Čompa, Ljubljana, Slovenia

Čompa - small place on Trubarjeva, but highly thought of by connoisseurs. Famous for open bar side grill. Serving also craft beer - brewed by Gostilna Ulčar's Veljko Bravničar, who also attends Bi-Ko-Fe concerts with his daughter and knows Dario Cortese's mobile number (rare oddity).

Iva Gruden - journalist, Food Sherpa and lots of other things | born and raised in Ljubljana, calling Vancouver her second home - where she also caught a bit of Gorenjska accent while staying there with friend Helena | not related to Igo Gruden | Ljubljananjam founder and excellent food-walker | worked for Nedelo, Delo, Dnevnik and Vancouver Observer - among others | will organize beer festival during EuroBasket in Ljubljana | loved to work on Odprta kuhinja which is not even slightly related to Odprta Kuhna | gave talks at Shappa gatherings, digs sesame, loved Rio Brazilian Steakhouse in Vancouver | her december birthday is unfortunately not convenient for picnic parties | reads Murakami and absolutely loved Dance, Dance, Dance and will devour Wild Sheep Chase next | one day she will take Botrstvo to a whole new level, buy Slovenian Railway and fix it - while providing proper equipment and financing to fire fighters.

Ljubljananjam food walk is a must.

Zlata Ladjica, Ljubljana, Slovenia

Zlata Ladjica - "The 'Golden Ship' has lots of vaulted ceilings, pictures of sailing ships, rigging, sails and a DJ booth inside a wooden barrel, the rum selection is surprisingly lacking in variety and there’s not a sailor in sight, but it beats the lacklustre banality of most Irish pubs any day of the week. As well as the main bar area there are also a couple of smaller rooms for more intimate moments, and one of central Ljubljana's biggest terraces. There's often €3 drink specials at the weekend - check the signs outside for what's on offer." - by InYourPocket

Urška Zorman - FDV student with a wide extra curriculum | grew up in Slavina pri Postojni, farm girl, village known for their chapel, 5th August local celebration and Martin Krpan's Sv.Trojica statue in the church | she first tried chemistry study, but really wanted Defence Studies, including boot camp drills and beating by hail among others | upcoming intern-ship in detective agency and at Red Cross doing first aid training | used to play organ - weddings, funerals and also Cankarjev Dom | reads Firemen's Manual | former Scouts member, big in cooking, TEDx organizer, interested in therapeutic post-trauma psychology | visited SF, San Diego (USS Midway Aircraft Carrier Museum) and Las Vegas (did Stratosphere Sky Jump) as a gift, while diving is still on to-do list | one day she will do consulting in anonymous psychological centres and help everybody in ways that she did not received when needed.

Sanja Škorić - EF student, sales administrator and volunteer | Grosuplje native, neighbour of Janja Zupan and Matjaž Javšnik | Serbian Bosnian hard working parents - father role model | worked in a construction company, about to finish EF | avid surfer, will do it in Lisbon soon | has a brother and a particular knack for winning prize games - Neastea travel ticket to Sydney among latest | sharks and Germans - don't ask me | reading 50 Shades of Gray, TEDxLjubljana member, getting serious in photography with Nikon like Arne Hodalič and will do Humans of New York, but in Ljubljana | one day she will live and work like Kimi Werner - the Patagonia Ambassador - with five kids running on sandy beaches.

Druga Violina, Ljubljana, Slovenia

Druga Violina - "Good locally grown produce, a simple short menu of Slovene classics, top location in the city's old town, but there's a twist in the tale with the 'other violin' (as the English translation of the name goes). It's actually a project for people with special needs, who produce much of the food on farmland near Ljubljana and also work as waiting staff in the restaurant itself. Come and see what it's all about, while enjoying one of the fresh local dishes either in the rustic dining room or on the delightful cobbled pavement outside." - by InYourPocket

