The story
PEN KLUB Restavracija sits at Tomšičeva ulica 12 in Ljubljana, serving European and Mediterranean cooking in a former writers' villa on the way to Tivoli Park. Gault&Millau scored the restaurant 15.5 in 2026.
Chef Mojmir Marko Šiftar builds the menu around ingredients and whatever the season brings, so the dishes change as nature does. He is a former captain of the youth culinary national team and a semifinalist at the S. Pellegrino Young Chef 2018 competition. The Michelin Guide lists the restaurant as Recommended for 2026.
Seared tuna arrives with lime gel and a cream made from sardines and crab. The turbot fillet is roasted with Kodila cracklings and set beside celeriac purée, leaving the fish at the centre of the plate. Dessert pairs dried panettone ice cream with chocolate, lemon sponge and fresh pistachios.
The building was once a writers' villa, and its parquet floors still creak underfoot. The restoration kept the mood intact while the kitchen brings a more playful, precise approach. A charming garden surrounds the house, and outdoor seating, private dining and takeout are all available.
Recognition
Ambience
Details
History
On the way to the greenery of Tivoli Park stands a hidden old writers’ villa with a charming garden. The atmosphere has been restored with great sensitivity, but ambience alone would not be enough. Places like this can easily remain stuck in the past if the kitchen does not bring them into the present. The parquet floors still creak, but the food is more playful, more precise, and less constrained by traditional ideas of what a “classic” restaurant should be. Here, the chef takes center stage, building his cuisine around ingredients, seasonality, and the belief that every dish should have something to say. His style is confident, the execution technically precise, and the flavours linger long in the memory. The menu follows nature and changes with the seasons. Seared tuna is served with lime gel and a cream made from sardines and crab. A signature dish is turbot fillet roasted with Kodila cracklings and accompanied by roasted celeriac purée. The fish remains the focal point, its clean flavour allowed to shine without unnecessary additions. The strength of the dish lies in the quality of the ingredients, the creativity, and the chef’s precise touch. The same approach carries through to dessert, where dried panettone ice cream, chocolate, lemon sponge, and fresh pistachios come together in a playful yet carefully considered finale: distinctive enough to be remembered.
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