Probably you’ve noticed that this is not the only article about Balkan food on Ljubljana Spotted by Locals (Check also Harambasa). The reason for this fact is easy understandable if you have been travelling through the Balkans and in case you still haven’t been around let me tell you, besides other things, food is amazingly good there. True, a lot of it is based on meat.

Deset v pol means “ten in the half” where 10 refers to cevapcici and half refers to a very good sort of bread called lepinja. No doubt that this is their speciality and don’t forget to order Sarajevsko which is beer from Sarajevo and one of the best beers on the Balkans. On Friday their speciality is lamb’s meat.

For all of us that we have already experience Sarajevo, Deset v pol is just another place that helps us to get by until we go to Sarajevo again…and we will definitely go soon.

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Deset v pol | Restaurants (Balkan) | Cevapcici (10 pieces & bread) € 5.60
Litijska cesta 47 | Moste | +38615421299
Mon – Fri 09:00 – 22:00, Sat 12:00 – 22:00, Sun 12:00 – 18:00

Roxly is a place for rock fans. It is decorated with rock vinyls, guitars, cymbals, posters with rock stars. They play rock music almost all the time. Roxly isn’t only a coffee bar, but also a decent restaurant with good-tasting food. They serve steaks, pasta, salads and soups. Prices are higher than average, but it’s worth it.

What makes Roxly even more special to me is that every day after nine o’clock in the evening, all the tables and chairs are removed and it turns into a night club with live music concerts and parties. The concerts are performances by various artists, not only rock bands, but also funky, Mexican, Yugo rock and other types of music and they attract a broader audience.

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Roxly | Bars, Coffee & tea, Music, Restaurants (Intern.) | Menu from € 14
Mala ulica 5 | Center | +38614301021
Mon – Fri 07:00 – 03:00

Just across the street of Hiša Eksperimentov stands this little restaurant. It looks odd and out of place, especially because it is situated in the middle of a street, but ordering a meal repays your doubts completely. They make affordable traditional Slovenian food, such as cheese dumplings, venison goulash, jota, bograč, buckwheat and others.

What I like the most is that they serve not only typical Slovenian food but also specialties from other Balkan countries. When I eat there I generally order “čevapčiči” or “pleskavica”. If I don’t have enough time I eat daily dishes.

Eating there could be a noisy experience because of bypassers, so I usually sit inside. If you prefer to feel the rhythm of the street, do the opposite.

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POMF | Restaurants | Daily menu € 6.50
Trubarjeva cesta 40 | Center
12:00 – 00:00 daily

Located not in the very core of the city, this restaurant is a unique one. I come here after my lectures, which are very near, to drink a coffee with friends. But sometimes when I have enough time I let myself be spoiled with delicious food. It is a real wild west experience eating there, because inside it is decorated in a typical saloon style, with massive wooden bar, rifles and trophies on the walls.

Wild West Saloon serves Mexican, Mediterranean and especially American food: hamburgers, T-bone and other kind of steaks, pastas, chimichangas, soups, salads and desserts. I like coming there especially in late spring and in summer because Wednesdays and Thursdays they roast pork on a spit. It tastes very good and afterwards I drink a sip of whiskey to feel like a true man of the west.

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Wild West Saloon | Coffee & tea, Restaurants (Intern.) | Lunch € 7.70
Tržaška cesta 69 | Vic
Mon – Fri 09:00 – 22:30

When I become fed up with pizza, burek, kebab, I go to the Paninoteka. Once only a small fast food bar, located on the corner near the Cobblers’ bridge, with pre-prepared paninis – sandwiches in Italian, it turned into a decent restaurant that offers not only paninis, tramezzinis, toasts and other types of sandwiches but also lunches, salads, cheeses, deserts and other meals.

Even though it has totally new design, I was content when I figured out that some things never change. These are their warmed up sandwiches and soups. I am still in love with the spinach and corn one.

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Paninoteka | Snacks, Restaurants (Intern.) | Panini € 3
Jurčičev trg 3 | Center | +38640349329
Mon – Fri 08:00 – 23:00, Sat – Sun 09:00 – 00:00

Smarna gora is a hill at the most northern part of Ljubljana. It’s a butte and looks like two humps of camel. You can reach it with city bus number 8 (Gameljne). The bus drives in 10-20 minute period.

