Tears for the Gostilna Šempeter

For many years, Gostilna Šempeter from Bistrica ob Sotli contributed to spreading the recognition of Slovenian cuisine with its offer of Slovenian and local food. As a sign of quality and hospitality, they also acquired the right to use the trademark Gostilna Slovenija, which denotes original Slovenian inns. However, the tradition of this inn has come to an end. It’s for crying buckets, but it also has a happy ending.

Namely, the inn Šempeter, widely known for its excellent capon dishes, closed its doors on March 1 this year after a tradition of more than 57 years of work, which was run by the Kunst family. The reason is simple. No agreement was reached with the Šmarje pri Jelšah Agricultural Cooperative, which owns the premises of the inn, regarding the price for the purchase of the premises.

Copun with mlinci, Photo: Gostilna Šempeter

If you don’t know, capon is the name for a rooster. In the beginning, every rooster was called this, but over time, this is the name given to a domesticated rooster that is raised only for meat. The Kunst family grows the capons themselves and then slow-roasts them so that the fat is drained through homemade mlinci.

But there is hope because the family tradition of the Šempeter inn has continued in Leskovac near Krško in the Kunst restaurant, so you will still be able to enjoy roasted capon, but also homemade blood sausage with grated potatoes, old-fashioned goulash with bread dumplings, pot roasts with potatoes and sauerkraut, gibanica and others.