ljubljana-foodie-guide

LJUBLJANA DRINK & DINE SCENE BREAKDOWN
Culinary survival guide
• Pick a table, wait to be served, and
wave your fingers when you want
the bill. We have table service with
rare exceptions.
• Value added tax (VAT) is already
included in the bill. It is either 9,5
(food) or 22 % (service and luxury
items like alcohol and coffee).
• Tipping is not mandatory for small
expenses but it is always appreciated.
So if you were satisfied with the
service, leave some cash and make
everyone happy.
• Coffee (kava) is considered
espresso but there is now lots of
specialty coffee options (Chemex,
cold brew etc). Milk is always 3,6%
fat or veggie alternative (rice, soy,
almond, oat). Also, no free refill.
There is take away coffee, but we’re
not big on it as in North America.
For some reason, the one at gas
stations is phenomenal! Pro tip: try
barley coffee, (ječmenova kava), a
fantastic decaf alternative.
• Ice coffee (ledena kava) means
espresso with whipped cream and
gelato. Don’t expect americano over
ice.
• Our ice cream (sladoled) is
gelato and mostly done by cafes
themselves. You can also get it
straight from the machine, slightly
softer (tekoči sladoled).
• Lunch is the big thing here, hence
that many lunch menus. It consists
of soup, main dish, salad and dessert.
You can’t avoid salad. It will be served
with every lunch menu. Yes we eat
all that during our lunch break.
• In summertime, we love to drink
radler – shandy: a mix of lemonade
and lager beer. They come in
different flavours, such as grapefruit
and blood orange. Winelovers opt
for spritz (špricer): white wine
with soda. Younger generations
love bambus (red wine + coke) or
mishmash (red wine + fanta). True
story.
• Tea (čaj) for us is herbal: mint,
chamomile, rosehip, mountain
flowers, elderflower … If you want
black/green tea, ask for „real“ tea
(pravi čaj).
• No hard liquor is for sale before
10am, and after 9pm in shops (in
bars yes).
• Students enjoy special coupons for
certain (well, almost all) restaurants.
So don’t be surprised if you are
offered a separate student menu
if you look like one. (NB: They still
keep asking us, 30-somethings, if
we’re students … )
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