We're putting Slovenia on the world culinary map
SLOVENIA'S BEST RESTAURANTS SELECTION
Tourists appreciate Slovenia and happily return, not just because of the amazing diversity and natural beauty of the county, but also because of the rich and sophisticated range of food and drinks on offer.
With our team at The Slovenia, who have many years of experience in international tourism publishing, we wish to identify the best selection of restaurants in Slovenia, which will be multi-faceted - professional, independent and designed for the broader public, both domestic and foreign tourists. Our vision is for Slovenia to be an international "foodie" tourist destination; we aim to increase its international reputation, support long-term improvements in the quality of services and experiences at restaurants, and develop a vibrant "foodie" culture among Slovenes.
"We don't want to wait for the Michelin stars to come for Slovenia to gain recognition. Reviews on TripAdvisor and in InYourPocket guides or the very rare foreign reviews and descriptions generally often overlook places and so we decided to create a Slovenia-wide selection of restaurants. Visitors to Slovenia could learn so much more about the nation's cuisine which is why we want to improve Slovenia's reputation when it comes to food tourism. We have set ourselves the goal of running an annual independent selection of the top restaurants from across the country, as well as from the different regions. We also plan to publish a book featuring these top restaurants which will showcase, for both locals and foreigners, all the best that Slovenia has to offer."
Niko Slavnič,
Director and Founder, The Slovenia International publishing house
The Expert Committee consists of ethnographers Dr Janez Bogataj (Faculty of Arts, University of Ljubljana) and Dr Aleš Gačnik (Faculty of Tourism Studies - Turistica, University of Primorska), Helena Cvikl (Director, Vocational College for Catering and Tourism Maribor) and internationally renowned sommelier, Mira Šemič. The Committee determined the preliminary selection of restaurants and through this process established the common grade of "overall satisfaction with the experience" when visiting the restaurants. They made their selections by looking at a number of dimensions: a restaurant must have been operating for at least one year, (restaurants that opened in 2016 will be eligible for inclusion in 2018 at the earliest); food and drinks - diversity, quality of ingredients, presentation of dishes, consistency of flavours, innovation and how well the food and drinks were paired; service - greeting, table service, approach to recommending food and drinks as well as knowledgeable waiters. The list was divided into five Slovenian regions: north, south, east, west and the central area (Ljubljana and Central Slovenia), which was handed to the Chefs & Foodies Academy for voting. The list was also put to the popular vote which ran from 9 January 2017 until 24 February 2017.
"The SRA project is unique because of its creative design and democratic model of voting. In my mind, the best inns/restaurants are not just shrines to all that is good or selected sanctuaries for gourmands and wine connoisseurs, they are embassies of Slovene identity, embassies of hospitality, embassies of gastronomic heritage and contemporary culinary creativity and innovation. I am supportive of the project, particularly since it will help us to appreciate Slovenia as a boutique gastronomic - European tourist destination!"
Dr Aleš Gačnik
Head of the Centre for Gastronomy and Wine Culture, University of Primorska
Head of Department of Cultural Tourism and Cultural Heritage, Faculty of Tourism Studies - Turistica, University of Primorkska
THE SLOVENIA RESTAURANT AWARDS
The selection of the best restaurants will be published on the official website as foodie maps and in a book. The winners and those who rank among the regional Top 5 (Top 10 for Ljubljana) will be profiled in detail, and all the other restaurants on the list that the Expert Committee handed to the Academy and for the public to vote on will be labelled as "recommended".