My stop in Ljubljana had been short but enough for me to gather some great first impressions. I didn’t expect it to be so charming and so busy on a weekday. The old town was a lovely walk where outdoor cafès, restaurants and shops housed in colorful Baroque and Vienna Secession style buildings line up the squares. Being just a short transit from Bled to Rabac, Croatia by car, I only had the time to see the Ljubljana Castle overlooking the city and through the city center before my family and I settled into another Slovene highlight at the JB Restaurant of Chef Janez Bratovž.

I have heard that there are a lot of good places to eat in Ljubljana but with my schedule only permitting one lunch there, I had to choose well. Again, like in Bled, there’s no better way to do so by asking for recommendations from a Slovene who happens to specialize in wine and food. Indeed, being the capital, there are a lot to choose from but he cut down my search to one. He recommended JB Restaurant.

JB Restaurant is a family owned restaurant which was founded by head chef Janez Bratov

ž twenty years ago.

His wife Ema functions as the manager, his daughter Nina as the sommelier, and son Tomaz as one of the chefs. Janez has installed his name as an icon in the culinary world, both national and international, for his restaurant was chosen as one of San Pellegrino’s 50 World’s Best Restaurants in the World in 2010. Aside from this important award, he has also accumulated a number of international awards over the years.

Importance and prestige go easily with his name. He has regaled important local and international guests with his outstanding dishes. Diners go to his restaurant to appease their gastronomic curiosity. Aside from reinventing traditional Slovene cuisine, Janez is  also innovative, creating bold and original dishes. He sticks to one important thing – he uses fresh, seasonal ingredients that he himself chooses every morning from Ljubljana’s local farmers. Quality and freshness are a couple of his strong points in his cooking.

Excellent food, wine and service make dining in JB Restaurant a fine culinary experience. For that single meal that my family and I can have in Ljubljana, I think we chose the right place. My kids were well taken cared of because the chef knows the simplicity of the little diners – chicken and potatoes can be their equivalent of a delicious culinary meal.