Home food

Slovenes usually don’t eat a large breakfast. Instead, they prefer a cup of coffee at home or on the way to work. A light meal is typically eaten around 10:30 am, like cereal, a slice of bread with cheese or marmalade, or fruit.  

Traditionally, lunch is the main meal, especially in the Slovenian countryside. If you skip the light breakfast, you can eat lunch at noon. Lunch often starts with soup, like ‘jota’, a popular winter soup with Slovenian sausage. Popular lunch dishes are minestrone, roasted potatoes with meat, and ‘štruklji’, dough rolls with various fillings. The dinner at home is often lighter, consisting of a platter with sliced meats, cheese and salad.

Restaurant food

Slovenes enjoy street food festivals on the weekends. During spring and summer, there are countless outdoor festivals and picnics throughout the country. Slovenia's most popular street food is burek, which is a pastry filled with meat or cheese. You can find these delicious treats at outdoor stalls in every city.  

But Slovenia has plenty of fine-dining spots as well. With over 24 gastronomic regions, Slovenia is a real paradise for gourmets and wine lovers. The diverse cuisines of the Alpine, Karstic, Mediterranean, and Pannonian regions serve as the inspiration for the work of Slovenian top chefs. It’s no wonder Slovenia is becoming an increasingly popular destination for foodies and is the proud holder of the title of European Region of Gastronomy for 2021.  

Good to know: the Slovenian expression for 'cheers!' is ‘na zdravje!’, and 'dober tek' means ‘enjoy your meal’.