Restaurant in Ljubljana, Slovenia
Ljubljana's benchmark fine dining, book it.
Ljubljana's most credentialed dining table, JB has anchored Slovenian contemporary cuisine since 1992 inside a Plečnik-designed Secessionist building. With a La Liste ranking (81pts, 2025) and a Michelin Plate, it is the city's strongest choice for a special occasion dinner. Book for milestone celebrations or serious business meals; the JB ravioli with foie gras is the dish to order.
If you are planning a special dinner in Ljubljana and want the restaurant that put Slovenian contemporary cuisine on the international map, JB is the answer. This is the table for a milestone birthday, a serious business dinner, or any occasion where you need a room and a kitchen that can carry the weight of the evening. It is less suited to a casual midweek meal or anyone who finds formal service a barrier to enjoyment.
JB opened in 1992 inside a Secessionist building from the 1920s, designed by architect Jože Plečnik — one of Ljubljana's most celebrated architectural signatures. The restaurant has operated continuously for over three decades, which in a city of Ljubljana's size is a meaningful statement about durability and consistent demand. Janez Bratovž, whose name the restaurant carries, is credited as the founding figure of modern Slovenian haute cuisine and has written a book documenting his philosophy, ingredients, and forty signature recipes. Today his son Tomaž leads the kitchen, continuing the tradition of marrying regional Slovenian ingredients with classical European technique.
The longevity matters for the decision you are making: this is not a fashionable new opening. It is a restaurant with an established identity, a stable kitchen, and a clear point of view. That consistency is what you are paying for.
JB holds a Michelin Plate (2024) and appeared on La Liste's Leading Restaurants ranking with 81 points in 2025 and 77 points in 2026. A Michelin Plate signals a kitchen cooking at a high technical level without yet carrying a star. La Liste's inclusion places JB in a global context: it is ranked alongside restaurants that draw serious food travelers internationally, which for Ljubljana is a notable credential. Google reviewers rate it 4.6 from 547 reviews — a strong signal of consistent execution across a wide range of diners, not just enthusiasts.
For context within Slovenia, JB sits in the same conversation as Hiša Franko in Kobarid and Gostilna Pri Lojzetu in Vipava as a reference point for the country's serious fine dining circuit. If you are traveling Slovenia with food as a priority, JB is the Ljubljana anchor of that itinerary.
The JB ravioli is the restaurant's defining dish: pistachio and cheese filled pasta served with foie gras and veal jus. It appears on La Liste's record as a dish not to miss, which means it has been noted by international reviewers as representative of what the kitchen does leading. Ordering it is not a tourist move , it is the single most efficient way to understand the kitchen's philosophy in one plate: Slovenian ingredients, classical French structure, restrained luxury.
The Plečnik-designed Secessionist building gives JB an architectural setting that most Ljubljana restaurants cannot match. For a special occasion dinner, the room's history and character add something that a more modern fit-out cannot replicate. The family-run structure, with a founding generation's vision carried forward by the next, tends to produce a particular kind of service: invested rather than transactional, personal rather than corporate. That dynamic suits celebration dinners well , the staff have institutional knowledge of the restaurant's identity and can guide a table through an evening with confidence.
If counter or bar seating is available, it is worth requesting for a solo visit or a pair: proximity to the kitchen at a restaurant of this pedigree gives you a different read on the evening, and in a family-run room of this scale, the chef's counter tends to be where the kitchen communicates most directly with the diner.
Booking at JB is rated Easy by Pearl's logistics assessment, which makes it more accessible than comparable fine dining in cities like Paris or New York , think Le Bernardin or Atomix, where lead times run to weeks. That said, for a specific date on a weekend or a holiday period, booking ahead is advisable. Reservations: Book in advance for weekends and special occasions; weekday availability tends to be more flexible. Dress: Smart casual at minimum; the architectural setting and service level suggest dressing up is appropriate and expected for an evening occasion. Budget: Price range is not confirmed in Pearl's current data , treat this as fine dining spend and plan accordingly; the La Liste ranking and Michelin Plate context place it at the leading of Ljubljana's price tier. Location: Miklošičeva cesta 19, 1000 Ljubljana, in the city centre, walkable from most central accommodation.
For a full picture of where to stay and what else to do, see our full Ljubljana hotels guide, our full Ljubljana bars guide, and our full Ljubljana experiences guide. For broader dining options across the city, our full Ljubljana restaurants guide covers the full range.
