Ljubljana Food tour - a review of Bitemojo
Have you ever wanted to try all the food in a new city? I’m sure I’m not the only one that travels for food. After all, one of the reasons we went to Slovenia was to eat at the restaurant Hiša Franko after watching the mouth-watering Netflix award-winning show Chef’s Table.
As we were looking into how to eat our way out in Slovenia, we tumbled into Bitemojo . A self-guided food tour for the independent foodies. And of course, it comes as an app. Each tour has 5-6 bites in a predetermined route. This tour takes you on a culinary journey and you get a chance to learn about the history behind the bites, the people and the eateries. The bites are snack-sized portions which give you the opportunity to taste more without leaving a place rolling. The company has tours in cities such as Berlin, Rome, Barcelona, Tel-Aviv, and Jerusalem.
The company has 2 tours in Ljubljana, “A Tale of the River” and “Old Town, New Vibe”. We chose the first one. This Ljubljana food tour was 1.8km long and lasted around 3 hours. Through our journey, we tasted 6 delicious bites and we had the chance to explore 16 sightseeing spots and enjoyed the rich cultural heritage of the city. This Slovenian food tour in the Capital city is available from Monday to Saturday from 11 am to 9 pm.
So get ready to unleash your taste buds!
The Experience
“A Tale of the River” takes you through the heart of the city, on the banks of the Ljubljanica River. This historical area is well known for its car-free zone and bustling commercial streets.
Psst: There are often 2 types of bites to choose from. If you are two, each can take one so you can taste everything ;)
Our first dishes were at Niša v Galerji Dobra Vaga. Here, we had Preko Mure, buckwheat bread, cottage cheese with prosciutto while the second bite was buckwheat bread with a white pea spread. Both toasts were crunchy on the outside and soft in the middle and were accompanied by a wine spritzer. This eatery was located in the basement of the old fish market and shares its space with an art gallery, so take your time here and enjoy the contemporary art of the Capital. The cafe is hiply decorated with mid-century furniture and has a view of the river and architectural houses along the banks that give an indistinguishable style to Ljubljana.
Our second stop was at Moji štruklji Slovenije, a traditional Slovenian dumpling made with cottage cheese. Here, you can choose between a salty or a sweet dumpling. My favourite was the sweet one as it was made of chocolate. The dumplings date back to the 16th century. These bites came with a refreshing homemade ice tea. The restaurant eatery is located in Plečnik's Covered Market, part of Ljubljana's central market. This part of the market was designed by the famous architect Jože Plečnik and is now home to young cooks that put their creativity to the test with local food.
Slovenska Hiša (Slovenian House) was our third stop. Here, we had a prosciutto plate that went through a long drying process, in a traditional Kras cellar. The Prosciutto was perfectly paired with a glass of Slovenian red wine. There was also the option to have a cheese plate. This restaurant serves innovative and yet traditional dishes to its guests. The manor house is overlooking the river and has a gorgeous terrace perfect for do-it-yourself food tours.
At Vino & Ribe (wine and fish), we had grilled sardines served with marinated vegetables on a baguette. I have to say this was the best bite of them all! If we would have had an extra day in the capital, we would have called to reserve a table for dinner. The restaurant offers a variety of fresh seafood and fish, all from the Slovenian Istria Peninsula (where Piran is located). The Vino & Ribe is located on Stari Trg, a buzzing street full of other restaurants and shops.
Our 5th bite was at the Wine Bar šuklje. The smoked trout was paired with a glass of Slovenian white wine. The bar was located inside an old mansion and the sumptuous architecture is a delight for your eyes as well. The good thing about this app is that you can choose to stay longer at a restaurant. If you choose to, you can order different wine glasses and do small wine tastings since this is a wine bar.
The last bite was a scoop of gelato or a Belgian Waffle. The Gelateria Romantika is one of the highly-rated ice cream places in the Capital as it was voted one of the best gelaterias by Lonely Planet. All the ingredients are carefully sourced with a preference for organic, free trade growers and producers. The outside benches, located in front of the gelateria, give a stunning view of the Ljubljana Castle, perched high up on the mountain.
As for the sightseeing points, you will pass by the St. Nicholas Baroque Church, all the many Ljubljana bridges, Vodnik Trg Square, to name a few. While doing the tour, don’t forget to pass by Reber Street graffiti and enjoy some street art. For a complete Itinerary to the city, click here.
So How Does It Work?
Bitemojo in 8 easy steps
1. Install the Bitemojo app on your smartphone.
2. Select a city and a tour and pay for it through the app (typically 25-35 Euros per person). You can purchase a tour for multiple people in one account, so you only need one phone for your tour. A tour is valid for 6 months from your purchase date so you can split the tours into 2 days or more if you have time constraints. All the unclaimed bites will turn into BiteCredits. These credits can also be used for another tour worldwide later on.
3. Download the tour data onto your phone while you have wifi. You will need to activate your roaming to “claim” your bites. This is a bummer, I know.
4. It's important that you check the tour hours as well as the stop’s opening hours. Some eateries could have a different schedule than others.
5. Follow the route using your phone’s GPS. The stops will be represented on the map with numbered markers. When you click on them, you can read about the history or about your next stop eatery.
6. Upon arrival at one of the vendors, you need to claim the bite. It is important that before claiming the bite, you talk to them and say that you are doing the Bite Mojo tour. When you click “Claim this Bite, the app will show them that you have claimed your portion and the app sends the vendor an email confirmation.
7. All the bites are included, so no need to pay extra unless you order something additional. While enjoying your snack, use this time to learn about what you are eating.
8. The most important thing of all, enjoy!
Verdict?
The tour is great to discover the city and its culinary scene. Since the tour is working through an app, you can do the tour at your own pace and you are not in a group with other strangers. This walking tour gives you all the insights about the city and of the bites in the app as if you were with a tour guide. The quantity of each bite is enough, so don’t worry about being hungry after the tour. We did the tour for lunch and we were not hungry until late in the evening. I liked the fact that the bites come from different parts of the country giving you a full Slovenian cuisine spectrum.
The app still needs some small tweaks to improve the localization and user-friendliness. Fortunately, the company is working hard to resolve these issues.
Tour Price? 30 Euros per person
How to book? Head over to Bitemojo and book your tour online or through the app
What’s Included? 6 bites (a bite generally includes drinks also)
How long? Around 3 hours, it really depends on how fast you walk
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Disclaimer: We enjoyed the tour as guests of Bitemojo. A big thank you! All opinions are my own.
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