Greg Yurkovich
Co-Founder & Executive Chef at Pop’s (Pop’s Aperitivo, Pop’s pizza & Pop’s burger),
Certified AVPN Pizzaiolo
4x 50 Top Pizza award

“In the pedestrian area right in the center of Ljubljana, Greg Yurkovich’s pizzas continue to attract customers thanks to the digestible dough and the use of Italian DOP ingredients including mozzarella, piennolo tomatoes, Tropea onions, and many others. The style of pizza is the contemporary Neapolitan one with the high and soft crust. The ambiance is grandiose and there is a beautiful outdoor space as well. On the drink menu, we find a wide choice of quality drinks and beers.”

You spent most of your time in sunny California and now you finally moved to the most beautiful city in the world - Ljubljana. How would you compare the two cities?

California and Ljubljana are clearly worlds apart in every way. California was always my first home and great place to grow
up and learn about working hard and being able to achieve your dreams. It was always a very dynamic and vibrant place with much to offer. It has changed however and is currently facing more challenges lately. I think many people are aware
that life in the US isn’t what it used to be. Still California gave me a foundation where I developed my professional skills in the financial investment world and I was able to take my experiences back to Slovenia. I was always connected to the “European Lifestyle” and being close to cultures that I loved the most. It was also a great place to raise our daughter because it gave her a truly authentic upbringing. Life in Slovenia has been great and what I love the most is knowing so many people and being connected to the City’s culture and people through our restaurants. It’s been a great pleasure being a contributor to Ljubljana’s culinary scene.

What do you like in Ljubljana?
What other city allows you to walk or bike with such ease? It’s so accessible and easy for me to travel through on a daily
basis. I really enjoy seeing so many friends and colleagues and it’s so relaxed. Of course the open markets are a gem and
where I love to spend time, and it’s huge plus to be so close to nature, which is literally a few minutes from the center.
Most Americans can’t believe our quality of life. It’s a world away from the chaos of the Southern Californian freeways.

Why did you start in foodbusiness?
It’s a funny story. Actually it was a spontaneous decision based on an idea I had for some time; that Ljubljana had no
authentic gastro pubs or fine burgers for that matter. I had the crazy idea of entering my burger recipe at the first “Pivo & Burger” festival and the reception was so strong that it con vinced me to give it a try. Of course I had no experience in the restaurant business and joined with my good friend to open Pops Burger Bar. It took off immediately so we decided to try
with Neapolitan Pizza a few years later and the rest is history.

First step was burgers in Ljubljana?

Correct. We opened Pops Burger Bar in early 2016. As I mentioned, we first explored the idea a the “Pivo & Burger” festival
and it convinced us that there was a big need for a high quality burger in Ljubljana. It was a steep learning curve and we had to immediately learn to produce all of our ingredients including becoming experts in dry-aging our beef, which was unheard of at that time, but it certainly set us apart from other restaurants making burgers.

You were named ‘Top 50 pizza in the world” already four times with Pop’s pizza. What was that like?
It’s been a great experience for sure. Even when we opened I set out to establish Pops Pizza as one of the leading pizzerias
in Europe and it’s amazing to be recognised for our efforts for the four past years. Receiving the 50Top Pizza award four times has been a huge honour for us and is a culmination of the tremendous effort we have put into the project. Today we’re making between 500-700 pizzas per day, which much more than the vast majority of Neapolitan Pizzerias outside of Italy. And most importantly it’s a testament to our consistency over the past four years.

Tell as more about your latest opening - Pop’s aperitivo. Looks like the best design place to meet, eat and even
enjoy some vinyl music?
Pops Aperitivo is our third restaurant and an evolutionary step in our concepts. It builds upon the experiences that we attained over the years but doesn't try to reinvent anything. Design-wise, it’s a beautiful place with a lot of attention to detail. It’s a Lounge & Restaurant with a sophisticated style but still comfortable and authentic, which is why we put so much effort into aesthetics, materials and the sound system. Of course we wanted to go “old school” with our DJ’s who only spin eclectic and old vinyls, which gives the restaurant such a fun vibe in the evenings.

Whats so special on the menu here? 
Well, we are making one of only authentic gourmet “Pizza Romana” outside of Italy. It’s a old style of pizza made famous in Rome and it’s in my opinion going to see a resurgence because of its lightness and ease for sharing. They are crispy and light with less material and so they don’t become “soggy.” In addition to our pizzas we’re also making our own authentic
pastas, both “all’uovo” and “trafilata al bronzo.” We research all the old pasta recipes from Italy and we’ve reimagined some
of the greatest hits at Pops Aperitivo. Finally you can’t beat our modern cocktails and tasty Italian starters.

You have even secret Gourmet Lab here. Can you discover some of the secrets?
We have a “pasta and pizza” lab in our basement where we develop all of our recipes in a controlled environment. We are
always working on new ideas and testing them out and for sure our menu will evolve over time.

Has your taste evolved over the years?
Well, yes and no. I’ve always loved Italian cooking more than anything else but of course my palate has evolved from all
the traveling and testing of recipes all over Italy and the world. It’s so important to travel and taste as many dishes as
possible so that you can inspire yourself to create something new.

How much time is needed for sitting through the tasting menus?
We don’t have a “tasting menu” per se but what we suggest is that people try and share various dishes and over time you’ll
get a sense of everything that we have. Of course we have our favorites on the menu but we usually ask our customers to share a pizza or an appetiser along with a couple of pasta dishes.

How is the food scene in Ljubljana?
It’s getting better. But what I would like to see is more innovation and authenticity in addition to making a restaurant for locals, not tourists. I think that’s the biggest mistake; dump the authenticity and jump on the tourists. You’re not doing anyone any favors with that business model because the locals want authenticity and so do the tourists. Anyhow
some more diversity with respect to dishes along with more traditional styles of cooking is what the city needs. People are moving away from “fine dining” and there are too many mediocre places copy-pasting dishes that you’ve see a hundred times in every other city. I see some business owners doing some great things and the more of us succeeding the better.

You are running already three POP’S places - we see you on the scooter in the old town - how do you manage all this?
Haha. Well, I can’t lie that it’s not challenging. I spend my mornings on prep and purchasing and helping the restaurants be ready for the day. Then hopefully there is time for some new product development...then in the evenings I’ll swing by, have a laugh and a drink with some guests and help the staff to make sure we are on point for the evening.

What are your future POP’s ideas?
Mexican in on my bucket list but it won’t be for money. It will be for my soul. It’s a food I know very well and grew up with
and I hope that I’ll have a chance to do this...who knows.

Top 10 list: What would you recommend to our readers to visit in and enjoy in Ljubljana? Aside from Pops Burger, Pops Pizza and Pops Aperitivo...
1. Open Market on Saturday morning
2. Castle bar during sunset
3. Walk over Rožnik and Tivoli
4. Modern Art Gallery
5. Cocktails at Silk & Fizz
6. Walk along Ljubljanica to “Špica”
7. Go to a concert at Kino Šiška
8. Breakfast at Le Petit on a sunny morning
9. Croisants at Fetiche Patisserie
10. Espresso at “Cafetino” in the old center

Any recommendations for souvenirs from Slovenia?
For sure any one of our great wines at any of the good “enotecas.” And for sure organic Slovenian honey sold at the open market by one of the local bee producers.