Google and Tripadvisor are overrun with options for cafes and restaurants at Lake Bled. But if you’re wondering where does great food and drink and also has a killer view, then you’re in the right place. These are cafes and restaurants we’d choose ourselves, and that means a stunning view is essential. We’ve also got information on the vegetarian food in Bled that is available for you too!
Don’t forget to check out the best locations and hotels with a view in Bled too!
Cafes and restaurants at Lake Bled
Potičnica cafe – Bled Island
Try a traditional Potica cake at Potičnica Cafe on Bled Island. Whilst the options are limited to cake, coffee and ice cream, it’s a special place to sit out on the terrace with a beautiful view of the lake as boats come and go. We tried Potica at Vintgar gorge, and it was more like a bread to our tastes. I would have loved to try different flavours from a specialist like Potičnica cafe! Some reviews suggest the cake is ‘dry’ so if you consider it bread then you won’t be disappointed.
I’d probably recommend getting one of the Pletna boats (€15-18 round trip) out here if you plan to eat. The official website for the cafe says you can stay as long as you like and return at any time with an available Pletna boat, but reviews from Pletna users suggest you get about 40 minutes on the island. So, it’s worth checking this when you set out.
The alternative is renting a row boat. However, when you rent your own the amount of time it takes you to get to the island is based on your rowing skills, and you might end up wasting time. When we asked our boat rental if we could extend the time, they said no. However, this might be different with different rental spots and if we’d pressed they might have been happy. We only had plans to mess around in the rowing boat so the allocated time was enough for us.
Bled Castle Restaurant (pictured)
If you’re making the trip up to see Bled Castle, perhaps you’d like to time it with lunch or dinner and have a delicious meal at the Bled Castle Restaurant. Bled Castle Restaurant has some of the most spectacular views over the lake, with great viewpoints both inside and outside. The dishes are inventive, varied and beautifully presented. There are 2-3 vegetarian options at €20-25 per dish. It’s a little more for meat options. They also do small dishes / starters for around €13 . This would be our foodie pick of all the cafes and restaurants at Lake Bled with a great view.
Park cafe – Kavarna Park
Park cafe is the original home of the famous Bled Cream Cake, but I actually don’t recommend you come here for that… we didn’t like it. So many people rave about this dessert (it’s not a cake) and if you love vanilla then fair enough, maybe you’ll love this dish. For us, the vanilla flavour wasn’t that impactful, we were bored, and it’s difficult to eat. I think this cream cube’s popularity is just a result of some excellent marketing. But! Park cafe actually has a huge range of patisseries which are delicious! I would highly recommend the indulgent Park Cake, as well as the myriad of other delicately created cakes and patisseries in their counter. The pine nut and ruby chocolate patisserie was a little savoury for my liking, but so interesting to try. They’re all around €7
For meals, they do a range of burgers and salads (€15-18) some pasta dishes (~€17) and steak and fish dishes (~€25-30). There aren’t many food options here for vegetarians, so this recommendation is really all about those patisseries and having a drink on the terrace. There’s also a robot waiter who helps deliver food and drinks, which was one of my highlights.
Vila Preseren
We stopped here for drinks and got a table at the front of the terrace overlooking the lake. Their soft drink menu was impressive, with a whole selection of differently flavoured home brewed lemonades (€6.50 I got cherry!) and smoothies. There were plenty of tempting cocktails (including non alcoholic) to choose from as well as other drinks. Again, check out their cake and dessert menu, which offers some interesting options.
Sandwiches (€7-8)and pasta (€18-20) both include a vegetarian option or two, whilst the fish and meat dishes are around €20-25 .
Grajska Plaza restaurant – Castle Beach
With well presented and varied dishes, Grajska Plaza is an open-air restaurant above the swimming area at Castle Beach. This exclusively al-fresco restaurant offers great view of the lake and is a perfect place for drinks. The music can be quite loud in the evening, so it will just depend whether you vibe with it. Vegetarian options include risotto (€18) and traditional pasta (€18), vegan miso soup (€17) and hearty salad bowls (€13-17). The ‘main dishes’ are the meat and fish dishes, €24 +.
Cafe Belvedere / Kavarna Belvedere
The proximity to Bled Island gives this cafe some of the best views of the church in the whole area.Perched on pillars above Vila Bled, the pavilion was designed as the “waiting room” for audiences of the Yugoslavian King Alexander. The Yugoslav president Tito hosted members of royalty, presidents and famous people here. Today, it offers coffees, drinks and cakes to visitors (just a select few, one of which is Bled Cream Cake, €6). It’s only open in Summer, and even just a few days before the official Slovenian summer holidays it was shut. However, it’s worth walking up here just for the views.
A few extra places to eat in Bled (without a view)
These places don’t have a view, but I they’re helpful to have as places to eat in Bled.
- Public & Vegan Kitchen Bled: For vegan burgers (€11), a great spot in Bled town. They also do a vegan version of the famous Bled cream cake.
- Confectionary Zima: You’ll find not only Bled cream cake, but many others, available for cheaper than on the lakefront. Think €4 instead of €6 or €7. Plus, there’s never too much cake and patisserie.
- Market by the Lake: Grab a sandwich (€6) and find a spot by the lake to eat.
- Pizzeria Rustica: the best pizzas in Bled for around €14. A ten minute walk from lake Bled.