Against its closest Ljubljana peers, JB occupies the leading of the price and prestige range alongside Restavracija Strelec and Gostilna AS. Strelec offers medieval castle drama and a strong local-ingredient focus at €€€; JB counters with architectural gravitas, a longer track record, and an internationally recognised name. If the occasion demands the most formally credentialed room in Ljubljana, JB wins on awards depth and longevity. If you want spectacle over pedigree, Strelec's castle setting is harder to beat.
For a more relaxed but still serious meal, Breg at €€ delivers contemporary cooking without the formality, and AFTR at €€ is the right call for modern cuisine with a younger energy. If budget is the constraint, Altrokè at € covers regional cuisine at the accessible end. None of those, however, carry JB's thirty-plus years of institutional weight or its La Liste placement , which is the trade-off you are making when you step down in price.
Book JB for a milestone dinner, a business meal that needs to make an impression, or if you are visiting Ljubljana specifically to eat well and want the restaurant with the longest record of doing it at the highest level the city offers. The JB ravioli alone is reason enough to make the reservation. For casual dinners or value-led meals, look elsewhere , but for the occasion that matters, this is Ljubljana's most credentialed table.
Explore more of Slovenia's serious dining circuit: Milka in Kranjska Gora, Dam in Nova Gorica, Grič in Šentjošt nad Horjulom, and Hiša Denk in Zgornja Kungota. For Ljubljana's full dining picture, browse our restaurant guide. If wine is part of your Slovenia itinerary, our Ljubljana wineries guide is the place to start.
JB is Ljubljana's longest-running fine dining institution, founded in 1992 and still family-run. The restaurant occupies a Plečnik-designed Secessionist building, which sets the tone for the experience: formal, architecturally distinctive, and rooted in Slovenian culinary identity. First-timers should know this is a full-evening commitment , dress smart, arrive on time, and budget at the leading of Ljubljana's dining price range. The JB ravioli with foie gras and veal jus is the dish that defines the kitchen's point of view; order it.
The JB ravioli , filled with pistachio and cheese, served with foie gras and veal jus , is the restaurant's confirmed signature dish and the one international reviewers consistently flag. It is the clearest expression of the kitchen's philosophy: Slovenian ingredients handled with classical European technique. Beyond that, the menu focuses on regional ingredients interpreted through refined methods, which is the restaurant's consistent identity across decades of service.
Yes, particularly if you can secure counter or bar seating. At a family-run restaurant of this caliber, solo diners at the counter tend to get the most direct interaction with the kitchen and service team, which makes for a more engaged experience than a table for one in a formal dining room. Ljubljana's fine dining scene is small enough that solo visitors are not unusual. Budget for a full tasting experience rather than a quick dinner , the price tier and the format reward a longer, unhurried meal.
It is one of the strongest choices in Ljubljana for exactly this purpose. The Plečnik building provides architectural character that few restaurants in the city can offer, the family-run service is invested rather than corporate, and the La Liste ranking and Michelin Plate give the room a credentialed weight that makes a celebration feel substantiated. For a milestone birthday, anniversary, or a business dinner where the venue needs to signal seriousness, JB is the most direct answer in Ljubljana's dining options.
Restavracija Strelec is the closest peer at €€€ , castle setting, strong local focus, similar formality. If you want a step down in price without sacrificing quality, Breg at €€ and AFTR at €€ both deliver serious contemporary cooking in a less formal register. Altrokè at € is the budget-friendly option for regional cuisine. B-Restaurant is also worth considering for a different style within the city's dining circuit.
Bar or counter seating availability is not confirmed in Pearl's current data for JB. That said, at a restaurant of this size and format in Ljubljana, it is worth asking when booking , family-run fine dining rooms at this level sometimes accommodate solo diners or small groups at a counter position that puts you closer to the kitchen. Contact the restaurant directly to check availability and make the request at the time of reservation.
