Music, Theaters, Festivals & events
Trg prekomorskih brigad 3 | Siska | +38630310110
Depends

Klub SubSub is keeping up with all the best electronic performers and inviting people to share their love for electronic beats. With ample parking space, and only a 5 minutes walk from the center, SubSub is highly accessible. Much like its music, the club is almost literally underground. Guest performers come from all over the world, DJ-ing all sorts of music from Soul, Funk, Hip Hop, Jazz, R&B, World Music, House, Deep house, New Wave, Electronica, Disco House, Jungle and more.

Guest performers usually play on the same bill as up-and-coming Slovenian DJs, giving our patrons a chance to see their favorites as well as exposure to some of Slovenia’s best local DJs.

Klub SubSub has changed names at least 4 times in last 30 years, so don’t be surprised if some locals forget the name. Just remember that the club you’re looking for is near the Tivoli sport hall. If dancing makes you hungry, right next door you will find a 24 hour food station. Its called the Horse Burger- no need to explain what their specialty is. If your sight happens to become blurry by the time you are ready to leave the club, just follow the crowd and go downhill.

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Klub SubSub | Bars, Music | Entry fee from € 5.00
Celovska c. 25 | Siska
Mon – Wed 17:00 – 02:00, Thu – Sat 17:00 – 05:00. Sun 15:00 – 02:00

France Preseren’s art and cultural center is one of the most important locations of Ljubljana alternative scene. It is located in Trnovo, near Plecnik museum and Trnovo church. In the building of this center you will find a gallery, a bar and a stage.

KUD also houses the studio of radio Student. On the stage of the center there are a lot of different events going on throughout the whole year, for example improv theater, different concerts, workshops and movies.

Since the summer of 1992, KUD France Preseren hosts the international Trnfest festival on the courtyard of the center in August. It’s the main event in Ljubljana in that month. There, a lot of bands and theatre groups from Slovenia and abroad, are performing.

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KUD France Preseren | Art & culture, Bars, Music | Beer € 2.00
Karunova ulica 14 | Vic | +38612832288
Mon – Sat 10:00 -01:00, Sun 14:00 – 01:00

This place is not so petit (small) as the name describes, but it’s a really nice “French” spot near the famous concert place Krizanke (check the Krizanke article)

I simply love the atmosphere: great decoration on the walls, cozy chairs by the windows and great terrace outside, great vibes in the air of people coming for a snack or just having a quick look at daily paper. Not to mention their breakfasts and the house coffee – really good!

Recently they renovated it, and changed into a two storey place, but honestly, I haven’t check what’s the deal yet… maybe they will make a restaurant too? mmm, sounds good to me

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Le petit café | Bars, Coffee & tea, Snacks | Le Petit coffee € 2.10
Trg francoske revolucije 4 | Center | +38612512575
Mon – Fri 07:30 – 23:00, Sat – Sun 09:00 – 23:00

Like many historically important cities, also Ljubljana has its castle. Situated in a small hill in the middle of the city and surrounded with nice green forest it represents a good relaxing point.

Don’t be lazy and walk up there. It takes only 15 minutes. Of course you can also take a funicular or a small train, but this is sooo touristy…

Recently they just finished the renovation of the towe, eventhough I can tell you the view from the lower walls is telling enough. If you’re a history lover, you can maybe see the virtual museum…

In the atrium the castle hosts events and weddings sometimes, but that’s more in the summer. For sure it will serve you with a lovely ambiance, even if you go up there just for a warm drink.

For a virtual tour by day see here and by night see here.

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Ljubljana’s castle | Art & culture, Bars, Relaxing | Tour prices € 3.30
Grajska planota 1 | Center | +38612329994
10:00 – 21:00 daily

Metelkova city is the home of Ljubljana’s alternative scene, home of artists, musicians and similar crowd. Created with transforming and rebuilding ex army barracks whose walls now serve as canvas for street artists and its outdoor space as contemporary forma viva, surprise me every time with new installations and creations. Here architecture has its own rules, which are worth to see.