Maša Gala - young artist striving to connecting art and market in a more natural way | most of her family is in medicine and construction | born in Kranj, raised in Ljubljana | there is one other Maša Gala - fortunately not in art | currently in the middle of SiTi ARTstore project | was in Belfast summer school which led to Copenhagen Christiania squat community visit | will most probably end up in post-grad study abroad, Columbia New York among favourites | ALU graduate, working in the fields of painting, graphic, photography and video | has studio at old Tobačna factory where Tobacna 001 is located and where interesting exhibitions take place - such as Alban Muja research on naming and picturelickers | Prešeren award led to 1 year Erasmus exchange in Prague | loves photography, proud Shotokan Karate black belt 2.DAN owner and referee | reading Pictures of nothing, likes to travel a lot and sending postcards to friend Tanja who collects them | one day she will be merging art and real life Marjetica Potrč style, starting at home in Fužine, not unlike Goran Vojnović.

Indeks Caffe, Ljubljana, Slovenia

Indeks Caffe - a nice place in the centre, by name alluding to their prime segment thy are catering to. Though in top summer time season not many students are to be seen. Shade and coffee.

Anuška Cerovšek Beltram - co-founder and CEO of STA Ljubljana | Krško background with Celje influence in dialect | her mother was art teacher in the school she went to - with all the usual pros and cons | was active swimmer, swam to top 3 in Yugoslavia, but was always beaten by PR lady Mojca Ocvirk | liked EF for same reason as Andrej liked FDV | wanted to go to USA Summer Work Camp, was too late and next year opted for  KityHawk Work & Travel via STA Zagreb, which later spawned STA Ljubljana -  linked to STA Travel but not a franchise | Ivan went to Work Experience USA through them and then also worked for them | recommends Cinema Komunisto and Into the Wild soundtrack | 2 small kids | does not watch and read news, no TV, no paper | ardent kiter, recently in Dakhla | reading The Lean Startup with Lost in Italy waiting in line | one day, she will gather all the media together and convince them to dedicate one day per week to good and inspiring stories only, while also will help eager and interesting sustainable travellers crowd-fund their endeavours | a big TED and TEDx fan | photo obviously not from Indeks Caffe - it happens :)

Hiša kulinarike Manna, Ljubljana, Slovenia

Hiša kulinarike Manna - "Set in a colourful little house on one of Ljubljana's prettiest (and most overlooked) streets, Manna offers a divine selection of contemporary Slovene cuisine for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Meals are complimented with some tasty homemade desserts and large choice of both Slovene and foreign wines, as well as a sophisticated selection of spirits (aged rums, cognacs and whiskeys) and cigars for after dinner. A large garden and terrace in the back is open all year, and many people come here to enjoy a coffee, sweets or light snack." - by InYourPocket

Nika Pušenjak - researcher and founder of Larus inventa, company working in field of applied psyhophsiology | larus is Latin for seagull - as a synonym for calming down | born and raised in Ljubljana, but her heart is torn between Prlekija and Cerkno | not related to Stanko Pušenjak nor Miša Pušenjak | occasionaly still in tourism | was young researcher from the economy in sport psychology field at Sport Faculty of Ljubljana and Monolit d.o.o. | studied biomedicine, PhD study at Medicine Faculty in Ljubljana and specialization in biofeedback and neurofeedback at Sigmund Freud University in Vienna | a dog, a cat and horses - latter a bit idle due to an accident | fencer and fencing trainer - tying it to her area of work | when young she could produce angina symptoms on request, now she is doing similar effects on the positive side | rereading Neurofeedback by Thompson and Healing Young Brains | growing gardening interest | one day she will devote herself to ecology, mainly transport and mobility solutions and social-eco farming

Afrika bar, FDV, Ljubljana, Slovenia

Afrika bar - student bar, serving predominantly FDV students and staff. No digital footprint whatsoever. The only open place late in the evening in off-season = no students around. Favourite of many a student.

