Chef Ana Roš's restaurant Hiša Franko has become the first Slovenian establishment to be awarded three Michelin stars, the highest accolade conferred by the veritable restaurant guide. Milka in Kranjska Gora was promoted to two stars. Seven more restaurants won one star each.

"The third Michelin star is the recognition of our creativity, innovation and dedication to culinary art. It confirms that we are on the right path," Hiša Franko from Kobarid said on becoming only the 140th three-starred restaurant in the world.

Chef Ana Roš said the award is the fulfilment of the dreams of the entire Hiša Franko team. "We are not just around the corner and we are thankful for every soul who takes their time to drive through the wilderness of the Soča Valley and enjoy our fabulous creations," Roš was quoted as saying.

The restaurant pledged to continue to impress, but also to stay true to their philosophy and love for the Soča Valley.

Hiša Franko "amazed the Michelin inspectors with its constant improvement in quality compared to the first edition of the Michelin Guide Slovenia," boasting a unique tasting menu with "dishes which stand out for their original colours, flavours and textures, Michelin Guide said.

Gwendal Poullennec, international director of the Michelin Guide, said Hiša Franko "establishes itself as a world gastronomic flagship and boosts Slovenia's position in the global culinary rankings."

Milka in Kranjska Gora, run by the chef David Žefran, earned the second star just a year after getting its first. The inspectors said the menu "expresses great originality and finesse and celebrates the best local and seasonal produce."

Seven restaurants have kept one Michelin star, including COB in Portorož, which serves the creations of Filip Matjaž, the Radovljica establishment Hiša Linhart with the chef Uroš Štefelin, Hiša Denk from Zgornja Kungota with Gregor Vračko, and Strelec in Ljubljana with the chef Igor Jagodic.

Also retaining their one star are the Horjul restaurant Gostišče Grič with Luka Košir, Dam in Nova Gorica with Uroš Fakuč and Vipava's Pri Lojzetu with Tomaž Kavčič.

"Since arriving in the country, and year after year, our team of inspectors has continually been impressed by the gastronomic growth of Slovenia. In a tiny yet thrilling country, chefs and their teams demonstrate a strong, daily commitment to constantly pushing the culinary boundaries," Poullennec was quoted as saying.

"We could hardly be more proud of our top chefs," Maja Pak, director of Slovenian Tourist Board said, noting that this was the fourth consecutive year that Michelin awarded stars to Slovenian restaurants.

The organisation noted that the country ranks among top Michelin destinations in terms of stars per capita. "It reaffirms Slovenia as a leading sustainable tourist and culinary destination."

The Michelin Guide also awards other types of emblems, including green stars for restaurants that are especially committed to sustainable gastronomy. A new addition this year is Špacapanova Hiša from Komen in southwestern Slovenia.

"Špacapanova Hiša demonstrates impressive commitment in pursuing sustainable practices," the Michelin Guide said.

Seven restaurants have won Bib Gourmand nods for exceptionally good food at modest prices and a total of 43 are included in the Michelin selection of recommended restaurants, five of which are new on the list.

Last year ten restaurants won Michelin stars, one more than this year. This was after chef Jorg Zupan closed his one starred establishment Atelje in Ljubljana early this year and opened a new one.