Gluten-Free Slovenia

I'll start by saying that Slovenia is an absolutely amazing place to visit, and luckily for Coeliacs I also found it much better at catering for the gluten-free diet than I was expecting - I had some really fantastic food here.

LJUBLJANA

Eating establishments and bars with outdoor dining line the Ljubljanica River in the centre of this small city, and although when presenting my Slovenian restaurant card I found that not all were able to cater for me, we managed to discover some excellent places where I could eat.

Ljubljanica River

Pizzeria Trta

Pizzeria Trta taken from a boat tour on the Ljubljanica

Located just outside the bustling city centre (no more than a five minute walk) this pizzeria clearly lists the availability of gluten-free pizza bases on the menu:

 

My tuna and tomato pizza 'brez glutena'

I really couldn't fault Pizzeria Trta on either service or on quality of food - the waiter repeated that it was a gluten-free pizza when serving my food which is always reassuring and he also informed me that it had been cooked separately to reduce cross-contamination risks which is of course always the bane of a Coeliac's life when trying to eat out. The pizza itself was very tasty with a nice crisp base and variety of topping options available.

Zlata Ribica

Situated right in the centre of town and with a pleasant outdoor seating area, we had an excellent dining experience at Zlata Ribica. Although not familiar with catering for Coeliacs, the waiter responded positively when I showed him my restaurant card before we sat down which was a nice surprise as I often found people would look at it rather bemusedly. Buoyed by this promising start, we were not to be disappointed and gluteny and non-gluteny members of our party alike enjoyed the meal. A huge TV showing the France/Germany World Cup Quarter Final was also appreciated!
The waiter showed my restaurant card to the chef and then explained clearly what would be appropriate off the menu. I had pork and potatoes which were all well-cooked - my main criticism would be that there wasn't a sauce available but the waiter brought me some olive oil which went well. At the end we even got a free drink of blueberry liquor!

Cokoladnica Cukrcek

This aaaaaaaamazing chocolate shop completely prevented any jealousy occurring when other members of the party opted for an ice cream as I was able to devour a bag of divine dark truffles!

The assistant was able to look up which truffles were gluten-free (a decent range!) and other wrapped products such as bars were clearly labelled as gluten-free in English. There was also a diabetic range available.


Gluten-Free Raw Ice-Cakes

Unfortunately I didn't try these myself but look out for the sign below displayed in restaurants - they seem to be a Slovenian brand as I saw them offered in Lake Bled too. They are made with entirely natural products.

 

The Market

The market offers a huge range of different fresh products such as fruit, vegetables, fruit smoothies and cheeses.

Ljubljana Castle

The castle is a really great place to visit, but if you were hoping to grab lunch here it is probably best to make alternative arrangements as there isn't really anything suitable for Coeliacs on the menu. It was a nice place to grab a drink though with a variety of coffees, teas and juices on offer.

LAKE BLED

 Hostel Vila Viktorija

Our hostel offered cheap breakfasts (I think it was roughly 2.50 euros), one of which was able to be made gluten-free! It was supposed to have granola on it but I explained my requirements and they made me this 'Healthy Breakfast Pot' (strawberries, apple, Greek yoghurt, honey) which was really delicious:

Healthy Breakfast Pot by Hostel Vila Viktorija

 

Gostilna Planincu (pizzeria)

This place was absolutely amazing and one of my favourite meals of the whole trip! The pizza was genuinely the best pizza I have ever had even taking all gluteny ones into consideration pre-diagnosis. The pizzeria is quirkily decorated with motorbikes on the ceiling and so it is a really interesting place in which to sit and eat.
The chef prepares all the pizzas in front of you in a woodfired oven. I could see him washing his utensils and putting my pizza on a clean tray before cooking it to avoid contamination from the oven. I would thoroughly recommend this for a delicious and safe meal - ten out of ten!

Motorbikes in Gostilna Planincu pizzeria

 



                                                     My amaaaazing four cheese pizza

 

Villa Preseren 

 Although this was a lovely lake-side bar/eaterie I would issue a word of warning here - it was an excellent place just for a drink but they offered NO FOOD at all really for Coeliacs and were not particularly friendly about telling me so. There is a huge range of lovely cakes for gluteny people, but if you want to go here with your Coeliac partner or family member I wouldn't really recommend it as they will only be left disappointed as they are left with only lettuce in comparison to your chocolate torte or fruit strudel.
I did enjoy the delicious strawberries and cream they provided, but I was left feeling ripped off as I was charged full price for a sundae of which I had not been able to have half of the ingredients. My attempts to negotiate did not go down well so overall this establishment didn't really have a positive approach to dietary requirements.