• Restaurant Milka promoted to Two MICHELIN Stars
• One new restaurant awarded the MICHELIN Green Star, bringing the total number of highlighted restaurants to 7
• 5 new restaurants added to the selection
Michelin is pleased to present the 2023 restaurant selection of the MICHELIN Guide Slovenia. Highlighting a total of 59 restaurants across the country – including the very first Slovenian Three MICHELIN Star restaurant, 1 Two MICHELIN Star, 7 One MICHELIN Star, as well as 7 MICHELIN Green Star establishments – this year’s vintage demonstrates the impressive, rapid and sustainable gastronomic growth of Slovenia, which continues to assert itself as a must-see European and world culinary destination.
Gwendal Poullennec, International Director of the MICHELIN Guide comments, “Since arriving in the country, and year after year, our team of inspectors has continually been impressed by the gastronomic growth of Slovenia. In a tiny yet thrilling country, chefs and their teams demonstrate a strong, daily commitment to constantly pushing the culinary boundaries, boldly imagining innovative and sustainable concepts, proudly showcasing local resources, and genially merging their food heritage with ideas from abroad. These passionate professionals are doing no less than shaping a new, persuasive and virtuous Slovenian food scene, worthy of the world’s attention. Embodying all of these trends, Hiša Franko run by the charismatic Ana Roš, and which we are delighted to award Three MICHELIN Stars, establishes itself as a world gastronomic flagship and boosts Slovenia’s position in the global culinary rankings. We sincerely hope that our 2023 vintage will motivate international travelers and national gourmets alike to discover the wonders our inspectors have unearthed for them, and to encourage the ongoing development of the local food scene.”
Restaurant Hiša Franko promoted to Three MICHELIN Stars
While the talent and culinary personality of Chef Ana Roš are renowned worldwide, restaurant Hiša Franko amazed the Michelin Inspectors with its constant improvement in quality compared to the first edition of the MICHELIN Guide Slovenia. In this restaurant, located in the tiny village of Kobarid, in Northwestern Slovenia, self-taught chef Ana Roš creates unique and exceptional cuisine which pays tribute to the neighboring Soča Valley and its natural and culinary heritage.
The unique tasting menu boasts outstanding dishes which stand out for their original colors, flavors and textures and reflect the chef’s committed vision to always follow nature, to reflect the seasons and to draw inspiration from her travels and her international team.
This culinary philosophy, combined with steadfastly sustainable practices, make Hiša Franko a perfect MICHELIN Green Star example, as well as a global inspiration for the fine dining of today and tomorrow.
By receiving Three MICHELIN Stars today, Hiša Franko becomes the 140th restaurant worldwide to be awarded the MICHELIN Guide’s highest accolade, and the first restaurant worth a special journey in Slovenia.
Restaurant Milka receives Two MICHELIN Stars
Just one year after earning its first MICHELIN Star, restaurant Milka, located in Kranjska Gora, at the Julian Alpine tripoint with Slovenia, Austria and Italy, demonstrates remarkable progress with its modern, mountain cuisine. The tasting menu, concocted by chef David Žefran and his team, expresses great originality and finesse and celebrates the best local and seasonal produce. Through the use of particular techniques – such as fermentation – it also creates an exciting gourmet synthesis between the Alpine territory and the Nordic regions – where the Chef gained experience. The playful and informal service – during which some dishes are brought directly to the table by the chefs – helps to forge a memorable experience.
Apart from Milka’s promotion to Two MICHELIN Stars, all the restaurants awarded One MICHELIN Star last year (representing 7 establishments) have retained their distinction in this year’s selection, showing the consistent and very high quality of their proposition.
Špacapanova Hiša brings the total number of MICHELIN Green Star restaurants to 7
Highlighting, within the MICHELIN Guide selection, the restaurants which stand out for their outstanding approach to a more sustainable gastronomy, the MICHELIN Green Star is newly awarded to Špacapanova Hiša, in Komen.
Added to the selection last year, Špacapanova Hiša demonstrates impressive commitment in pursuing sustainable practices. Using local produce from the countryside or the Adriatic Sea, devising recipes which make use of discarded vegetables, producing its own natural wines and helping local institutions to support disadvantaged members of the local community, are just a few of the initiatives that convinced the Michelin Inspectors to bestow this important recognition. With this new addition, Slovenia now boasts 7 inspiring restaurants awarded the MICHELIN Green Star.
Bib Gourmand and recommended restaurants
In addition to the MICHELIN Starred restaurants, the 2023 selection of the MICHELIN Guide Slovenia continues to highlight 7 restaurants with the Bib Gourmand – a distinction honoring the inspectors’ favorites which offer great quality food at a moderate price. The MICHELIN Inspectors also added 5 restaurants to their recommendations which they discovered and were seduced by over the year, demonstrating the dynamism of the Slovenian food scene: Kogo in Koper and AFTR, Breg, Georgie Bistro and Peti 181 – all located in Ljubljana.
The full selection of the MICHELIN Guide Slovenia 2023 is available free of charge on the MICHELIN Guide website and application. It complements the Guide’s hotel selection, which brings to the fore the most exclusive and unmissable places to stay in Slovenia and worldwide.
Each hotel in the Guide is selected for its style, service and exceptional character (with options to suit all budgets) and can be booked directly on the MICHELIN Guide website or application. The MICHELIN Guide is a benchmark in gastronomy. It now offers a fresh and exacting approach to hotel recommendations.
Visit the MICHELIN Guide website https://guide.michelin.com/si/en to discover the restaurants in the selection and to book a memorable hotel stay.
The MICHELIN Guide Slovenia at a glance:
59 selected restaurants, of which
- 1 Three MICHELIN Star restaurant (new)
- 1 Two MICHELIN Star restaurant (new)
- 7 One MICHELIN Star restaurants
- 7 MICHELIN Green Star restaurants (including 1 new)
- 7 Bib Gourmand restaurants
- 43 recommended restaurants (including 5 new)
About Michelin
Michelin, the leading mobility company, is dedicated to sustainably enhancing its clients’ mobility; designing and distributing the most suitable tires, services, and solutions for its clients’ needs; providing digital services, maps, and guides to help enrich trips and travels and make them unique experiences; and developing high-technology materials that serve a variety of industries. Headquartered in Clermont-Ferrand, France, Michelin is present in 175 countries, has 132,200 employees and operates 67 tire production facilities which together produced around 167 million tires in 2022. (www.michelin.com)
Illustration image : Hiša Franko - S. Gabrijan