A new wave of Ljubljana bistros – Slovenian cuisine with an international twist

“No, not at all,” replies Jorg Zupan when asked if he misses fine dining. Much has been written about the news that this chef, who became the youngest Slovenian Michelin star winner at just 34 in 2020, was closing Atelje, effectively giving up the Michelin star.

But Zupan has no regrets. After the closure of Atelje, the restaurant on Nazorjeva Street reopened a few months later in the autumn of 2023 with a new image, a new concept and a new name – Aftr.

With Aftr, Zupan has returned to where he feels most comfortable – in a kitchen free of tweezers, where the atmosphere is more relaxed and spontaneous, where there is no need to worry about when a Michelin inspector might walk through the door.

Plate after plate is brought to us, full of colours and intense flavours – crushed cucumbers with yogurt, jam and chili, hummus, beef tataki with marinated peppers, confit fennel in pil pil sauce, roasted leeks with tahini and vegan XO sauce, and roast lamb with buttered potatoes.

Zupan encourages guest to order multiple dishes and share them among the company at the table. When asked to describe the food at Aftr, he does not try to invent some kind of marketing gimmick. Instead, he simply says, “I serve what I like to eat. And I love spicy food and bold, punchy flavours,” he adds with a laugh.

And that’s precisely what the dishes at Aftr are like: an eclectic fusion of influences, spices and recipes from around the world, with an emphasis on Asian, Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cuisine. The bar’s drink assortment at the bar wouldn’t look out of place a trendy Spanish tapas bar offering oysters, marinated anchovies, smoked mussels, wild boar ham and homemade focaccia.

On the main menu, hummus is accompanied by bagna càuda, Parmigiano cheese and steak, with the Slovenian colours being represented by dishes such as grilled pečenica sausage served with mashed potatoes. Zupan isn’t bothered with labels. He did not create Aftr in order to rank it by label – quite the opposite. Its purpose is to create a space where people can relax in an intimate, sexy blue light, with a kitchen that is open past midnight (the only one in the capital!), an interesting wine list and a DJ at the decks on Fridays.

JAZ – “Ana Roš’s Young dining”

Ana Roš hasn’t relinquished her Michelin star by opening Jaz, but her Ljubljana branch within the AS boutique hotel is conceptually and financially far more accessible to everyday diners. Ana herself enjoys to the type of food that is served by her team at Jaz – salads, pasta and tasty focaccia with high quality prosciutto.

It goes without saying that Jaz elevates this to a higher level, which is also why Roš herself is reluctant to use the term “bistro” when describing the concept of her latest eatery.

Instead, she has labelled it as “young dining”, wishing to describe it as a youthful space that is certainly not characterised by fine dining, but still bears he mark and the philosophy of Hiša Franko. This means that the restaurant team rely on high-quality ingredients of Slovenian origin, purchased from small and boutique producers, and on taking advantage of the proximity of the Ljubljana vegetable market, which is visited every morning by Jaz’s chef, Italian chef Alex Iacoviello, who was trained at Hiša Franko.

Sustainability is also a key pillar, be it Mateja Benedetti’s eco-friendly uniforms or the pasta prepared with Istrian tomatoes and mountain cottage cheese and “no waste” tiramisu, both of which are crafted from leftover sourdough bread from Ana Bakery.

Although Jaz’s interior, with its subdued lighting, marble floors, wood panelled walls and deep emerald velvet is distinctly cosmopolitan, and although the menu features such globally popular bistro dishes as Ana’s version of the Waldorf salad, Wiener Schnitzel and New York pastrami sandwich, there is also a tribute to the town of Kobarid and the old Hiša Franko restaurant.

This means that the menu always features English roast beef, a dish first prepared by Franko Kramar, as well as Kobarid štruklji, delivered straight from Hiša Polonka, which uses a lot of whey, Zemljanka cheese and fermented cottage cheese in its dishes, while the cocktails are curated by Anja Skrbinek, who is responsible for food and wine pairing at Hiša Franko.

With Jaz, Ana Roš has expanded her brand beyond Kobarid, establishing one of Ljubljana’s more sophisticated restaurants.