Tim Berce - just finished 2nd grade of Social Informatics | TEDxLjubljana team member | Erasmus exchange student soon on his way to Girona, Spain | game designer, Morilci among others | born and raised as a proud citizen of the "Republic of Črnuče" | has 3 brothers | mixed marriages between Slovenes and Spainiards are allegedly a non friction event | martial arts afficionado with karate, kung fu - wing chun and ninjutsu - the art of ninja among others | about to hop on Kilimanjaro and possibly into the pink Lake Natron | pyromaniac | just finished Conquerors series on Genghis Khan and will start Mazzini's blog book | one day he will do gamification of education on a grand scale and launch a couple of games on the side

McDonalds Kolosej, Ljubljana, Slovenia

McDonalds Kolosej - movie goers retreat, BTC shoppers carbo-loading platform and nearby Plaza dwellers quick-ish snack-grab. We've all been there, though we all claim we don't do it - that often.

Nadja Jokanović - co-founder and CMO of Wannabe, increasingly popular online media that started as an innocent idea, grew rapidly and boasts shareholders from Slovenia | her great-grandma was with 101 years the oldest person in Trebinje | recently launched Wannabe Stars, Wannabe Bride and Slovenian edition  WannabeMagazine.si | pharma graduate, worked for MEDA | about to launch Wannabe fashion line while continue to organize top community events | as a student used to run Tuborg promotions | about to finish Cotrugli MBA and starting MBA Serbia Association | travels a lot, likes top events, likes long distance walking and is reading Tajna magneta srca | one day she will kick start a chain of women entrepreneurship incubators and accelerators with special emphasis on youth, starting with Belgrade. Magnetic.

Ivan Vučetić - CEO and co-founder of MBA Friends which started as business plan idea at Cotrugli MBA class | stepped on the ball of the classic 9-to-5 | grew up in Peroj near Pula where a group of Montenegrins were moved together with their orthodox priest 350 years ago | studied in Rijeka and later in  Ljubljana where he met his Slovenian wife | took Italian passport thanks to mother's Italian roots, to get somewhat easier through Slovenian beraucroacy when moving permanently to Ljubljana | sold plums as a kid in Peroj, worked 4 consecutive summers in Work Experience USA, in Slovenia organized student parties and events and is about to finish Cotrugli MBA | has two kids,  3 and 5 years old, caught mountain climbing bug as a new Slovenian resident, loves diving and friends from Mali Lošinj and currently reading Zero Zero Zero | one day he will reinvent and take networking relationships to levels never seen before. Metcalfe's law in action.

10ka EF, Ljubljana, Slovenia

10ka EF - Slorest chain of canteen restaurants located in Faculties. This one in Faculty of Economics. Decent, effective, probably most international. 

Raül Rodríguez Cabestany - computer developer at EduArt Softver | proud Catalan, grew up in Reus, Catalunya, now lives in Zgornje Laže | did not have a very good experience with Slovenian bearaucracy becoming a resident - long-winded and expensive procedure | Erasmus exchange student - chose Slovenia,  because it was the only country offered (FR, DE, NL, CZ, SI) that he did not know and that's how he met his Slovenian girlfriend that brought him back to Slovenia for good | computer science graduate at URV Tarragona, | started Metaverso.es and HappyHamlet.com | absolutely loves sports, avid mountain biker, played table tennis semi-pro and still knows karate | 8 years of piano lessons in Conservatory in Reus, singing ditto | just finished Rework book | without limitations he would save all abandoned race galgos, greyhounds in Spain and worldwide for that matter + help all the friends that he could not when they first asked him. Remember that. 

Daniel Eyer - co-founder of Eduart and music teacher | lives in Ljubljana, born and raised in Brig in Wallis/Switzerland | studied at ZHDK and by chance attended guitar art festival in Belgrade where he met his Slovenian wife, thus later moved to Ljubljana | also has a bad experience with arranging residency papers in Slovenia | was chosen by Matjaž Jevšnikar - later his Eduart co-founding partner - as music teacher in Ribnica after he sent 50 job applications - foreigners are obviously not likely to be hired | has a year and half old son, plays 13 string guitar and is Aikido practitioner | just finished Gamification by Design | one day he will make music and all other learning and education fun and interesting, infused by gamification to rekindle already existent internal motivation. Game on!

Victoria Pub, Ljubljana, Slovenia

Victoria Pub - a very nice pub, with good food, but with an unfortunate location on Litostrojska. If moved to city centre it would be a hit. Still recommended, though. Detour worth making.

