Hisa Franko: Full Review of a Restaurant Worth Planning a Vacation Around

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Chef Ana Roš and sommelier husband Valter Kramar are the reasons for the success story behind Hisa Franko.

It all started one evening during Ana’s college years when her mother made her come to dinner at Hisa Franko. Valter’s family owned the restaurant, and he worked there as a waiter. Sensing Ana was bored, he invited Ana for a glass of wine at the bar.

They started dating shortly after, fell in love, and began to travel the world discovering new countries, culinary flavors, and wines.

When Valter’s family decided to retire and pass the restaurant on, Ana chose to stay with Valter and help run the restaurant.

The road to success was not easy. Ana is a self-taught chef.  She went to the library and studied cookbooks. She visited some of the top restaurants (such as El Bulli and El Celler de Can Roca) in the world for inspiration.

One evening a friend suggested that Ana start using local Slovenian ingredients as the focus of her dishes. That is when everything started to fall into place!

Chef Ana found her culinary identity and is now known for her playful modern interpretation of traditional Slovenian recipes using local ingredients.

She loves to surprise her guests with different food textures and contrasts. As she states on the Netflix special, “the only thing I don’t like to hear from my guests is that dinner was boring.”

The pink-walled Hisa Franko is located in a little town called Kobarid, which is situated in the jaw-dropping, absolutely mesmerizing Soča Valley with its turquoise river and lush forests.

Close to the Italian border, the restaurant is nestled against the Julian Alps and is not far from the Adriatic Sea.

When you walk into the restaurant, it truly feels like you are going to a friend’s house for dinner. There is no pretentiousness. You are enveloped by the warm hospitality as soon as you walk in the door.

Hisa Franko is not just Ana’s restaurant, it is her actual home. Hisa means home in Slovenian. She resides here with Valter and her two kids.

This work-life environment is probably a major contributor to the immediate warm welcome you feel as you interact with her and her staff.

You can immediately tell family is very important. The love, heart, and soul of this place are palpable.

The menu is separated into three sections: finger bites, table bites, and sweet bites. All ingredients are indigenous to the area and are fresh and in season.

One of the many things that make Hisa Franko unique is that it is run by a husband-and-wife team.

Ana runs the kitchen, and Valter is a sommelier who oversees all the wine pairings with Ana’s dishes.

You will have the option of adding the wine pairing when dining at Hisa Franko, which I highly suggest.

Valter was actually one of the first Slovenian sommeliers. Most of his wine cellar consists of natural or biodynamic Slovenian wine and includes some pretty rare vintages.

The crazier, the better!

We actually had the chance to meet several of these natural local winemakers during our wine tour with Winestronaut.

According to Valter, “I have fun with the crazy. I think my body really responds well to those kinds of wines. They are great for digestion, great for a body cleanse, they don’t make me nervous as opposed to conventional wines.”

His wine-pairing choices were a lovely complement to Ana’s amazing culinary creations.

Normally, once you finish your meal at a fine dining restaurant and have your nightcap or coffee, that is the end of the night.

Not at Hisa Franko!

After your meal, they personally invite you into their kitchen where all the culinary magic happens and give you a tour of Valter’s cheese and wine cellar.

Talk about personal and feeling welcomed!

Tolminc cheese is the famous hard cow’s milk cheese in Slovenia. It obtained the protected designation of origin status (PDO) in 2001.

It is sweet at first and becomes more rich and spicy with aging. Valter ages the Tolminc cheese for up to 5 years in his cellar.

Valter has an incredible wine cellar of local Slovenian wines. Alen, the sommelier, gave us a tour of his collection.

We saw a few familiar names including Burja, which we had visited earlier on during our Slovenian wine tour. They produce an incredible pinot noir.

Ana has chefs from all around the world who come to learn and cook in her kitchen.

One of her amazing team members is the head baker, Nataša Djuric. We absolutely loved the sourdough bread course during our meal. When Nataša found out how much we loved her bread, she personally gave us a loaf to take home.

Wow, talk about hospitality!

I was not expecting to meet the talented chef face-to-face. For her to take the time out of her very busy evening to greet her guests was incredibly kind.

I definitely geeked out according to my husband when she walked up to us after the meal.

Dinner and lunch reservations are available Thursday – Sunday.

We made a reservation 2 months in advance, but that was before Hisa Franko received 2 Michelin stars. Now, I would anticipate you may even have to book out further than that.

They now have an easy-to-use online reservation booking system. If you choose to stay at the property, you can also request a dinner reservation + room.

Tasting Menu: 255 euros per person

Wine Pairing: 140 euros per person

Slovenia is a special place. If it were not for Ana Roš and her amazing sustainable restaurant Hisa Franko, I would have never discovered this absolutely beautiful country. She is truly an ambassador for Slovenia and has now put it on the gastronomic map. 

Please watch season 2 of Netflix Chef’s Table. Before you know it you will be booking that next flight to Slovenia! 

If you need help discovering what other amazing things to see and eat in Slovenia, don’t miss my full itinerary below.  

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Questions about our most amazing dining experience ever?

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