People gather here mostly because of numerous music events, but also just to drink a beer and hang out with friends. There is always something going on, which is a nice contrast to the otherwise quite boring and plain Ljubljana night life.

The place itself is a conglomerate of different clubs
See website for program

This bar, just a half of a beer bottle away from Metelkova (see the Metelkova article), is usually the second and most of the time also the last stop in the evening.

It has two levels with different functions. The lower one is an ordinary bar with extra-ordinary bartenders – long-haired and long bearded old rockers. The upper part is a mini concert hall a.k.a. dance floor. They host everything from A to Z, literaly (from Alternative rock, to punk, ska, metal, reggae, to jazZ).

I love concerts there because of very relaxed atmosphere and personal contact with group. I am not an expert for counting crowd, but I believe if more than 150 people would enter this room, the floor would collapse. That means a nice little bunch of spectators, without big gorillas protecting the stage and kicking off stage divers.

And yes, this is the place, where you can easily get a signature of ‘this cute bas guitarist’ directly on your boobs.

Orto bar is also the only place providing some quality party on Thursday, when the rest of Ljubljana usually looks pretty dead. 70′ and 80′ hits can suck you in until 5 in the morning, so Friday school duties are often pushed aside.

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Orto bar | Bars, Music | Beer € 2.50
Grabloviceva 1 | Moste | +38612321674
Mon – Wed 21:00 – 04:00, Thu – Sat 21:00 – 05:00

Paninoteka is a tiny sandwich bar with a nice chill out atmosphere and great, really great, sandwiches.

I like it because they used imagination when they created the sandwich menu. You won’t get bored by their offer even if you eat there ten days in a row. They upgraded classics or created totally new combinations, such as Popay, fresh spinach+different cheeses sandwich.

It is a perfect place for a strong breakfast before starting a “tour de Ljubljana” or a light quick lunch where you can combine sandwiches with daily soups that they offer.

The only minus is they don’t have large beers, which is why I’d rather go somewhere else in the evening. But if you are not beer person, you won’t mind this detail.

To find your breakfast follow Ljubljanica river in direction from Preseren square towards old Ljubljana; it is located near Cevljarski bridge. Bon appetit!

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Paninoteka | Bars, Snacks | Sandwich € 2.50
Jurcicev trg 3 | Center
Mon – Sat 08:00 – 01:00, Sun 09:00 – 23:00

I am well aware of the fact that you can find an Irish pub literally everywhere on this planet, but the true beer lovers know that an Irish pub in all those places is always a mixture. A mixture of Irishness and local atmosphere.

For all the beer lovers it is really important to know that they are offering 38 different beers! Not to forget whiskeys are there speciality also. I was told they have more than 30 different kinds.

They serve lunch Thursday to Saturday from 11:00 – 16:00 and have live, Irish style, music every Thursday after 9 p.m. with no entrance fee. This bar is also a good option if you are a sport lover, since they have a big screen TV for watching sports, like rugby, football, ice hockey, cricket and many more.

Their lovely slogan is: There are no strangers here, only friends who haven’t met!

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Patrick’s Pub | Bars, Music, Snacks, Restaurants (Fish & chips) | Lunch € 5.50
Prečna ulica 6 | Center | +38612301768
Mon – Wed 16:00 – 01:00, Thu – Sat 11:00 – 01:00, Sun 16:00 – 00:00

Probably the most bizarre of all the bars in Ljubljana is at skeletons place. Interiors made a pretty good job for calling the customers in. Add to this the big variety of cocktails (they offer 170 of them) and voila, no more doubts about a perfect place to spent a friday night…or any other.

Reading the names of cocktails will probably leave you clueless about the ingredients but at least you’ll have a pretty good laugh. And after bringing into use their 2 for 1 offer for few times, I bet you won’t even care anymore.;)

And don’t worry, even if your friends are busy or yet non-existent in the new city, you can always count on the company of skeletons! Cheers!

