Oriental Café

Murals and mosaics cover the surfaces, which is the first thing anyone notices and the reason Oriental Café does not look like other Ljubljana cafes. It occupies part of Hostel Celica, and the decoration is not applied lightly.

Coffee and Slovenian drinks in a decorated room

The drinks list is straightforward: coffee, and Slovenian drinks alongside it, served in a room that does the work of holding your attention. It is a cafe attached to a hostel rather than a specialty coffee bar, so the appeal sits in the setting and the company rather than in a rotating single origin.

A common room more than a cafe floor

Seating is arranged as a shared common area, which changes how a visit feels. Tables are places to end up next to other people rather than defend, and the room fills with whoever is staying and whoever has wandered in. That makes it sociable by default and quiet only by accident.

How to use it

Come for the room. Order a coffee, take one of the Slovenian drinks if you want something more local than an espresso, and spend some time looking at the walls, which are the point. It works better as a place to sit and talk than as a quick stop between two other things.