Small Talks Cafe

The space

Small Talks opened in the summer of 2025 on Put Prvoborca, at the southern edge of the Old Town walls where the medieval stone meets the waterfront. The format is compact by design: a small indoor room with stone walls and a modern fit-out, and an outdoor terrace with cushioned seating and high stools that faces the mountains above the city. On a clear morning the terrace is the main event. In summer it stays that way well into the afternoon.

The name set the intention before the first cup was pulled. Not a brand statement, just an honest one: a cafe built for the kind of conversation that happens over a coffee worth sitting down for. The clientele reflects it. People arrive with books and stay for a second flat white. Travellers who find the place on day two tend to come back on day three and again the day after. The mix leans toward those who sought it out rather than wandered into it, which in the first season of operation is something close to a statement of intent.

The indoor footprint is deliberately small. A handful of tables against the stone walls, enough room to move but not enough to feel like a dining room. The terrace is where the capacity opens up, and where most of the lingering happens. It is not a place that encourages a quick coffee and a fast exit, which is exactly the point.

The coffee

The espresso sits at the lighter end of the specialty range: floral, fragrant, noticeably different from the dark commercial roasts that dominate most of the Old Town. The flat white is well-calibrated; velvety milk that amplifies the coffee rather than buries it. That distinction is felt quickly in a town where the standard espresso leans dark and bitter, and it is the reason the coffee rather than the food tends to be what brings people back first.

The drinks list extends past espresso without losing sight of what the cafe is about. Purple Haze (beetroot, carrot, orange and apple) and Lemon Haze (lemon, pineapple and pear) are the named juice blends on the card. Smoothies, frappés and a matcha option with soy milk run alongside. In the late afternoon the menu extends to cocktails and wine, which turns a morning stop into a full-day address; the 8 PM close is further away than it first appears when you sit down at 9 in the morning. Craft beers sit behind the bar for the evening stretch. The progression from first coffee to last drink happens in the same seat, which is very much the intended use of the space.

The menu

The food covers the territory the name implies, with enough specificity to distinguish it from the standard brunch template. The savoury croissants are the consistent order: the Hummus Croissant (beetroot hummus, avocado and mozzarella) and the Scrambled Egg Croissant (prosciutto, spring onion and cheddar) are the repeating picks. The Salmon Benedict draws its own following. For the sweet end of the card, the Cinnamon Roll is the one to order, made in-house and served from the counter display each morning. Fresh salads and plant-based dishes run throughout the main menu rather than being collected at the back; everything is clearly marked on the main card.

The kitchen runs a short menu and runs it well. Nothing on the card is heavy; nothing lingers past its welcome. The food is fresh and health-oriented in the way that term is supposed to mean: well-sourced and calibrated for a guest who plans to sit for a while and then walk somewhere rather than eat and sleep. The menu does not try to be everything, and it is better for it.

The name says it. We wanted somewhere people slow down, order something worth sitting for, and actually talk.

The seating is limited, which is the one practical note worth making. The cafe fills during peak brunch hours in summer, and arriving before 10 or after 2 avoids most of the wait. Takeaway is available for most items, which suits the Old Town pace. The terrace turns over more slowly than a counter-service spot would, and that is the intended experience rather than a flaw in the design.

Signature dishes

Salmon BenedictPoached eggs and hollandaise on salmon, with rocket and cherry tomatoes

Hummus CroissantBeetroot hummus, avocado and mozzarella in a buttered croissant

Scrambled Egg CroissantScrambled egg with prosciutto, spring onion and cheddar

Lemon HazeFresh lemon, pineapple and pear, served over ice

Purple HazeBeetroot, carrot, orange and apple

Cinnamon RollHouse-made, served from the counter display each morning