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Pr’Skelet | Bars | Cocktails from € 3.60
Kljucavnikarska ulica 5 | Center | +38612527799
10:00 – 03:00 daily

What do you get if you combine location in the undiscovered part of old town, cool furniture, tables made of timber, a library with books in Serbo-Croatian and lots of cocktails with absinth? You get one of the greatest places to hang out in Ljubljana – a cozy living-room feeling café at daytime and a great party place at nighttime! You are going to worship their cocktails based on absinth.

Don’t get scared when you come to the bar and see their doors. They make you think the bar has been closed since the last millennium. Just open it and order a Supreme tonic .

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Pri Zelenem zajcu | Bars, Coffee & tea, Snacks | Supreme tonic € 4.00
Rožna ulica 3 | Center
Mon – Wed 09:00 – 00:00, Thu – Sat 09:00 – 01:00

Przancek is a really typical outskirts bar of Ljubljana’s suburb. A garden that attracts people all summer, old-never-fashionable interior and compared to the centre cheaper drinks makes it popular for young and old. Its name is diminutive of this neighborhoods name Przan.

Laid back atmosphere and vicinity of forest make it a great place to have coffee (We just love to have coffee and even more we love drinking it outside with some good company) or early afternoon beer on the sun. It’s also a perfect starting point for a walk into the forest nearby or to relax after coming from one, before returning to the urban life.

Not long ago a big novelty came to the place. Przancek upgraded itself with a computer connected to the internet and it’s there to use for free. During the week they also offer simple daily menus for € 3.80.

Przancek is located on the last stop of bus N°7 – PRZAN.

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Przancek | Bars, Coffee & tea | Beer € 2.00
Cesta Andreja Bitenca 64 | Surroundings
Mon – Fri 07:00 – 04:00, Sat 09:00 – 00:00, Sun 09:00 – 22:00

Sax pub is located on Eipprova Street. It was the first pub in the street. After that, a lot of other cafes and restaurants opened their doors but despite others you can’t really miss Sax pub. It’s a small house covered with graffiti.

You could call it the second jazz club in Ljubljana as it has a stage smaller than a normal toilet. It’s well known for great atmosphere, especially during the summer, when they have concerts on a stage near Gradascica River, which was made by Slovenian architect Joze Plecnik.

The place is perfect for having a break from the center if you don’t have enough time to go somewhere further away. You will find Eipprova Street south of the center in the city part called Trnovo. It is also possible to walk there from Preseren’s square, if you just walk along Ljubljanica River.

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Sax pub | Bars, Music | Beer € 2.50
Eipprova ulica 7 | Vic
Mon 12:00 – 01:00, Tue – Sat 10:00 – 01:00, Sun 16:00 – 21:00

The lazy Ljubljanica River strolls through the city, but before it enters it, the river’s path is divided. The artificial channel dug more than 200 years ago makes a shortcut, avoiding the city center where the natural stream flows. Where the river is divided there are some simple barges serving as bars. There are three bars, but we call this place altogether ‘Spica’, which means spike and if seen from above it actually looks like a land spike that points into the water.

I’ve known this place since forever and was always visiting it because this green oasis makes a perfect getaway from the urban hustle and bustle. The short ten minute walk from the center is really beautiful as well, no matter which side of the river you take.

The three bars are offering mainly simple drinks you can drink either on the wooden benches on the shore or on the boat. Special view and fresh breeze you experience on deck chairs on the top of one of the barges. This bar also serves one typical dish from the Balkans, called ‘cevapcici’ that are thumb shaped grilled minced meat served on a plate with flatbread (lepinja), chopped fresh onions, kaymak and ajvar, which is a relish made mainly with red peppers, eggplant, garlic and chili. They serve it during the day for only € 5.00

I would recommend this place to everyone who likes nature and doesn’t mind simplicity. Here you can get a good portion of sun and a pristine smile. At Spica you won’t meet any big shot name, just regular people enjoying the atmosphere and some ducks passing by even in winter.

It looks like this winter is the last that we have this place since the renovating and making it more posh place has already started. Run there!

