Michelin Announces 2020 Stars for Slovenia

Michelin is back to business as usual with its latest guide. In May, the French tire company announced it would continue creating its lists of restaurant recommendations, but opted to delay publication of its little red books. In its first launch since the coronavirus pandemic began, Michelin has announced its first-ever stars for Slovenia.

The guide includes just six starred selections. Hiša Franko, a fine dining restaurant in Kobarid, is the only Slovenian restaurant to receive two Michelin starts. Its chef Ana Ros was named the World’s Best Female Chef in 2017 by separate fine dining awards institution World’s 50 Best. Her restaurant is currently ranked no. 38 on that list.

Michelin has awarded five restaurants one star: Dam in Nova Gorica; Vila Podvin in Radovljica; Pri Lojzetu in Vipava; Atelje in Ljubljana; and Hiša Denk in Zgornja Kungota. The guide also includes nine Bib Gourmand selections and 37 restaurants with a Michelin Plate designation, a “sign of very good food.” No restaurant earned the coveted three-star distinction.

In a press release, Michelin explained its decision to cover Slovenia, “a country that brings together different European cultures [and] is committed to developing sustainable and continental tourism.” And according to international director of the Michelin guides Gwendal Poullennec, the guide “confirms that Slovenia has a fine score to play in the concert of the world’s top gastronomic destinations.”

Slovenia is also considered a coronavirus success story. In fact, Kobarid, home to newly crowned two-star restaurant Hiša Franko, has been virus free throughout the global pandemic, and unlike many of Michelin’s other territories, restaurants in Slovenia are open to Slovenian diners as well as to tourists from select European countries.

Check out the complete list of Michelin selections for Slovenia on the Michelin website.

• Michelin [Official]