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All Slovenia Ljubljana JB Restaurant
AO Edited Gastro Obscura

JB Restaurant

Even in semi-retirement, the ‘godfather of modern Slovenian cuisine’ still presides over this institution.

Ljubljana, Slovenia

Added By
Noah Charney
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The ravioli are a signature here.   Urska Charney for Atlas Obscura
The ravioli are a signature here.   Urska Charney for Atlas Obscura
Chef Janez Bratovž radically reshaped Slovenian cuisine.   Urska Charney for Atlas Obscura
Carpaccio with freshly truffle shavings is a staple on the menu.   Urska Charney for Atlas Obscura
The cooking here is elevated yet highly personal.   Urska Charney for Atlas Obscura
The dining room is all crisp, white linens.   Urska Charney for Atlas Obscura
Dishes here highlight Slovenia’s local produce.   Urska Charney for Atlas Obscura
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About

Janez Bratovž, aka JB, founded his eponymous, Michelin-recommended restaurant at a time when nouvelle cuisine was unknown in Yugoslavia. He learned his trade in Austria and introduced specialties like carpaccio and foams to a land of hearty but simple dishes. 

He’s been described as the godfather of fine dining in this part of the world and while Ana Roš is the highest profile Slovenian chef, her flagship restaurant is in a rural area near the Italian border, and JB has led the way here in the capital for decades. JB develops sophisticated dishes based on the best local ingredients he can find, many of them indigenous: from trdinka (a red corn varietal) to blackstrap pigs (considered to have the best fat of any breed), from pumpkinseed oil (of around 800 varietals of pumpkin only this one, styriaca, yields delicious oil when cold pressed, and it’s native to Slovenia) to Soča River trout (the world’s largest and considered to have the tastiest flesh). 

While he’s cooked for Pope Francis and Ferran Adrià, he is technically retired, though he’s still in the kitchen most days. His son, Tomaz, has taken over the kitchen while his daughter, Nina, is sommelier, and his wife, Ema, manages the restaurant—it’s truly a family affair. The food is soulful, sophisticated, and personal. Take, for example, one of JB’s famous dishes, which simply consists of a fresh egg cooked at the table by pouring pork cracklings over it. 

This is JB’s Proustian moment—he grew up so poor that a big treat was a single fried egg that his grandmother would make him once a week. But the must-try is his signature dish: ravioli with foie gras, pistachio, and chestnut foam and veal jus. And in case you were wondering, the restaurant is in a building designed by none other than Slovenia’s most famous architect, Joze Plečnik, as the headquarters of Triglav Insurance Company.

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Reservations are absolutely essential, as this place still books out well in advance.

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Noah Charney

Published

March 12, 2025

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JB Restaurant
Miklošičeva cesta 19
Ljubljana, 1000
Slovenia
46.057411, 14.505756
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