Hiša Franko

Hiša Franko is a restaurant and guest house in the Soča Valley near Kobarid, in western Slovenia close to the Italian border, led by the chef Ana Roš. In 2023 it became the first restaurant in Slovenia to receive three Michelin stars.

The house was built in the 1860s and served as a farmhouse and, during the First World War, as a hospital, before it stood empty for years. Franko Kramar turned it into an inn with rooms in the 1970s and gave it his name. His son Valter Kramar and Roš took it over when his parents retired, with Roš first working as a waitress and Kramar as the sommelier. When the head chef left, Roš took over the kitchen without any formal training and learned to cook from her mother-in-law and a family friend.

Roš grew up in nearby Tolmin, skied for the Yugoslav youth team and studied diplomacy in Gorizia before the restaurant changed her plans. Her cooking stays close to the valley: nearly everything comes from within about 50 km (31 mi), much of it brought by local foragers and cheesemakers. Trout from the Soča and game from the surrounding hills appear on the menus with wild herbs and mountain dairy, often served raw or barely cooked. Valter Kramar built the wine list around Slovenian growers.

An episode of the Netflix series Chef’s Table brought the restaurant to a wider public, and the following year Roš received the World’s Best Female Chef award from the World’s 50 Best Restaurants. When Michelin first covered Slovenia, Hiša Franko received two stars and a Green Star for sustainability. Roš has also written the book Sun and Rain and opened a bakery and a bistro in Ljubljana.