Oh my, the food and drink scene in Ljubljana. It completely caught me off guard — in the best possible way. Between the incredible fresh pasta, the best Neapolitan pizza I had in Slovenia, outstanding craft cocktails and honestly one of the best coffee scenes I have come across anywhere in Europe, this city is seriously underrated when it comes to eating and drinking well. And the best part? It won’t break the bank either. Every single place on this list I have personally visited and loved — no internet roundups here. Just honest recommendations from someone who spent seven days happily eating and drinking their way through this beautiful city. So keep scrolling!
At Pragmatic Travelers, we only recommend experiences, destinations, and food we’ve actually tried and loved. We stand by what we’ve enjoyed and share it with you—straightforward and practical. Happy travels!
Quick Guide: Where to Eat and Drink in Ljubljana, Slovenia
- 🍝 Best Pasta: Raw Pasta — fresh homemade pasta under 20 euros, short walk from Old Town
- 🍕 Best Pizza: Gostilnica 5-6 — true Neapolitan style on a charming residential street
- 🍣 Best Splurge Dinner: Sushimama — excellent sushi and hot dishes, reservation required
- 🥩 Best Riverside Dinner: Breg 20 — great beef cheeks and wine, right on the river
- 🍕 Best Hidden Gem: Top Pizza — New Haven style pizza, found on Reddit and worth every step
- 🍴 Best Friday Experience: Open Kitchen — food stalls, incredible smells, go for lunch to avoid the crowds
- ☕ Best Americano: Cafetino — busy, lively and right in the heart of the Old Town
- ☕ Best Coffee on the Go: Tri Marije Coffee Trailer — tucked inside the Central Market, perfect for morning walks
- 🍳 Best Brunch: Le Petit Café — perfect eggs benedict and a lovely bread basket, book ahead on weekends
- ☕ Best Riverside Coffee: Spica Cafe — 10 minutes along the river with gorgeous views
- 🥐 Best Breakfast Treat: Legisa Pekarna — those pistachio croissants. Just go. Bring cash.
- 🍸 Best Cocktail Bar: Koibiri — one of the best bars in the world. The oak barrel negroni flight. Enough said.
- 🍹 Best Trendy Bar: Silk and Fizz — experimental cocktails, loud music, very cool vibe
- 🍷 Best Wine Bar: Koželj Wines — knowledgeable staff, local Slovenian wines, gorgeous location
- 🍸 Best Remote Working Bar: Neu Residences Bar — solid cocktails, actively encourages remote workers
- 🛒 Best Market: Central Market — fresh produce, local honey and the best people watching in Ljubljana
- ⭐ Pragmatic Verdict: Ljubljana’s food and drink scene will genuinely surprise you — this city punches well above its weight
Check out our 7 day travel guide to Ljubljana, Slovenia.
Best Restaurants in Ljubljana
Raw Pasta
€ Best for: A perfect casual lunch or dinner
One of my favorite restaurants in Ljubljana — and I mean that. Raw Pasta serves excellent, fresh homemade pasta with wonderful sauces and everything comes in under 20 euros. It is a close walk to the heart of the Old Town making it incredibly easy to slot into your day. The pasta is just outstanding. Plus they have a small store attached to the restaurant which makes it so easy to grab food on the go.
Top Pizza
€ Best for: Serious pizza lovers
I am going to be honest — I found this place on Reddit. And it was one of the best decisions I made in Ljubljana. Top Pizza is a genuine hidden gem, a small local spot about a 7 minute walk from the river and 20 minutes from the castle — making it a perfect stop if you are heading towards Tivoli Park.
The pizza is just excellent. They have studied and been influenced by New Haven style pizza which as someone from Connecticut, made me an immediate and very enthusiastic fan. Outstanding crust, great toppings and excellent service to match.
Do yourself a favor and make the walk. Highly recommend!
Sushimama
€€€ | Best for: A nicer night out in Ljubljana
Sushimama was one of my favorite restaurants in Ljubljana and a really wonderful option when you want something a little more special. The sushi rolls are excellent and the menu has a great mix of interesting hot and cold dishes that go well beyond your standard sushi spot. Charming inside with a lovely patio outside — it is a really pleasant place to spend an evening.