No formal dress code is confirmed in Pearl's data, but the context makes the expectation clear: a Michelin-recognised, La Liste-ranked restaurant inside a historic architectural landmark runs smart to formal. Smart casual is the floor, not the standard. For an evening meal, especially a special occasion, dressing up is appropriate. Think business dinner attire rather than resort wear. Arriving underdressed at a room of this caliber in a city where JB represents the leading of the dining hierarchy is worth avoiding.
| Venue | Cuisine | Price | Awards | Booking Difficulty | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JB - Janez Bratovž | Slovenian Contemporary | Chef Janez Bratovž (JB) stands as one of the founding fathers of Slovenian haute cuisine. He launched the family-run restaurant in 2001, and ever since it has remained a beacon of culinary excellence....; La Liste Top Restaurants (2026): 77pts; The restaurant is named after Janez Bratovž, regarded as the father of modern Slovenian cuisine and the author of a book detailing his philosophy, ingredients, and forty of his most celebrated recipes. He opened his restaurant in 1992 inside this elegant Secessionist building from the 1920s, designed by the architect Jože Plečnik.Today, in this captivating architectural setting, his son Tomaž leads the kitchen, skilfully blending regional ingredients and flavours with refined classical influences. Don’t miss the iconic JB ravioli, the restaurant’s signature dish, filled with pistachio and cheese and served with foie gras and veal jus.; La Liste Top Restaurants (2025): 81pts; Michelin Plate (2024) | Easy | — | |
| Restavracija Strelec | Modern Cuisine | €€€ | Michelin 1 Star | Unknown | — |
| AFTR | Modern Cuisine | €€ | Unknown | — | |
| Altrokè | Regional Cuisine | € | Unknown | — | |
| Breg | Contemporary | €€ | Unknown | — | |
| Gostilna AS | Traditional Cuisine | €€€ | Unknown | — |
Comparing your options in Ljubljana for this tier.
JB is the restaurant that established the template for Slovenian contemporary fine dining, opened by Janez Bratovž in 1992 and now run by his son Tomaž in the kitchen. It sits on La Liste's Top Restaurants ranking (77 points in 2026) and holds a Michelin Plate, so you are walking into a room with a documented track record. The address is Miklošičeva cesta 19, inside a Plečnik-designed Secessionist building that sets the tone before you sit down. Booking is rated Easy by Pearl, so securing a table is less of an obstacle than at comparable fine dining venues in larger European cities.
Order the JB ravioli. It is the restaurant's signature dish — pistachio and cheese filling, foie gras, veal jus — and it is the single item called out by name on La Liste's restaurant record. Beyond that, the kitchen under Tomaž Bratovž focuses on regional Slovenian ingredients shaped by classical technique, so dishes built around local produce are where the cooking is most coherent. Do not skip the ravioli on a first visit.
JB is a viable solo option given its easy booking rating and fine dining format, but the experience skews toward a table-based meal rather than counter or bar seating. Whether bar or solo-counter dining is available is not documented in the current venue record, so check the venue's official channels before booking solo. For a solo diner primarily interested in food history, JB's position as the founding venue of modern Slovenian cuisine gives the meal a clear narrative thread that holds up without company.
Yes, JB is the default answer for a milestone dinner in Ljubljana. The Plečnik-designed building provides a setting most Ljubljana restaurants cannot replicate, and the La Liste ranking and Michelin Plate give the meal external validation that matters for occasions where the choice of venue needs to land. It sits at the top of Ljubljana's price and prestige range, so treat it as a special occasion spend rather than a regular dinner. Booking is easy relative to comparable venues, which reduces the planning friction.
Restavracija Strelec is the closest peer for ambience-led special occasion dining, with a castle setting that competes on atmosphere if not on culinary pedigree. Gostilna AS is a strong alternative if you want Slovenian cooking at a slightly less formal register. AFTR and Altrokè sit at different points on the contemporary spectrum and are worth considering if a more modern, less heritage-driven format suits the occasion better. Breg is relevant for a riverside setting with a lower-commitment format. None of these match JB's specific claim as the originating venue of modern Slovenian cuisine.
Bar seating or walk-in bar dining at JB is not documented in the current venue record. Given the formal fine dining positioning and the restaurant's heritage, the experience is built around table reservations. check the venue's official channels at Miklošičeva cesta 19, Ljubljana, to confirm bar access before planning a drop-in visit.
A specific dress code is not stated in the venue record, but JB's positioning as Ljubljana's reference-point fine dining restaurant — La Liste-ranked, operating since 1992 in a formal architectural setting — signals that formal or business-smart dress is the appropriate baseline. Treat it as you would any La Liste Top Restaurants entry: err toward overdressed rather than underdressed, particularly for an evening booking or special occasion.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
