Where to Eat in Ljubljana Like a Local

Quick answer: Eat kranjska klobasa at Klobasarna, lunch at Druga Violina on Stari trg, and have coffee at Cafe Čokl. Ljubljana’s centre is small enough that everything worth eating is within a fifteen-minute walk, and the best places are cheap.

How to eat in Ljubljana

Ljubljana is a city of about 290,000 people with a car-free centre you can cross in twenty minutes. That has two consequences for eating: nothing is far, and the riverside terraces charge for the view.

Walk one street back from the Ljubljanica and prices drop noticeably while the cooking generally improves. Slovenian food itself sits at a crossroads — Austrian dumplings and strudel from the north, Italian pasta and prosciutto from the west, Balkan grilled meat from the south-east — and the good places do not try to be all three at once.

Klobasarna: sausage, and almost nothing else

Klobasarna is a hole in the wall near the market doing one thing: kranjska klobasa, the protected Carniolan sausage, served with mustard, horseradish and bread. There is also ričet, a barley and bean stew, and that is essentially the menu.

It seats perhaps a dozen people. It costs very little. It is the single most Slovenian thing you can eat in the city and it takes fifteen minutes.

Druga Violina: the one to know about

Druga Violina sits on Stari trg in the old town and serves traditional Slovenian dishes at prices that make no sense for the location. It is a social enterprise staffed largely by people with disabilities, run in partnership with a nearby centre.

The food is honest and generous — štruklji, goulash, buckwheat, local wine by the glass. It is busy at lunch, and you should book or arrive early. Of everywhere on this list, it is the one most worth going out of your way for.

Cafe Čokl: coffee done seriously

Cafe Čokl is a small independent roaster in the old town and the answer to where to get proper coffee. Tiny, a few seats outside, and the standard is high.

Slovenia has a strong café culture and Ljubljana’s riverbank in summer is essentially one continuous terrace. Čokl is where you go when you actually want the coffee to be good.

The Central Market: go early

Ljubljana Central Market runs along the river in a colonnade designed by Jože Plečnik, the architect responsible for most of what makes the city look the way it does. It is a working market — produce, cheese, bread, honey — and worth an early morning.

The covered section by the river holds fish and dairy. On Fridays in the warmer months the market hosts an open-kitchen event where local restaurants cook outdoors, which is a good way to eat several things at once.

Gostilna As: the splurge

Gostilna As is the long-standing upmarket option in a courtyard just off Prešeren Square — seafood, Italian-leaning, formal-ish. The attached Fish Bar is more relaxed and rather more fun, and stays open late.

Skuhna: something different

Skuhna is a social enterprise restaurant cooking food from around the world, staffed by migrants living in Slovenia. It is a genuinely good lunch and an unusual thing to find in a city this size.

A local tip

Finish an evening at Nostalgija, a vintage café and live music bar packed floor to ceiling with Yugoslav-era objects — records, radios, Tito memorabilia, old advertising. Go when there is music on. It is the most enjoyable hour available in Ljubljana that does not involve being outdoors, and it is a short walk from the centre.

Frequently asked questions

What food is Ljubljana known for?

Kranjska klobasa, the protected Carniolan sausage, is the signature. Slovenian cooking generally sits between Austrian, Italian and Balkan traditions — expect dumplings and strudel, pasta and prosciutto, and grilled meat, depending where you eat.

Where do locals eat in Ljubljana?

One street back from the Ljubljanica river. The riverside terraces charge for the view; walk a block inland and both prices and cooking improve. Druga Violina on Stari trg and Klobasarna near the market are two reliable examples.

Is Ljubljana expensive for food?

Less than most Western European capitals, though the riverside terraces are priced for tourists. Klobasarna and Druga Violina both serve full meals cheaply, and the Central Market is inexpensive.

What is Druga Violina?

A restaurant on Stari trg in Ljubljana’s old town serving traditional Slovenian food at low prices. It operates as a social enterprise, staffed largely by people with disabilities, and is busy at lunchtime.

When is Ljubljana Central Market open?

Mornings are best, Monday to Saturday, along the river colonnade designed by Jože Plečnik. In warmer months the market also hosts an outdoor open-kitchen event on Fridays where local restaurants cook on site.

Find more in the full Ljubljana guide.