Arriving in Ljubjana after nearly 5 hours on the bus from Vienna, we trudged to our hostel, hangry and overloaded with bags. We were in for dreary weather throughout our stay but couldn’t be happier to finally visit this amazing city. Without rest, we dropped our crap and made our way to the first stop, Ajdovo Zrno!
LJUBLJANA
Ajdovo Zrno
Trubarjeva 7, Ljubljana, Slovenia 1000
This quaint cafe offered a homey sanctuary from the rain and the raw dishes we ordered were delicate yet well-crafted and beautifully plated. Direct from their site:
Everything they offer and cook for you is free of refined sugar, white flour, ingredients of animal origin, artificial colourings (because fresh food is colourful and beautiful enough in itself), and free of preservatives and artificial flavourings (because they know that nature offers spices and herbs from which all sorts of culinary magic can be created).
We ordered:
I enjoyed a creative raw lasagna while Rob warmed up with a soup and salad. Check the hours…we definitely had planned on coming back but didn’t pay attention to its opening times. Sad day.
The restaurant is in a pedestrian courtyard that can be closed with a large door – this sits outside the entrance so you don’t miss it!
Organic Garden
Ciril-Metodov trg 11, Ljubljana, Slovenia 1000
This was an excellent stop after visiting the Ljubljana Castle. So easy, quick and delicious. Sandwiches are pretty much my most favorite food ever.
We ordered:
We grabbed a couple sandwiches for dinner as well as ordered some to take the next day on our day trip to Lake Bled. There was sun dried tomato pesto involved…need I say more?!
In case you forget where you are while dining there!
An order-at-the-counter type of place.
There’s that sundried tomato pesto!
Mouth-wateringly tasty.
Rob’s was not quite as good as mine!
Public Bar & Vegan Kitchen
This little place was such a surprise after driving through the country, picking up hitch-hikers, and hiking through a rainstorm.
We ordered:
A club patty made of zucchini, sweet potato, mushrooms, pumpkin seeds, sesame, sunflower seeds, bread crumbs with a buckwheat bun and a sauce mixed with tomato, vegan mayo, garlic, and mustard!
This sign is how we discovered it!
The club patty!
Vegan Fresh
Gorenjska cesta 13, Medvode, Slovenia, 1215
Ok so this was quite a drive. We routed our day trip back from Bled to include a stop here before returning to our hostel and as grateful as I am to have had a plant-based meal, I cannot say that I would recommend going out of your way to eat here. We lovingly termed our set meal, “beige on beige.” Parts of it were enjoyable…
Only a set menu was available during our meal.
First course – bread with hummus…and I think a sliver of onion…
Second Course – indistinguishable vegetable soup made with pumpkin and buckwheat
Third Course – Iceberg lettuce topped with beans – not my preferred kind of meal…
Fourth course/entree – falafel, gnocci, brown rice, mashed cauliflower, and a tomato for some color
Dessert – keeping iwth the theme, earth-toned colored dessert! Banana biscuit with banana ice cream.
Rimska cesta 23, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
This hip spot has a really cool vibe in an interesting part of the city but sadly I remember that the flavors of my dish didn’t mesh well together. It looked delish but sadly something just wasn’t quite right. Its healthy nutrients filled me up though so that’s a positive!
Because we had to ask for translations of all the food (you’ll only see Slovenian on the linked website as well) I can’t tell you the specifics of our order but doesn’t it look pretty?! ????
You’ll have to ask for translations of the menu but the staff were very helpful!
Taman Organic
Nazorjeva ulica 3, 1000 Ljubljana
Picture being in one of the coolest cities ever that has won awards for being a Green Destination and you wake up to POURING rain! You have limited time before traveling to the next city so there’s no waiting out the storm (that, by the way, has lightning striking just fractions of a mile from you). And imagine your boots are cloth and super NOT waterproof! Wet feet, empty belly and the restaurant we planned to return to (Ajdovo Zrno) was closed for the day! Taman Organic to the rescue! It is not purely a vegan restaurant but in those circumstances as long as I could find a plant-based meal to solve ONE of my problems* I would be set!
It looks like the menu here changes often but you can see from the photos that we ordered a gnocchi dish and a pasta dish. Although they don’t photograph well, they sure hit the spot!
Evidence of my soggy boots! I totally thought the water would pour from them but turns out my boots and socks soaked it all up… (This is the door that closes off the courtyard where Ajdovo Zrno is located)
Gnocchi with vegan cheese
Pasta with roasted veggies and vegan cheese
*Happy to report that while we waited for food to arrive, I found a shoe store and replaced my soggy boots and got us both dry socks!
Zrno do Zrna
Trubarieva cesta 8, Ljubljana, Slovenia
Don’t ask me to pronounce that! This place saved our butt a couple of times with its delicious array of healthy food, many of which were thankfully vegan. So grateful for it!
SOOO happy to have found this health foods shop!
Located in a lovely alley surrounded by beautiful buildings.
I know it’s been a long time since I returned from this trip and thus my memory of these incredible foodie adventures are waning. I’m doing my best to recall all the delightful spots we dined at so thanks for hanging in there with me! Hoping it won’t take me too long to share the challenges of our next stop along the trip…ALBANIA…
If you came to Ljubljana from Vienna you should stay in Maribor first.