Zvezda Bistro…
Ljubljana Restaurant with a Specialty

“Zvezda”, as you may guessed, is Slovene for “a star”

In Ljubljana, Zvezda was always a synonym for all things sweet.  From classic cakes to raw and vegan cakes, from meringues and crostatas to pies and strudels, mini desserts, croissants and, last but not least, ice-creams of all colors of the rainbow.  

Undeniably, Zvezda Café has always enjoyed a reputation of taking care of sweet cravings most efficiently.

But could a pastry shop specialist succeed in one of the toughest, most competitive trades there is — the restaurant business?  

Knowing the owner of Zvezda confectionery empire, Urška Šefman Sojer, we had no doubt that they could.  Everything she touched in the past — with her persistence, affection and hard work— she turned into a success.

Zvezda Café on Wolfova Street where it all started

We got there on bikes which additionally whetted our appetite.  By the way, if you enjoy discovering cities on a bike like I do, you’ll find a rent-a-bike station Bicikelj, an inexpensive, almost free rental bike service in Ljubljana, conveniently located just opposite Zvezda Bistro.

Bicikelj station in front of Zvezda Bistro

Zvezda Bistro may not be on the river like some other popular restaurants in Ljubljana but its location is just as central and charming.  It should even be quieter than on the busy riverbanks… if bird singing in the nearby park is not a noise but music to your ears.

The restaurant is small but very cute.  It has big windows so a lot of sunlight can shine through. It’s very modern and colourful.

The restaurant is spacious and even when it is not appropriate to eat outside there will be space inside. It is very popular especially in the lunch hour on weekdays, so it is good to make reservations.

Zvezda’s popular starter is called a Crunchy, we choose 4 of them: tomato sauce, mozzarella, and pesto; zucchini, arugula, ricotta; dry-cured ham, green olives, parmesan, arugula and creamed spinach, parmesan, omelette sliced into wedges.  Crunchies are hand-made from organic, wholemeal spelt flour and different toppings. There are 18 types of regular Crunchies.

Then there is also a vegan crunchy, sauce made of ecologically grown carrots and red beet, and ecologically produced rice cheese.

You can also get extras, seitan, ecologically grown mushrooms, olives, capers, artichockes, zucchini, arugula.

And special extras, seasonal offer.  Spanish pata negra Iberian ham, grilled boletus mushroom, grilled chanterelle mushrooms, grilled green asparagus and truflle sauce with egg yolk.

We also ordered a fish dish, which was bream on the bed of grilled vegetables.

Our third order was a hamburger on a stick, at the bottom there was some bread, then salad, tomato, some meat, and at the top were stacked three potatoes. The dish was very good and fresh.

Our fourth dish was a Ceaser salad, with bacon, chicken, salad and parmesan. You can also add toppings like vinnergar, oil, salt, chilli and pepper.

In the summer time you can also have icecream for dessert, which they also offer there, and it is all homemade with natural ingredients.

If you didn’t find a dessert for you in Zvezda Bistro, stop at Zvezda Cafe which is next door for a much bigger selection of cakes and other desserts.