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Spica | Bars, Coffee & tea, Relaxing, Snacks | Beer € 2.00
Privoz | Rudnik
11:00 – 21:00 daily

Mmm, maybe you’ll find this post a bit out of a way, but I decided to write about student dorms in Ljubljana, because I think they have something to offer also to foreigners. Heck I’ve lived there for many years myself, so I should know what I’m talking about…

If you come to Ljubljana during the school year (from October to June), you cannot miss one of the student parties. Just sneak in, they held them all the time – the most popular at this time of the year are freshmen’s parties (pretty funny to watch ), but there are also “regional” parties (organized by students from particular region outside of the capital), parties organized by particular faculty, and of course traditional student games in May (Majske igre) – a month of events before the exam period.

So, lots of sport, concerts, drinks, laughter and FUN! Not to mention great opportunuties to interact with locals.

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Student dorms | Bars, Music | Free
Cesta v Mestni log 72 | Vic
24 hours daily

I know, I know, I know….I’ve already written an article about one Thai restaurant (see this article) and one could ask me which one I prefer. But I can’t answer that, because I like them both.

One has better curry, the other one has better pad Thai noodles… Well, Thai Inn Pub is the one with better curry and the menu also tells you how spicy the meal is.

This one also offers you higher flexibility. For each meal, not counting vegetarian menus, you can decide if you’d like it with pork, shrimps, chicken or beef. Each dish on the menu costs €6.00 so there wont be a problem with deciding which dish will you order regarding on your budget.

At the end of the day they turn from a restaurant into a pub ( I guess this is the reason for the name…) with some nice cocktails and Thai beer.

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Thai Inn Pub | Bars, Restaurants (Thai) | Main meal € 6.00
Rimska cesta 17 | Center
Mon – Fri 07:00 – 00:00, Sat 08:00 – 00:00

Bar that brought freshness into Ljubljana, one could easily say it is the first ethno club around here.

Its name Zlati Zob or Golden Tooth as would be direct translation refers to the often seen golden teeth in Gypsy smiles. Founders of the club are also part of well known band Sukar, which is the Slovenian tamburitza ensemble, a music band, that plays mostly gypsy music, which origins mainly from eastern and south-eastern Europe”.

The carefully selected decorations are from all over the Balkan Peninsula and the music played here is also orientated towards the south-east. That means one can hear a lot of folk and gypsy songs, sometimes only from records, but often there is live program.

Usually there are concerts on Thursdays, Ethno jams on Mondays and DJ programs on Wednesdays and Fridays. Sometimes travelers give lectures about their travels.

Dancing nights are also organized. First you can enjoy professional and amateur dancers perform, and then you should join them on the dance floor. Another positive thing about that place is that they serve very good Czech draft beer.

Another interesting thing of this place is also the building itself, which is part of Selo, 18th century mansion used for different purposes during the history.

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Zlati Zob | Bars, Music, Snacks | Beer € 2.20
Zaloka cesta 69 | Moste | +38659139552
Mon – Thu 19:00 – 01:00, Fri – Sat 19:00 – 03:00, Sun 12:00 – 01:00

One of the first bars with colourful decoration was bar a bar called zmavc. But the  real and definitely the most inventive name in Ljubljana: Od mavca sosed pa ud brata prjatu. The translation of this would be zmavc’s neighbor and brother’s friend.

This bar seems really suitable for creative urban type of people and some small and more alternative Slovenian celebrities are seen here. Of course this makes the price of everything a bit higher, but it has nice vibes and usually really full garden. That shouldn’t scare you away.

What I like the most about this bar are colourful walls and laid back atmosphere. It is really near the Faculty of Arts and some other faculties that make it crowded during the school year, especially during coffee time, which is from early morning till late afternoon. As I already said, Slovenians – we just love coffee.

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Zmavc | Bars, Coffee & tea | Beer € 3.00
Rimska cesta 21 | Center | +38612510324
Mon – Fri 07:30- 01:00, Sat 10:00 – 01:00, Sun 11:00 – 00:00