Coffee & tea – All our local tips

Are you up for some fun? Gather your gang of friends and head to the biggest fun center in Ljubljana.

You can get action in a cellar with the Terminator laser games or simply enjoy the funky decorated bowling in the main area. On the upper floor you can take one of the 31 billiard tables, but remember it’s good to make a reservation before, because the place is always full!

If none of these works for you, you can simply escape the reality in the XpanD 3D cinema, even though in my opinion the cost of ticket doesn’t equal the enjoyment. But you never know, maybe you’ll be treated with one of their specials: turning the lights on in the middle of the movie or a broken projector… Like one of Slovene’s self-proclaimed stars said: “The show must go!” …I don’t know, what happened with the “ON”!

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Arena Vodafone Live | Cinemas, Coffee & tea, Relaxing, Restaurants (Italian food)
Smartinska 152 | Moste | +38615205626
Mon – Thu & Sun 10:00 – 00:00, Fri – Sat 10:00 – 01:00

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

Near tea heaven you will find coffee heaven!

Cafetino is a cute little café on Stari Trg with a large choice of coffees from all over the globe. Well… the southern part of it. In wintertime it doesn’t offer a lot of room, just 5 or 6 tables. But when the sun starts warming the city streets, there is a lot of room outside and it’s better for those, who can’t live without a coffee and a cigarette (In Slovenia it’s forbidden to smoke inside).

I’m sure that you will find your favorite coffee in Cafetino! They have all kinds of espressos, cappuccinos, Turkish coffees, lattes and others. And you get your Turkish coffee served the way you get it in Sarajevo. It’s absolutely the best coffee in town.

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Cafetino | Coffee & tea | Coffee from € 1.60
Stari trg 5 | Center | +38614222950
Mon – Fri 07:30 – 19:00, Sat 08:00 – 14:00

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

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

Just 15 minutes walk from the city center, you’ll find a modern coffee bar, with an interior design that could easily fit in some newly decorated spa lobby corner.

The name of the place might be misleading (except when you are an egoist:)), the atmosphere is definitely not. With it’s soft veiled lights, it welcomes you in its cosiness.

Now, in winter time, their thick hot chocolate is back on the run. I’m telling you, you can’t go wrong with that order!

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Egoist | Coffee & tea
Trzaska 37b | Vic | +38612418901
Mon – Fri 07:00 – 00:00, Sat – Sun 08:00 – 23:00

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

In the city centre, close to the hotel Lev and for younger people in front of more known discotheque K4, this lovely hidden spot is located. It’s a tea and coffee house, with a simple name of both beverages, KavaCaj (”CoffeeTea”).

The ordinary door, facing a bit boring street may not reveal much, but once you’re inside there’s many little pleasures to indulge yourself into. Let’s say, one of their delicious teas for instance or cocoa with sweet cream…

To make it enjoyable also for smokers in this colder months, they provided the tables outside on the terrace with heaters and blankets too.

Just come and enjoy your late sunday morning.

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House KavaCaj | Coffee & tea | Hot cocoa & cream € 2.30
Kersnikova 1 | Center | +38614338233
Mon – Fri 09:00 – 22:30, Sat – Sun 10:00 – 00:00

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

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

So here’s my opinion. If there is any museum that you have to visit (we’re talking about museums…not galleries), you have to go to SEM.

I think this is the best museum in Ljubljana, maybe Slovenia, because it’s something different. It shows you the way of life of our ancestors and they don’t do it in a boring way but with a fresh and interactive approach. You will see this immediately when you stand in front of the museum with it’s nice architecture; a mixture of modern and old.

At the moment there are 2 exhibitions, 1 permanent and 1 temporary. Between Nature and Culture has been the permanent exhibition since 2006 and I really like it. It’s divided into two parts. The first one shows you everything about Slovene way of life in the past. The second one is dedicated to other parts of the world. Current temporary exhibition, which is opened till end ofMarch 2010 is called Sudan mission and it talks about Ignacij Knoblehar, missionary and explorer of the White Nile.

There are also some other activities in the museum. You can try yourself in weaving or at a pottery workshop. Who knows, maybe you will discover a new thing you’re good at! There is also a workshop about the proper way of preparing and drinking tea like they do it in Japan.

On the ground floor you will find a nice café, where you can sit down and enjoy the view of the castle and adorable neo-Gothic church.

If you have the chance, visit SEM on the last Sunday of the month: you can get in for free.

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Slovene Etnographic Museum (SEM) | Art & culture, Coffee & tea | Admission (adults) € 4.50
Metelkova 2 | Moste | +38613008700
Tue – Sun 10:00 – 18:00

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

Sweetshop Zvezda is the right address for those who want to lick the best ice cream in town.

The cookie and roche flavours rock, that’s for sure, but I am not an expert in the fruity flavours – you will just have to follow your own intuition. Their latest “invention” is rice milk ice cream and 100% fruit ice cream, which is great for those, who are looking for sweet but yet refreshing dessert. If your blood sugar is still low after that, switching to the cake department is smart option – they are all gorgeous!

A small tip: the pear and chocolate combination is the winning one. They are also good in sandwich making, coffee cooking and tea preparing so take your time and read a magazine or two while enjoying your afternoon. Now that winter is coming and we need to store some extra energy in our hips, hot chocolate is great choice too- it is soo thick that the spoon almost stands straight in it!

Forget the spa, this is the place where you should treat yourself and allow yourself to sin once in a while.

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Sweetshop Zvezda | Coffee & tea, Snacks | Ice cream € 1.20
Wolfova ul. 14 | Center | +38614219090
Mon – Sun 07:00 – 23:00, Sat 10:00 – 20:00

For a long time Cha was the only place in Ljubljana where tea was served in the same way they do in England. In the last few years some new tea-houses opened, but Cha remained the cherry on the topping. It’s located on the Old Square (Stari trg) in one of those cute mansions. You can’t miss it because it has a teapot hanging in front of it.

In Cha, you can choose from a large number of black, green, red, herbal and other teas from India, China, Japan and also South America and South Africa.  If you compare prices with Ljubljana cafes, you can see that in Cha you will pay slightly more, but for your money you will get better quality and more than just a cup of tea. In summer or wintertime they also have some special offers.

In summertime you can order homemade ice teas and in December they have Christmas green and Christmas fruit tea.

Beside teas you can also order something to eat, like really good sandwiches, salads, cakes etc.

There is also a shop, where you can buy your favorite tea. Lovely, isn’t it?

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Teahouse Cha | Coffee & tea | Teas from € 1.60
Stari trg 3 | Center | +38614212444
Mon – Fri 09:00 – 22:30, Sat 09:00 – 15:00 & 18:00 – 21:00

The restaurant is decorated with a traditional Turkish decor; throw rugs, seats, various cultural artifacts and even the staff themselves wear traditional garb.

Besides offering meat and vegetarian dishes, they occasionally host belly dancing performances which typically take place in the evening. As it should be, one also has an opportunity to smoke some Narghilé – the famous Turkish pipe.

During the day, until 15:00, a three course lunch is served for € 7.00. It is not uncommon to smell Turkish-style coffee wafting out of the typical Slovenian home, however in the bars and cafes it is typically espresso that is served. Perhaps this is why Yildiz Han is so liked by locals here in Ljubljana. Here can you get proper Turkish coffee.

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Yildiz Han | Art & culture, Coffee & tea, Music, Restaurants (Turkish) | Lunch € 6.00
Karlovska c. 19 | Center | +38614265717
Mon – Sat 11:00 – 00:00

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