Sebastjan Jeretič - Mayor Popovič's Consultant for Communication and Digital Agenda in Koper and co-founder of Neuroagencija | grew up in Piran, about to move from Tartini square to Koper, mostly due to kids getting to high school | probably most famous Jeretič | met his Croatian wife in zidanica on Trška gora | wanted to be sports journalist, but one year in Yugoslav army switched his world view and he switched to political science | one fine young day decided with Patrik Vlačič that something needs to be done in and for Slovenia - they selected party by elimination system and opted for Mladi Forum where he served also as president and was later active in SD party | has 3 kids 8, 10, 12 years, all of them on Facebook | passionate about Koper and Univerza na Primorskem | plays easy computer games for relaxation, used to play bridge pretty well | just finished reading Dan Brown's Inferno, likes Damasio and Gazzaniga | reading lots of online articles/blogs and disseminating lessons learned far and wide | one day he will devote and dedicate his life to neuroscience and achieve something great and important - to be crowned by Nobel prize. Amen.

HUB, Zagreb, Croatia

HUB Zagreb - Croatian outpost of The HUB network - Another World is Happening. This time they hosted Zagreb's Lean Startup Meetup, well organized, nice event. Worth coming to from Slovenia.

Borut Rismal - founder and CEO of Pasadena and CHS, investor and mentor |  born and raised in Maribor | there are way more more Rizmals than Rismals -  probably due to mistake their name was changed a couple generations ago | did not finish FE as starting his first company Atlantis hijacked his priority list | business was rising on early Windows versions and Word 1.0 | started, but never really started playing golf | reading The Greeks from 1950 and before that Sedlacek's Economics of Good and Evil - which his company will probably translate and publish | with unlimited resources he would bring more quality books to local markets that deserve it; paperback-to-people.

Subaru - for true believers. Borut is one of them. Converted after trying it.

Navtika, Ljubljana, Slovenia

Navtika - a small coffee bar, tucked in the basement under Šolt and LUI on Vojkova. Serving it's share of regulars and devoted to nautical themes. One of Dejan's favourites.

Dejan Roljič - Sappcor founder | in 2008 attended and later organized another trip to Shanghai summer school | speaks basic Chinese | worked for Printbox and tested it also in China | huge sailing fan and shares this passion with Jakob Tratar | will go first cruise over Mediterranean and then around the world,  not very unlike Volvo Ocean Race | planning to set up business accelerator in Shanghai, already working on it with Drago Napotnik, launched Roundybox and is helping spread AIR | in the long term he tends to create Tesla innovation centre - probably with several Tesla's parked outside.

Kavarna Rog, Ljubljana, Slovenia

Kavarna Rog - "Kavarna Rog is one of our favourite cafés around - and not only because it's a 30 second walk from our flat. Located along the Ljubljanica below the old Rog bicycle factory, the café is one of the few places in town where you can find a proper breakfast, and the lengthy menu of gourmet soups, sandwiches, salads and desserts (not to mention wines) makes it a popular lunchtime stop. It stays open late as well, and the dark and moody modern interior is perhaps best suited for a drink than anything else." by InYourPocket

Saša Gerčar - born and raised in Ljubljana | not related to the transport company | knows geni.com | did not finish EF, but did get herself a husband there | višja upravna was also a no go | worked for Jugotekstil, for ATR with Trnovec and as Network21 CEO | her son is already almost Nataša's son-in-law | Šmarna gora regular climber | reading Burnout and Women in Prague | likes walking the dog, riding motorbike and family travelling with a car | without limitations she would stay in Slovenia, educate herself and work on destigmatization of mental institutions | probably also move a lot to have a chance to do a lot of interior design.

Pencil and paper always ready on every table in Rog. Ideas worth noting.

McDonalds, Celovška, Ljubljana, Slovenia

McDonalds Celovška - needs not much comment. It's McHere if you McNeed it. This one recently renovated and quite big. McG

Sandro Mur - co-founder of BabyWatch, math student, involved in several startups, among them one dealing with artificial intelligence for finance, reads Alan Ford and will one day move 500startups and Stanford and move them to Hvar. Sillicon Island. When do applications open?

