Slovenian restaurant Hisa Franko among the World's 50 Best Restaurants

We are glad to report that the Slovenian fine-dining restaurant Hisa Franko from the small town of Kobarid in northwestern Slovenia has made it among the world’s top 50 restaurants on a list compiled by Restaurant Magazine, a British trade magazine that solicits votes from 1,000 fine-dining experts from around the world, including chefs and food media. Hisa Franko claimed the 48th spot. The restaurant is headed by star chef Ana Ros, the recipient of the 2017 World’s Best Female Chef award.

Congratulations to Ana Ros and her team at Hisa Franko for making the cut for the World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2018. (Image by Dean Dubokovic)

It was the first time a Slovenian restaurant earned a spot on the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list – often referred to as ‘the Oscars of the food world’. The fine-dining experts summed up their decision with the following words: ‘Chef Ana Ros put Slovenia on the gastronomic map after being voted The World’s Best Female Chef in 2017 and starring in her own episode of Netflix’s cult series, Chef’s Table. Pronounced Hi-sha Franko, the restaurant is located in the stunning surrounds of the Soça Valley and has drawn visitors to Slovenia from all over the world. Ros and her team offer a six-course and an eight-course tasting menu, each starting with the restaurant’s homemade bread, local butter and cheese lollipops made by Ros’s husband and somellier Valter Kramar.’

The top five restaurant for 2018 aren’t dramatically different from past years, with Massimo Bottura’s Osteria Francescana in Modena, Italy, rising from second place to once again take out the top gong. Past winner El Celler de Can Roca in Spain came in at No. 2 and France’s progressive Mediterranean restaurant Mirazur rounded out the top three. Last year’s winner, New York City’s Eleven Madison Park, slipped to No. 4. Bangkok’s Gaggan, a restaurant known, among other things, for its emoji-only menu, placed fifth to be named the best restaurant in Asia.

Since its 2002 inception, the London-based awards have gained prominence among chefs around the globe, rivaling the longstanding Michelin guides with its star system.

The full list of the World’s 50 Best Restaurants is below, including restaurants from 23 different countries across six continents. The list was announced at a ceremony in Bilbao, Spain. It was the first time the ceremony was held in Spain. The event has been held before in London, New York and Melbourne.

1. Osteria Francescana (Modena, Italy)
2. El Celler de Can Roca (Girona, Spain)
3. Mirazur (Menton, France)
4. Eleven Madison Park (New York City)
5. Gaggan (Bangkok, Thailand)
6. Central (Lima, Peru)
7. Maido (Lima, Peru)
8. L?Arpege (Paris, France)
9. Mugaritz (Errenteria, Spain)
10. Asador Etxebarri (Axpe, Spain)
11. Quintonil (Mexico City, Mexico)
12. Blue Hill at Stone Barns (Pocantico Hills, New York, USA)
13. Pujol (Mexico City, Mexico)
14. Steirereck (Vienna, Austria)
15. White Rabbit (Moscow, Russia)
16. Piazza Duomo (Alba, Italy)
17. Den (Tokyo, Japan)
18. Disfrutar (Barcelona, Spain)
19. Geranium (Copenhagen, Denmark)
20. Attica (Melbourne, Australia)
21. Alain Ducasse au Plaza Athénée (Paris, France)
22. Narisawa (Tokyo, Japan)
23. Le Calandre (Rubano, Italy)
24. Ultraviolet by Paul Pairet (Shanghai, China)
25. Cosme (New York City, USA)
26. Le Bernardin (New York City, USA)
27. Boragó (Santiago, Chile)
28. Odette (Singapore)
29. Alléno Paris au Pavillon Ledoyen (Paris, France)
30. D.O.M. (S?o Paulo, Brazil)
31. Arzak (San Sebastian, Spain)
32. Tickets (Barcelona, Spain)
33. The Clove Club (London, UK)
34. Alinea (Chicago, USA)
35. Maaemo (Oslo, Norway)
36. Reale (Castel Di Sangro, Italy)
37. Restaurant Tim Raue (Berlin, Germany)
38. Lyle?s (London, UK)
39. Astrid y Gastón (Lima, Peru)
40. Septime (Paris, France)
41. Nihonryori RyuGin (Tokyo, Japan)
42. The Ledbury (London, UK)
43. Azurmendi (Larrabetzu, Spain)
44. Mikla (Istanbul, Turkey)
45. Dinner by Heston Blumenthal (London, UK)
46. Saison (San Francisco, USA)
47. Schloss Schauenstein (Fürstenau, Switzerland)
48. Hisa Franko (Kobarid, Slovenia)
49. Nahm (Bangkok, Thailand)
50. The Test Kitchen (Cape Town, South Africa)