Open Kitchen (Odprta kuhna) Friday Street-Food Market

Open Kitchen (Odprta kuhna) is a Friday street-food market held on Pogačarjev trg beside the Central Market in Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia, in the central Slovenia region. It is organised by Open Kitchen with Ljubljana Tourism, and it is a self-guided experience rather than a tour, so there is no guide or fixed route. The 2026 season opened on 20 March and runs on Fridays through October, weather permitting, and the market is cancelled in bad weather. Stalls are run by chefs and restaurants from the city and offer dishes from many cuisines, mixing Slovenian specialities with international food. Visitors walk between stalls, choose what they want and pay per dish, so the number of dishes and the balance of savoury and sweet is up to each person; savoury main dishes dominate, with desserts and drinks also available. Entry is free, and individual dishes cost about EUR 5 to EUR 12 each. There is no included food, drink or transport, and nothing needs to be pre-booked. A typical visit lasts one to three hours, depending on how many stalls are sampled and how long visitors stay to eat at the shared seating areas. The setting is outdoors and informal, and it attracts both locals and visitors, so it can be busy around lunchtime. Because the stalls are independent, dietary substitutions are handled directly with each vendor, and vegetarian and other options are generally easy to find among the range of cuisines. The market gives visitors an inexpensive, flexible way to sample many dishes in a single outing, and it pairs naturally with a stroll through the adjoining Central Market and the riverside of the Old Town.