It’s not often that we dedicate an entire page to just one restaurant. But, Gostišče Grič is well deserving of the honor. Chef Luka Košir has headed this family run establishment since 2009. After years of working in some of Europes greatest Michellin-starred restaurants, Luka decided to bring his skills home to a small village about 20km outside of Slovenia’s capitol, Ljubljana, where him and his family cook 3-Michellin Star quality meals at extremely reasonable prices. Just the trip up to his tiny log cabin restaurant in the Slovenian hills is a magical experience, but his 15 course tasting menu was without a doubt the greatest meal we’ve ever experienced.
To get there you can either drive (about 30 min outside of Ljubljana and about 60 min outside of Lake Bled) or you can utilize Slovenia’s ample bus system which has a stop right in the small town where the restaurant is located. The views are stunning and the drive there is half the fun.
Upon arrival you can park in front of the unassuming cabin that houses this culinary experience and walk in to be greeted, often by the humble Chef himself, as well as his entire family which works at the restaurant with him.
The modest, charming interior adds to the unpretentious, quaintness of the experience as you feel more like you’re about to sit down at a family members house or your grandparents cabin instead of for a Michellin Star meal.
When deciding what to order, there is only one choice…get the full tasting menu with the wine pairing. They will let a couple split a single tasting, but don’t be dumb…you will be so disappointed if you have to share this meal with someone else. At 15 courses you might be worried that this will be too much food. It is not. It is the perfect amount of food. Kristen weighs 100 pounds soaking wet and typically gets full after only a small portion of food. She ate the entire menu comfortably. I would recommend going with the half wine pairing though. If you order the full one you’ll receive 15 full glasses of wine with your meal. If you’re looking to survive the drive home best to go with the half glass pairing. If you feel the need to drink 15 glasses of wine Luka has a small airbnb attached to his restaurant…make a one night booking to go along with your meal and then this way you don’t even have to worry about the drive home.
Buckle in…the food that’s about to come out is some of the most unique, creative and beautifully plated food that you will ever see or eat. Everything beautifully crafted and sourced locally. The sommelier will pair everything with some of the most delicious and interesting bio-organic wines you’ve ever tried.
Grič operates on a simple premise, good ingredients make good food and you shouldn’t need a silver spoon to eat it. When it comes to ingredients Grič is second to none. They boast their own vegetable garden, where Luka’s father, Hinko, grows all the vegetables on home soil. Luka maintains orchards which provide the many fruits and berries he cooks with. He also makes most homemade spirits and liqueurs that are served at the restaurant. All meat is sourced either from their own duck farm or from local breeders and hunters. And, the fish served in the restaurant are almost exclusively from the Adriatic sea and local streams. Luka also pickles many of his own vegetables on sight to be used in his dishes.
At 15 courses expect this experience to last all day. Make sure you plan for at least 3-4 hours to sit and enjoy this scenery and the amazing delicacies that come out at a perfect pace. Those 4 hours will literally fly by.
GTFOH…are you kidding me?!? Best meal of ALL-TIME! Do not hesitate…if you are in Slovenia, make a point to go to this restaurant. Is a hundred bucks a lot to spend on a lunch or dinner…yes. Is it a lot for this type of once in a lifetime experience…hell NO!