Davor Runje - co-founder of BabyWatch and Drap, seasoned startup member, with experience at Napster, Playmedia and once a major IPO exit will happen he will take a good long thought about what to do next. With all the stash and ideas.

Urška Sršen - co-founder of BabyWatch, finishing Sculpture study at ALU, Erasmus exchange student in Finland, where she met Sandro and moved to Zagreb, created Lipica limestone sculpture now in Ljubljana nursery, her mother is a prenatal specialist, reading Michio Kaku's Physics of the Future, will one day devote herself to sculpting in wooden high tech edge fashion e.g. wooden skyscrapers. Davor insists having an artist in start-up team is phenomenal. Sculpt-up team.

Dorian Gray, Ljubljana, Slovenia

Dorian Gray - "A concept restaurant of the highest pedigree, Dorian Gray was founded on one of the main themes of it's namesake book, namely that true beauty must be harmonised both inside and out. With its elegant décor and prime location in the centre of town, the outer beauty here is readily apparent, while the inner beauty comes in the form of delectable Italian-inspired homemade cuisine prepared using only the freshest locally-sourced ingredients. Within the intimately-sized interior (28 seats in all) ample space is reserved for a full cocktail bar, which is put to good use during frequent afterwork parties and other events, and the kitchen conveniently stays open till midnight." by InYourPocket

Eva Svete - Interior Designer & Architect, grew up in Mošnje pri Radovljici, though has only traces of Gorenjska accent, all her family pretty was sports oriented, FA graduate, landed first job with Seaway doing boat interiors e.g. Skagen 50, did 90% of  Dorian Gray interior, fully vegetarian if not on travel, ardent kiter, recently in Dakhla in disputed Western Sahara, has periods of different sports, was playing golf a lot - at 10 HCP level, did almost every sport, but some of them are still waiting: polo and fencing, on a learning curve - getting used to her new phone LG P880, reading Osho's Being in Love, will one day create a series of Osho meditation centres infused with kiting practice. Osho 360.

Dorian Gray gets pretty crowded in lunchtime, but they do recommend their crostata.

Izložba, Ljubljana, Slovenia

Izložba - "A cosy little café hidden a few steps off Dunajska Cesta. The compact interior looks like something you would find in Sarajevo's old town, with lots of well-worn wood furnishings and Turkish-style seating on benches covered with pillows and cushions of assorted fabrics, colours and sizes. However, the real highlight here is the large courtyard in the back with ivy-covered walls, a giant tree sprouting through a hole in the floor and of course a back entrance to the art gallery next door (izložba translates to exhibition in English)." - by InYourPocket

Iztok Smolič - Drupal consultant & UX designer at Agile Drop, grew up in Pluska pri Trebnjem, Smolič being a common name on those hills, slowly catching Primorska accent, about to conclude NTF - GIK, worked for Enki, a true Drupal believer/evangelist, Drupal in Slovenia kicked off on a bigger scale with implementations at Delo and D.labs for Petrol, working predominantly for foreign customer, was initiator of Drupal Alpe Adria Camp, trying to read 4-hour Chef, likes to cook, likes getting lost in parents' farm work,  saddened by Kiberpipa closure and will one day tackle the innefectiveness of higher education system - spoke about it also on Metina lista, 

Fresco, Ljubljana, Slovenia

Fresco - "A basic modern canteen geared towards the time-poor lunchtime office worker crowd, this bright orange restaurant looking not unlike the inside of a train (albeit a rather large one) provides both help-yourself and waiter service and is good value for money if nothing else. Highlights include ready-to-grab meals from the hotplates by the entrance and a slightly better than average salad bar." by InYourPocket Ljubljana.

Marjan Bradeško - Content Development Manager at NIL and author, grew up in Polhograjsko hribovje with distinct Rovtar accent, joined NIL after spending a few years as an assistant at University and evolved from techie to sales person - the very topic he likes talking about, travels extensively, mountain hiker and climber, enjoys writing, moderating panels and events, well versed in public speaking - though was quite the opposite in his early youth, above all likes to create distinction and will one day devote himself to book writing, mostly, predominantly helpful informational and motivational (but not in a overused self-help sense) genre. Giving back time. Full throttle.