There are many ways to reach the top of Smarna gora. There are paths that are a bit steep, but take only 20 minutes. There are also more gentle paths, which are most of the time full of climbers, especially on Sundays. But if you are not walking on the main paths, you can relax and enjoy the fresh air.

Smarna gora has two peaks. Smarna gora and Grmada. The first peak is the popular one and is full of guests. On this peak you will also find an inn called Ledinek. Here you can buy some typical Slovenian dishes, a cup of tea or a beer. It has a nice view on Ljubljana, especially when the weather is nice.

Grmada is a located a bit higher and only has a bench on the top, so it doesn’t have so many visitors. It’s better if you would just like to relax, read a book or study.

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Smarna gora | Relaxing, Restaurants (Slovenian) | Tea € 1.20
Smarna gora | Surroundings | +3861511655
07:00 till dusk daily

As I said in the article Smetumet, I decided to write thematically related articles. In this one I’m going to present you Gostilna dela (the working bistro/ bistro of work). It is one of the results of project Tovarna dela (factory of work) and gives another chance to the young and unemployed without proper education. With this job they get social security and experiences for further job opportunities, so it’s like a job and a learning workshop.

Their daily menu is based on balanced diet with less sugar and fat, full of vitamins, fiber and minerals. Yummy! They have breakfast, snacks and lunch, for which they prepare every day soup, meat or a vegetarian main course, salad and dessert.

The interior is also in spirit of sustainable development! They have reused old furniture. They also received an award for the perspective interior at the Month of design in Ljubljana. So those were the reasons why you must love places like this one, and when you finish your meal in Gostilna dela, just walk a few meters on Poljanska stret, where you’ll find bistro’s cousing – Oblačilnica dela.

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Gostilna dela | Snacks, Restaurants
Poljanska 7 | Center
Mon – Fri 07:00 – 18:00

This is a unique experience in Ljubljana: drinking coffee on the terrace, 50 meters above the streets, in the first skyscraper in this part of Europe. The café on the top of Nebotičnik finally reopened its doors in 2010.

It was the center of the social life in the past. Each person has its own memory of the place. Older ones think about all that jazz on the top at nights, while younger ones still fancy a strawberry juice with whipped cream. Sadly the place shut down in late 90′s and we almost forgot that this existed in Ljubljana.

I remember the first time I went for a coffee after the renovation. It was cloudy and somewhere in the middle it started to rain, but I didn’t care. The view from the top is spectacular!

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Nebotičnik | Bars, Coffee & tea, Restaurants (Intern.) | Coffee € 1.60
Štefanova 1 | Center | +38640601787
Cafe Sun – Wed 09:00 – 02:00, Thu – Sat 09:00 – 03:00 | Restaurant Tue – Sat 12:00 – 22:00

This little restaurant is located in Krakovo, the oldest Ljubljana suburb. It’s a bit quirky-it doesn’t have a menu and interior looks pretty much the same as a typical Slovene kindergarten, so if you have an opportunity, find a place outside.

Despite those two facts it’s still one of the best chances to eat in Ljubljana. It’s true, they don’t even have a menu, but they have the nicest staff and the waitress will tell you what can they offer you (sometimes it depends on the season), and sooner or later you will find out that they have EVERYTHING. They have all kinds of steaks, pastas, seafood, salads, desserts, soups and more.

Another advantage is that you won’t spend too much of your precious euros. An average meal costs about € 10.00.

The last but not least advantage: when you eat here, you eat almost in the centre, but you get the feeling that you are in a cosy little village with friendly locals.

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Pri Skofu | Restaurants (International) | Meal € 10.00
Recna ulica 8 | Vic | +38614264508
Mon – Fri 08:00 – 00:00, Sat – Sun 12:00 – 00:00

Not far from the centre is another Ljubljanica River faced place that is worth mentioning, Livada. Its specialty is Slovenian meat dishes and of Ljubljana’s specialty: fried frog legs.

Even though waiters are not the best and sometimes they look quite fed up with their job, it is a charming place. Definitely the most romantic thing to do is to come here by boat, which is operating in summer from the centre (it starts near Presernov trg Square).

Livada is a neighbourhood with small houses and a lot of canoe and kayak clubs. This really quiet part of the city is already geographically opening towards the south, towards Ljubljansko Barje marshes.

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Livada | Restaurants (Slovenian) | Daily lunch € 6.90
Hladnikova cesta 15 | Rudnik | +38612803870
Mon – Sat 10:00 – 22:30, Sun 10:00 – 18:00

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