Fair warning — it is not the cheapest dinner in the city and you will absolutely need a reservation at night. But for a nicer meal out in Ljubljana it is a fantastic choice and well worth the splurge.
Gostilnica 5-6
€€ Best for: The best pizza in Slovenia
Hands down the best pizza we had in Slovenia. I am not messing around here. Gostilnica 5-6 serves true Neapolitan style pizza with high quality ingredients and it is absolutely outstanding. I went for the capricciosa and loved every single bite.
The location is part of the charm too — a quiet, charming residential street that feels a million miles from the tourist crowds even though it is not far at all. The outdoor seating is an absolute must if the weather is playing along.
One warning — it gets very busy on weekends. Either make a reservation or be prepared to wait for a table. It is worth the wait but just go in knowing that.
Legisa Pekarna
€ Best for: The best breakfast treat in Ljubljana
Okay I know, I know — I have mentioned this place approximately one hundred times already. But I cannot help myself and I refuse to apologize for it. The pistachio croissants at Legisa Pekarna are some of the best things I ate on the entire trip and I will keep saying it until everyone has tried one.
It is also beautifully located along the river making it the perfect spot to grab your pastry and take a slow walk along the water. Honestly one of my favorite Ljubljana rituals and one I would repeat every single day.
Pragmatic Pro Tip: Bring cash — they do not take card.
Breg 20
€€€ | Best for: A solid dinner in a great riverside location
Breg 20 is located right in the heart of the city on a pedestrian only stretch along the river — it doesn’t get much more central than this. It was recommended to us by a local which is always a good sign, and the beef cheeks and wine selection were genuinely excellent.
I’ll be honest though — it did feel a little touristy despite the local recommendation. Not in a bad way, just worth knowing going in. The food was definitely good and the location is hard to beat. Just make sure to book ahead — it was busy when we visited and reservations are a must.
Le Petit Café
€€ | Best for: The perfect Ljubljana brunch
Le Petit Cafe is the perfect brunch spot in Ljubljana and a wonderful change of pace from the quick sweet treat stops. The egg dishes are fantastic — the eggs benedict especially — and the bread basket is just lovely. Oh and the coffee? Excellent. Of course.
It is a busy spot on weekends so either make a reservation or get there early. Trust me, it is worth planning ahead for. A really lovely way to slow down and start the day properly.
Ljubljana is a great starting point for an epic Slovenian road trip. Check out our 2-week guide to Slovenia.
Best Drinks in Ljubljana
Koibiri Cocktail Bar
€€ Best for: Craft cocktail lovers
I am not being hyperbolic when I say Koibiri is one of my favorite bars in the world. I genuinely mean that.
This is one of those wonderful craft cocktail bars where you tell the bartender a few flavors you like and they just whip up something magical for you. That alone would make it worth visiting. But then there is the negroni flight — and specifically the oak barrel infused negroni that I have thought about frequently since leaving Ljubljana. It was the best negroni I have ever had. Full stop. The setting makes it even better — a gorgeous outdoor seating area on a truly beautiful side street. The kind of place you sit down for one drink and end up staying for three.
Do not miss this one. It is something special.
Koželj Wines
€€ | Koželj Wines Best for: Exploring local Slovenian wines in a beautiful setting
Koželj Wines is located right on Pogačarjev trg — the same charming square as the Open Kitchen — just steps from Ljubljana Cathedral and a short walk from the Triple Bridge and Prešeren Square. When the Open Kitchen isn’t running it is the perfect spot to sit down and explore local Slovenian and international wines in a fantastic setting.
The staff are wonderfully knowledgeable. Just tell them what you like and they will bring something great to try — no wine expertise required, just an open mind and a willingness to explore something local. Highly recommend!
Neu Residences Bar
€€ Best for: Remote workers and a solid cocktail
I’ll be straight with you — this is not a destination bar and I would not go out of your way to visit specifically. But if you are staying nearby or working remotely it is a genuinely solid choice. The cocktails are good, the vibe is relaxed and they actively encourage remote working both inside and outside which is a lovely touch.
One honest caveat — I didn’t eat here so I genuinely can’t speak to the food. But for a coffee or a decent cocktail while getting some work done? It delivers.