TaBar – a new chapter at a new location

It may sound cliché, but sometimes a simple change of location can spark new creative momentum.

Jakob Pintar, like Jorg Zupan, gained his culinary knowledge internationally. He has long been considered one of Slovenia’s more promising chefs, but seemed to be limited by the old location in Ribji trg, where he had worked since 2017.

Pintar took over the role of head chef in TaBar from Peter Patajac, and – with his ambitions and experience in haute cuisine – uprooted the concept of ‘Slovenian tapas,’ which was TaBar’s original leading idea. The days of small, simple snacks with a meticulously curated wine list of exclusively sustainably produced wines have passed so quickly, and today TaBar is aiming even higher, striking a balance between wine bar/bistro and fine dining. Its new location at the Rog Centre has helped the team draw a clearer line between its two identities. Now the lower floor (Bar) is reserved for a more informal menus, and the gallery for a more creative tasting menu (TA).

Here, Jakob has based the bar’s concept on his three passions – hunting, fishing and foraging – and he maintains a close relationship with his brother-in-law and exceptional chef, Luka Košir of Grič, with whom he produces Krškopolje pig bacon, ferments kimchi and cures whatever they catch.

The wines are a story unto themselves. No place in the capital has such an ambitious wine list when it comes to wines from sustainable and biodynamic producers. It includes small growers, rare vintages, indigenous varieties, Slovenian growers from neighbouring countries and some gems from across the Austrian and Italian borders that may be difficult to call our own, but give a good broader insight into the terroir.

In Jakob’s hands, TaBar has become more than just a bistro; it has grown into a training ground for young creativity, as well as a temple of natural wines. This is a place where you can get the best of both worlds – haute cuisine and a simple Paris-inspired wine bistro.

Georgie – rising from the ashes of Monstera

When Monstera, Bine Volčič’s pioneering neo-bistro, closed in December 2022, it wasn’t the end for his team.

While Bine began a new chapter of Monstera in Prekmurje under a completely different concept called Monstera Estate, his former head chef Gregor Jelnikar opened Georgie Bistro on Čufarjeva Street – tucked away from the usual tourist paths – just a month later, in January 2023.

Georgie carries forward Monstera’s philosophy: creative, but relatively simple plates, local and seasonal ingredients, occasionally paying tribute to Slovenian tradition, while also being influenced by global trends – be it with the flavours of the Middle East (roasted beetroot, labneh, peanuts, vegan XO) or the flavours of the Mediterranean (capesante with daikon radish, beurre blanc and mushrooms).

Georgie is extremely customer-friendly with an open kitchen – a feature Jelnikar wanted so he could prepare food right in front of diners. This setup enhances the dining experience and, perhaps not coincidentally, suits its location perfectly: j just a stone’s throw away from Radio-Television Slovenia, making it the ideal spot for quick lunches. There’s something here for everyone: all wines are available by the glass, lunches are reasonably priced, and diners can choose between an a la carte menu or a tasting menu where Jelnikar gets to flex his culinary creativity.

The dishes change and are replaced by new ones frequently, but one constant remains – a holdover from Monstera days – as there are simply too many guests who still ask for this classic: glazed beef cheeks served with mashed potatoes, roast vegetables and a demi-glace sauce.

Although Jelnikar’s dishes could certainly not be described as rustic, they do pay homage to traditional Slovenian meat-based cuisine with dishes such as smoked beef tongue with egg custard and kohlrabi, and tripe with potato foam, wild garlic and Parmesan cheese.

And even though Georgie is a bistro, not a bar, you should definitely stop by for at least one of their cocktails, as they are probably among the best and most elaborate in town.

Ljubljana’s bistros have long ceased to be the support for haute cuisine in the capital, but rather dictate its cuisine. As Jelnikar says: “Young chefs today prefer to open bistros rather than fine dining restaurants.” This is due to several reasons, partly due to finances and partly due to the fact that it is easier to find staff, and ultimately also that bistros make it much easier to balance time with family – and for me, that’s crucial.”