Ljubljana, as both the capital and the largest city in the country, offers more fine dining options than anywhere else in the country. We managed to get into Strelec, which is located in the Archers’ Tower of the castle atop a hill overlooking the capital. The location alone makes a visit worthwhile – you can gaze down on Ljubljana’s historic city centre, inspect a cutting of the oldest vine in the world, and wander around the ramparts to work up your appetite – if the trek up the hill didn’t already do that.

Inside, the decor is equally interesting. The walls are painted, depicting scenes from Slovenian folklore. Despite all modern conveniences being present, the interior has managed to keep its medieval look intact. The room is surprisingly large, and the tables are spaced so that you never feel crammed in.

From the moment we walked in, service was on a level that even my grandmother would have described as impeccable. Staff is very friendly, and happy to explain the various menu options in English. We went for the 5 course menu with accompanying wines.

Each course came with a thorough explanation from our waiter, on both the food and the wine. The food is an excellent mix of new techniques and classical Slovenian dishes. The wines are exclusively Slovenian. They also were our first experience with Slovenian wines, and left me wondering why they are not more popular throughout Europe. The pairing was very well done, but the quality of the wines was just exceptionally high as well, and they could easily compete with the offerings from the more well known European wine countries like Italy, Spain and France.

We left as very happy customers, bellies full and with a – to our Belgian standards – very democratic bill.

Pri Lojzetu

Pri Lojzetu was the other place from Ana Roš’s list that we tried. It is located in the countryside near Vipava, in a beautiful manor, perched atop a hill surrounded by vineyards. Despite the manor being from the late 17th century, the interior feels medieval yet cosy, with fairly small windows, dark stone and dark wood. Contrasting this classic interior is the very modern approach to food, drink and service.

You can order a la carte, but we went for the 5 course tasting menu with accompanying wines and were not disappointed. The variety offered in the dishes, and the attention to detail, is amazing. The wines are all sourced locally, and again made me think that Slovenia definitely deserves a spot on the list of great wine countries.

We were not able to get a dinner slot, so instead opted for lunch, which turned out to be the best timing. A few other groups came in, but they only had 2 courses, so after that, we were nearly the only customers in the restaurant. As we were nearing our last course, a local winemaker came in. He regularly delivers wine to the restaurant, but this time he came to present a new wine he’d been working on to the chef. We were lucky to get offered a glass of this new creation. I remember it as a slightly sparkling, fruity and quite sour white – it even made me think of a smooth Geuze beer.

On our way out, our waiter showed us around some of the other rooms in the manor. For some of those rooms, the word ‘hall’ is more appropriate, and it makes sense that this place is also bookable as a wedding or conference venue.

Both of these restaurants require reservations – and you need to make them quite far in advance. We booked both Strelec and Pri Lojzetu by email a couple of weeks before our trip, but that only worked because we were flexible with our timing. If you’re visiting on a tight schedule and want a specific day and time, you’d best book even further in advance.