SILK and FIZZ
€€ | Best for: Experimental cocktails and a trendy night out
Silk and Fizz is tucked away in the Old Town with just a small, nondescript sign above the door — easy to walk right past. But step inside and oh man, it is trendy. Loud music, cool interiors and experimental cocktails that are genuinely fun and delicious.
I’ll be honest — I felt a bit out of place and the loud music is not really my scene. I much prefer the laid back vibes of Koibiri. But if you are looking for a livelier night out with creative and interesting drinks, Silk and Fizz absolutely delivers. Just know what you are walking into!
Thinking of traveling around Slovenia? Check out our Goriska Brda guide! A beautiful wine region near Italy.
Best Markets in Ljubljana
Central Market
€ Best for: Stocking up, snacking and soaking up local life
Central Market is not somewhere you go for a sit down meal — but it absolutely deserves a spot on this list. It is a wonderful fresh produce market packed with stalls filled to the brim with fruit, vegetables, honey — a local specialty and genuinely outstanding — and so much more.
It is a joy to just wander around, get some fiber in ya and pick up ingredients to cook later that night. If you are self catering or just want to eat like a local for a morning this is the place. The honey alone is worth the visit.
Pragmatic Pro Tip: Go on a Saturday morning when it is at its busiest and most wonderful. Pair it with a stop at Legisa Pekarna nearby for those pistachio croissants and you have the perfect Ljubljana morning sorted.
Open Kitchen
€ | Best for: Friday lunch or dinner in the warmer months
Open Kitchen is one of those experiences that just feels like the real Ljubljana. Every Friday during the warmer months, Pogačarjev trg transforms into a massive collection of food stalls serving anything and everything — burgers, dumplings, local Slovenian dishes and so much more. And my god the smells when you walk around. Absolutely incredible.
It gets very popular on Friday evenings so here is my pragmatic tip — go for lunch instead. You get all the same incredible food without the scramble for a seat. Just wander around, follow your nose and let your tastebuds guide you. No plan needed. That is the whole point.
Highly recommend and do not miss it if you are in Ljubljana on a Friday!
Pragmatic Pro Tip: Cash is useful here as not all stalls take card.
Best Coffee in Ljubljana
Cafetino
€ Best for: A perfect Americano in the heart of the action
Cafetino is a busy, lively coffee spot right in the heart of the Old Town and one of my go-to stops during our seven days in Ljubljana. The Americano is excellent — and in a city with a genuinely outstanding coffee scene that is saying something. Perfect for a quick stop mid-morning wander or a sit down moment to watch Ljubljana life go by.
Tri Marije Coffee Trailer
€ Best for: Coffee on the go during your morning walk
This little gem is a coffee trailer tucked right inside the Central Market and it serves up excellent espresso drinks. Everything is to go which is a bit unusual for Europe — but most welcomed when you are doing your morning walk around Ljubljana! It became a regular stop for us and honestly there is something wonderful about wandering through a beautiful European city with a great coffee in hand.
Spica Café
€ | Best for: A riverside coffee after a morning walk
Spica Cafe is located next to Spica Park about a 10 minute walk along the river from the Old Town — and it is absolutely worth the stroll. The cafe sits directly on the river with gorgeous views and ample seating, making it one of the most relaxing spots in Ljubljana to slow down completely.
A decent cup of coffee, a good book on your kindle and a view of the river with boats drifting by? That is a perfect Ljubljana morning right there. Simple, beautiful and exactly what slow travel is all about.
The Pragmatic Verdict: Eating and Drinking in Ljubljana
Ljubljana genuinely blew me away with its food and drink scene. I knew the city was beautiful but I had no idea it would be this good. Incredible fresh pasta, the best pizza I had in Slovenia, outstanding coffee on every corner and one of the best cocktail bars I have ever visited anywhere in the world. And the best part? Eating and drinking well in Ljubljana is all incredibly affordable. I cannot recommend eating and drinking your way through this city enough. Just go. You will not regret it!
Your Thoughts
This is the best restaurants, coffee, and cocktails in Ljubljana. Did I miss anything? What are you excited to try? Leave a comment below. Happy Travels!
