Ljubljana Castle Restaurant - a review of the Strelec
If you ever dreamt of eating in a castle and feeling like you are royalty then I have the place just for you!
The Strelec (archer in Slovenian) restaurant is located in the archer’s tower of the Ljubljana Castle and offers spectacular panoramic views of the city. The restaurant is a one star Michelin. If one star is not enough for you, the chef has also been awarded four Gault & Millau Toques (chef’s hats) with a total of 17 points (out of 20) for three consecutive years and three Falstaff Gabeln (forks) with 91 points (out of 100).
This fine dining experience can be taken for lunch on Saturdays or supper. We did the tasting experience for the hubby's 30th birthday. We celebrated in a grandiose way, by having dinner in the castle! I have to admit that I’m a little jealous, now I need to find something way cooler than that when I enter into my new decade next year.
Our dining experience at the Strelec restaurant
The restaurant is in the Ljubljana castle which is one of Slovenian capital's main tourist attractions. The castle is a 15th-century medieval construction that is now a museum, a venue and holds different restaurants. The other restaurants are as good, the Gostilna Na Gradu is a bib restaurant led by chef Luka Jezeršek. I would suggest to time your visit with the sunset to get the perfect views.
The Decor
The inside of the restaurant has a modern flair decoration. The walls are covered with medieval-style drawings depicting legends and tales from Slovenian folklore. These renovated paintings date after WWII and were painted using the Sgraffito technique which consists of scratching through a surface to reveal a lower layer of a contrasting colour. The paintings embrace the tower’s interior and show fragments of the stories of the Slovene folk tradition in framed scenes. The tower was closed for almost 30 years for renovations.
During the summer months, you can choose to eat outside on the terrace or inside. Since it was raining, we decided to eat by the window in the circular tower.
The Menu
Chef Igor Jagodic drives the restaurant Strelec. The highly awarded chef is one of the top three chefs in Slovenia (the first is Anna Roš, from the Netflix documentary series, Chef’s Table). To pay homage to the castle and its historical references, the menu was made in collaboration with ethnologists Dr. Janez Bogataj and Ms. Jožica Drobnič. The list of dishes is at the crossroads of past and present; cuisine of the Alps, Pannonia and the Adriatic with subtle French influences. Most of the ingredients are locally sourced and are from Ljubljana’s central market. The restaurant also offers an exceptional list of Slovenian wines, carefully selected by the restaurant sommelier.
Tasting Menu
The Michelin guide restaurant offers different tasting menus: 3 dishes (only served at lunch), 5, 7 or 9-course meals for dinner services. The prices range from 85 to 125 euros, you can also do a wine accompaniment of Slovenian wine cellars where you can choose the number of glasses to pair with. There are also Non-alcoholic pairings.
To celebrate the occasion, we took the 5 services. In total, we had 6 plates as we had a complimentary hors-d'oeuvre and dessert, for the same price. The plates were of a good size leaving you wanting to discover the next dish. We found that the price was extremely reasonable for the refinement of the cuisine. After doing some extremely pricey Michelin-star restaurants and sometimes being a little disappointed, we felt that this restaurant was above the price and all expectations.
The plates that wowed us were our first hors d'oeuvre which was trout mousse with trout caviar and trout fillet with herbal oil. One of the main courses was a delicious plate of beef slices with Jerusalem artichoke, and champagne vinegar to name a few of the ingredients. This is the only plate that you can choose from the tasting menu. There was a choice between beef and fish. The dessert was a combination of olive oil with lemon, figs, cream, hazelnut and vanilla ice cream, a real treat.
Upon our arrival, the staff greeted us with a glass of Slovenian sparkling wine. To complement our dinner, we chose a white Slovenian wine from the Brda region. The server suggested we go with red wine from their impressive wine list as the pairing with the beef would have been perfect. However, the day had been so hot and humid that we felt that the white wine would be more refreshing.
For us, Restavracija Strelec is the perfect place to celebrate this memorable experience. You can feel the freshness of the local ingredients masterfully crafted and assembled by the Michelin star chef. Even if you are not celebrating a special occasion, having dinner at the restaurant should be a must-stop if you are a foodie traveller!
Practical information:
The restaurant address is Restavracija Strelec Grajska planota 1, Ljubljana, 1000, Slovenia
The opening hours are Monday - Friday from 17.00 to 22.00, Saturday from 12.00 to 22.00. The restaurant is closed on Sundays & holidays.
It is recommended that you make a reservation for your table in advance.
If you have any dietary requirements it is advised that you notify us at the time of booking.
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Disclaimer: We enjoyed the experience at the restaurant as guests of the Kaval Group. A big thank you! All opinions are my own, as always.
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