Café Belvedere - Vila Bled - Terrazza di Tito — Restaurant in Bled

Perhaps it was just the mood of the day, but having finally found it, not only was there a feeling of dignified quiet here, but also I discovered amongst the most wonderful views of any home of refreshment I have ever had occasion to visit.

Undoubtedly, the atmosphere of Café Belvedere cannot fail to be enhanced by its elevation. For many visitors, arriving there may leave you a little breathless if - like me - you approach it from the footpath alongside Lake Bled; it is something of a climb. From this route, it shouldn't take those who have no head for heights long to establish how they may feel about the prospect ahead of them. That said, I found that both of the terraces facing the lake (one on a promenade adjacent to the café, and the other to the rear of the main café hall) left me with such a feeling of ease, that I never considered much else than the experience of dining, enjoying the views and my own choice of touristic pass time.

If you hope for Bled cream cake, ice cream, or whatever hot (though these days, perhaps they are more correctly described as warm) bevarage you favour, you should find it here, and a selection of alcoholic drinks are available too.

Their waiting staff were prompt, and having received my order, they were not long in delivering it. For the record, I settled on the Bled cream cake (known to the Slovenes as Kremna rezina, or simply Kremsnita) and Cappuccino, which also arrived with a caramel biscuit, and a glass of fresh water. All proved to be wonderful, though I wouldn't have objected to the cappuccino being hotter, but the temperature of beverages is a foible of mine.

Once I asked for the bill, the member of staff checked if I wanted to pay by cash, or card. Upon returning, they handled my cash and settled the change at table, all of which appears standard practice in Slovenia. Even then, I was not really ready to leave, and so for 30 or so minutes, I continued to enjoy my experience, and was left feeling free to stay for as long as it pleased me, and I was never made to feel like I should continually place further orders.

As you might have heard, this place has something of a long history, Marshal Tito apparently being a regular patron. The Cafés interior bears a definite imprint of its past, the decor being neither new, nor totally antiquated, and certainly a little sparse. Yet, this is an establishment that reminds the visitor, that opulence is not essential to enjoy things of quality - though they do like their orchids.

There is no sign on the entrance, so unless the door is left open, you could be forgiven for walking past what might otherwise appear to be a bungalow. The toileting facilities are very clean, and more than help to maintain the standard of the place.

I thoroughly enjoyed so much about my visit there, and I have a feeling that it will not be my last. For the record, my visit was roughly between 4:30pm and 6:00pm on a Thursday afternoon, in the middle...

Beautiful views a perfect spot to have a cafe. We had bled cake and a coffee. We were sitting outside and unfortunately there was only 2 cushions for all 20 chairs, the tables all had other customers rubbish on them and all needed a wipe. We felt like it's such a beautiful spot for a cafe but was really let down by the service. There wasn't table service so we just had to go and try and find a member of staff to ask, and the menu only consisted of drinks and ice cream and bled cake which was perfect for us but a lot of customers had left because they wanted more. The bled cake was lovely, more pricey than other places but the view was worth it. You can drive here but also walk up from the lake bled walking path too...

Our experience at this café was not as pleasant as we had expected. I asked for a "double espresso with ice cubes" as the day was very hot. Maybe my pronunciation was not the best because the waitress understood "espresso with ice cream" - so I immediately and in a very kind tone asked to return it as I am not allowed to eat sugar(!). The waitress, in a rude tone, insisted that we should pay for it anyway - even though the people at the table next to us offered to have it for them, since they had ordered an ice cream coffee themselves. And this double expresso with (double) ice cream costed us 8,80€ as you see in the receipt. This coffee shop has indeed an impressive view, but we feel the attention was not up for...