Whether you have spent the day exploring Lake Bohinj, hiking up Mount Triglav or cycling around the Bohinj Cycle Trail, you are sure to have worked up an appetite for some delicious Slovenian gastronomy. Bohinj cuisine is enriched by local ingredients, centuries-old recipes and forgotten flavours, which combine to make dishes which are sure to delight you!

When considering your next meal, also give some consideration to the planet. Eating sustainable, fresh food from small local businesses is a great way to be environmentally friendly, while also supporting the community.

Being the first Slovenian destination to be awarded a Platinum Slovenia Green Destination award, Bohinj is a destination where respect for the environment is a priority. Here are some of the best places to eat, traditional dishes to try and events to look out for to help you be more conscious about your cuisine in Bohinj.

Eat well while looking after the planet 

Foodies will find it easy to identify which eating places have sustainable, local food by looking for two different credentials. Look out for restaurants with the Slovenia Green Cuisine Label as a marker of restaurants with a commitment to sustainability, locally sourced ingredients and zero-waste ethos. Also look out for the Bohinjsko/From Bohinj brand, which identifies produce that is locally sourced, and guaranteed to be authentic and high-quality. These culinary delights have all been made in the Bohinj region, reducing carbon-footprint and damage to the environment.

Sunrose 7 Restaurant Bohinj is the only restaurant in Bohinj to hold a Slovenia Green Cuisine Label, meaning it is devoted to sustainable and eco-friendly cuisine. Sunrose 7 doesn’t have a permanent menu, instead creating food based around the baskets of local food producers and what is seasonally available. They also maintain short supply chains and follow the zero waste principle.

Other eco-friendly restaurants include Restaurant 2864, which is located in Bohinj ECO Hotel, Slovenia’s premier alpine eco-resort. The restaurant partners closely with the From Bohinj brand, which is a marker of the authenticity, quality and locality of the food. Their specialities include local trout, cottage cheese soup, trdinka red corn and gratinated pork tenderloin with potato dumplings.

Triglav Restaurant’s certified Bohinj food can be enjoyed accompanied by the stunning background of Lake Bohinj. Try the Škantar’s goat cheese or Zupan’s trout fillet prepared by chef Luka Zagorc, washed down with some carefully selected Slovenian wine. Zlatovčica Restaurant is another premium place to try local food, where you can devour a six-course tasting menu which has been awarded the From Bohinj certificate.

If you’re looking for smaller, more relaxed cafés to grab a local bite to eat, visit Foksner Snack Bar to grab a Gauner burger or a Bohinj ‘machine’ burger from Štacjon Snack Bar. Or enjoy a Shepherd’s Snack from Merjasec Alpine Hut at the top of Vogel, reached by cable-car! See the full selection of restaurants with the From Bohinj certificate and which foods are certified here.

Traditional Bohinj delicacies to try 

One of the best ways to minimise the environmental impact of your eating is to choose restaurants and shops that use locally sourced, fresh ingredients from within the region. Bohinj has a number of delicacies which are specific to the region, and have been passed down through multiple families:

Cheese

Milk and cheese were staple parts of Alpine herdsman’s diets, and are still highly popular in many regions of the Julian Alps today. Mohant cheese is a sharp and tangy soft cheese which is the oldest cheese to originate from Bohinj, and is geographically protected. Made from raw cow milk, it has a pale yellow colour. On top of being a side to various meals, Mohant pairs well with meats, boiled potatoes, baked trout, and is even paired with some desserts! It is typically made in northwestern Slovenia, on farms and villages around the Bohinj basin.

Bohinjski sir is another cheese whose roots come from Bohinj. The entire valley is famous for this dairy product also known as Bohinj Cheese, one of the most respected emmental-like cheeses in Slovenia. It was first made in 1873 when a Swiss cheesemaker educated local shepherds about their cheese making style. It has a hard texture with many holes dispersed throughout, and a mild, nutty taste. Made from Bohinj cow’s milk, it is protected, meaning it can only be made and ripened at the Bohinj Cheese Dairy.

Trdinka and bohinjski žganci

Bohinj is also famous for its orange, reddish-brown corn variety trdinka. It is milled into flour and used to make bohinjski žganci, a polenta-like specialty, and smetenjač, a cream cooked corn dish traditionally eaten by dairy farmers. Try bohinjski žganci with the traditional toppings of sour milk, sauerkraut, or fried pork rinds.

Taste Bohinj’s flavours at these food and drink experiences

Taste an authentic Bohinj breakfast, delivered straight to your door. Delivered between 8-9.30 am throughout the Lower and Upper Bohinj Valley and in Ukanc, try a Bohinj breakfast platter to start the day right! With vegetarian, meat, fish and mixed options, there is something that everyone will love. The breakfast deliveries come with returnable packaging, meaning less waste.

Breakfast for two people costs €26, for more information: https://www.bohinj.si/en/from-bohinj/bohinj-breakfast/ 

Why not follow in the footsteps of herdsmen on a Bohinj cheese tour by bike? Lasting 2-4 hours, learn about the history of cheese making and alpine dairy farming in Bohinj as well as its production. It also includes a tour round an eco-farm and the Alpine Museum in Stara Fužina. And of course – plenty of cheese tasting!

Tours are €59 per person, for more information: https://www.bohinj.si/en/product/bohinj-cheese-tour/ 

Join Polna Cajna for a wonderful ‘Wild Food’ experience, held in Nemški rovt. Taking place on the 23rd May from 5-7pm, learn how to enrich your plates and fill your larder from the plentiful Bohinj meadows. You will be taught about edible wild plants, how to prepare and store them, and how to incorporate them into your meals. This experience teaches the importance of sustainable eating and harvesting and the preservation of nature’s natural resources.

Tickets are €20 per person, for more information: https://www.bohinj.si/en/prireditev/wild-food-with-polna-cajna/ 

Celebrated in Bohinj since 1954, the Cow’s Ball is one of Slovenia’s most unique festivals which celebrates local produce. Traditionally, it marks the return of cattle and their shepherds to the valley after the summer season of grazing high up in the mountains. This year will be the 65th Cow’s Ball, and will return on the 17th September with an all-day party filled with folklore performances, traditional ensembles, brass bands and accordion players, all topped off by local homemade food and drink.

Held in the idyllic village of Ukanc, Bohinj, watch the tradition unfold as the herders return with a ‘basenga’ over their shoulders (containing everything you need to live on the pastures and to make cheese), bringing flower decorated herds of cattle from the mountains. You can’t get a much more authentic alpine experience than these cultural cow festivities!

Tickets are €5, for more information: https://tdbohinj.si/en/events/cows-ball/