Pop’s Pizza in Ljubljana, opened in 2019 by Gregor Yurkovich, sources all its ingredients from Italy, and is also unique in that it uses sourdough, the so-called lievito madre.
Written by: Ivana Vašarević, March 5, 2026
Source: https://putnikofer.hr/
Photo: Krešimir Čižmek
For good paprikash, it’s worth going to Hungary, for Vienna steak to Austria, for sausages to Germany, and for barbecue to Serbia. What about pizza? Of course, the first association is Italy, but we found the best one much closer, in Ljubljana. And for that, we can thank one man, Gregor Yurkovich. This 55-year-old American of Slovenian-Croatian roots and owner of the Ljubljana pizzeria Pop’s Pizza, which is spoken of exclusively in superlatives, came up with an original idea more than ten years ago: to open a gourmet burger restaurant, the first of its kind in all of Slovenia.
HE WENT TO ITALY AND TAKE SEVERAL PIZZA MASTER SCHOOLS
In collaboration with Svetozar Raspopović, a renowned restaurateur from Vojvodina, he did just that. He named it Pop’s Burger, and the place quickly became extremely successful and changed the gastronomic scene in Ljubljana. Five years later, it was time for a new project. Gregor actually dared to make a real culinary breakthrough and entered the world of the famous Neapolitan pizza.
“At that time, I knew nothing about pizza, but the concept seemed very interesting to me. I decided to go to Naples and learn everything, from start to finish. I stayed in Italy for two years, traveling around the country and studying at an institution specializing in Neapolitan pizza. I took several pizza master courses and worked in two pizzerias, and I also learned Italian because very few people there speak English, so without knowing the language, I could hardly communicate with people,” Yurkovich tells us.
PHILOSOPHY? WORKING WITH THE BEST INGREDIENTS AND A TOP TEAM
After gaining experience, he finally opened the pizzeria Pop’s Pizza at Breg 2 in the center of Ljubljana in 2019 and brought in a proven team from Italy. “We immediately started baking 600 pizzas a day, which was definitely the biggest boom in Slovenia up to that point,” adds our interviewee. His philosophy is simple: working only with the best ingredients and a top-notch team.
Gregor sources his pizza ingredients in Italy, works closely with one of their mills, and his place is also unique in that it uses sourdough, the so-called lievito madre. In addition, the now iconic Pop’s Pizza was the first pizzeria outside of Italy to receive the Pizza Napoletana certification and use such a dough. As a result, a year or two after opening, they received an award that ranked them among the 50 best pizzas in Europe. This is the fourth time they have won this prestigious award in a row.
YOU DON’T COME TO POP’S PIZZA JUST FOR THE FOOD, BUT FOR THE WHOLE EXPERIENCE
Hard work and dedication have led to fantastic pizzas that attract guests from outside Slovenia. That’s why we no longer go to Italy for the best, but to Ljubljana. “Many Italians tell me that we make very good pizzas, probably even better than those in Naples. Many in Slovenia have tried to copy us, but I don’t want to compare myself to others. My goal is to be among the best in the world,” says Yurkovich, who has eaten in top restaurants all over Italy and decided to go even better, but in his own Ljubljana.
Popova pizza was the main reason for our trip to the Slovenian capital. And we are not the only ones. Because more and more Zagreb residents are coming there, not only for the food, but for the whole experience. Gregor’s gastronomic project, in addition to wonderful flavors, also offers guests a wonderful ambiance, quality, music… In one word: an experience. And unique, unforgettable.
BUFFALO MOZZARELLA SLICES WITH 14-MONTH-MATURED PARMESAN
The hardest part for us was choosing “our” pizza. We had already studied the menu in Zagreb and could not decide because everything on it looked more than tempting. We felt like kids in a toy store, so we left the decision to the waiter. And we were not wrong. He recommended the Sofia D.O.P. pizza (14.90 euros) and La Gomorrah (13.90 euros).
The first is made with buffalo mozzarella from the Italian region of Campania, followed by cow’s milk mozzarella from Agerola, Gargano pellati from Puglia, Pizzutello tomatoes, 14-month-aged Parmesan, basil and extra virgin olive oil. On a separate plate, we also got delicious thinly sliced prosciutto. The dough was divine: soft, elastic and light, with typical Neapolitan pizzas, and the combination of flavors was exceptional.
OUR ROOTS: HIS UNCLE IS ONE OF THE MOST SUCCESSFUL CROATIAN WINE MAKERS
The second pizza, La Gomorrah, was served with the aforementioned pellati, and a spicier touch was given to it by smoked provola (semi-hard cheese) from Agerola, salami from Friuli, fresh jalapeño peppers, homemade spicy honey and hard pecorino cheese. All the flavors of Italy came together in perfect harmony: in short, a real treat for the taste buds! We sit on high bar stools, right by the window, feast on food, look at the sunny Ljubljanica River, and can only say: La vita è bella!
Written by: Ivana Vašarević, March 5, 2026
Source: https://putnikofer.hr/
Photo: Krešimir Čižmek