Le Petit Cafe, Ljubljana, Slovenia

Le Petit Cafe - "On a leafy yet bustling square, tables of bubbly locals and clued-up visitors drink coffee, tea and look utterly Parisian without even trying. Every other cafe in Ljubljana wants to be this place, and it is easy to see why. What’s more, it is not even expensive: big omelets and tasty toasted sandwiches all come in at around €3.50." by InYourPocket Ljubljana

Primož Božič - productivity coach, entrepreneur and blogger, Jasmina's brother, raised in Fužine, father archaeological professional knows about all meteorites in Slovenia, was off Facebook for 2 years, return triggered by FB-only VIP list for friends birthday, about to finish FRI, could do it way sooner - just as Scott Young did MIT in 12 months, if he would choose major again he would go for psychology, joined Toastmasters - tipped by the same Scott Young, worked for Comtrade, almost worked for Zootfly, freelancer, became Productivity Coach for PokerStrategy, about to write a book, subscribed to Ramit Sethi's brain trust interviews, does B-boying - akin to break dance with links to salsa, just finished Never Eat Alone, starting Learned optimism, listening to Thinking Fast and Slow and will one day change education system, starting in high school, adding topics of vision, advanced and holistic learning. Familiar? (one blog post back - and they've never met)

Kevdr, Ljubljana, Slovenia

 

Kevdr - a relatively new place in the cellar of a big business building on Dunajska street. Trying to make it in  recession times. Give them a try, but don't expect too much - basics are covered.

  

Tomaž Sešek - management consultant, raised in Gunclje part of Ljubljana in Sešek working class family,  scholarship took him to UWCAdriatic in Duino, worked for the other part of scholarship for Cambridge graduate study, topped it all up with INSEAD MBA, touched Club of Rome topics with Meadows, worked for Intercortex, Poteza, Adacta, Sekvenca, SRC, Ganxy, founded Mojesanje kindergarten, travels a lot, was in  Cambridge basketball club, proud father of Tristan, reading Never Eat Alone, GTD aficionado, likes his old Porsche, and will one day take a more active role in education, infusing high school entrepreneurship topics, giving students MBA-type understanding and radically change university study. A big plate that is. Mahlzeit!

Zlati krožnik, Ljubljana, Slovenia

Zlati krožnik (Golden plate) - a small Chinese restaurant on Dunajska street with a recently dissapeared website/domain. Nothing special, yet everything one can expect from a decent Chinese joint. If you want to be totally alone, come Monday evening. Gè bǎo!

Irena Marin - Medical Practice Professional, as name Marin suggests, her roots are from around Ohrid, Macedonia, was CEEPUS exchange student, works as PhD in cardiology in Ljubljana, goal being to become internal medicine doctor, was also exchange student in Portugal and Israel, worked for Geneplanet in TPLJ, attended Alpbach Forum once, associated with IG, wanted to attend TEDxBled, but was too late with registration, attended TEDxLjubljanaLive2013, about to get a B2 level Slovenian language certificate,  reading Mohamed Yunus' Building Social Business and will one day make sure that proper knowledge and education is available for everybody globally, starting from bottom up. PhD worthy.

Volta Cafe, Ljubljana, Slovenia

Volta Cafe - serving mostly students, primarily from Electrical and Computer Science Faculties across the street. No frills, no real memories of it, either. Visits driven by necessity, I guess. Viidea team begs not to disagree.

John Bachir - Technology Lead at Ganxy, grew up in North Carolina, BMC intern, helping them simulate large installations, worked in Centerline, had a bushy beard before Ganxy launched, built his own Wordpress fork (separate branch - alternate version), Rice University graduate, cooperates with Viidea, member of "Nikon DSLR camp", just read Voodoo Heart, regular Couchsurfer and Host who will one day finish his documentary film. Sundance is waiting.