Restaurant in Izola, Slovenia
Michelin-recognised regional cooking at honest prices.
Hiša Torkla holds back-to-back Michelin Plate recognition (2024 and 2025) at the €€ price tier, making it one of the most accessible formally assessed restaurants on Slovenia's Adriatic coast. The hilltop village setting above Izola is calm and conversation-friendly, the booking difficulty is low, and the value case is strong. Worth returning to across multiple visits.
Hiša Torkla is worth booking, and worth booking more than once. This Michelin Plate-recognised restaurant in Korte, just above the Istrian town of Izola, delivers regional Slovenian cuisine at a €€ price point that makes it one of the most accessible Michelin-recognised dining experiences on the country's Adriatic coast. If you are planning a longer stay in the region, build a multi-visit strategy around it: the regional format and accessible price bracket mean you can return without a second thought about budget.
Hiša Torkla has held consecutive Michelin Plate recognition in both 2024 and 2025, which at the €€ price tier is a meaningful signal. The Michelin Plate is awarded to kitchens producing good cooking, and consecutive inclusion confirms this is not a one-year anomaly. For a regional Slovenian restaurant operating outside Ljubljana or the Vipava Valley, that consistency matters. It tells you the kitchen is disciplined and the cooking is reliable across visits, which directly supports the case for returning more than once.
The cuisine is rooted in the regional traditions of Slovenian Istria, a stretch of coastline and hinterland where Italian, Slovenian, and Adriatic influences overlap in the kitchen. At Hiša Torkla's address in Korte, a hilltop village inland from Izola, the setting reinforces that character. The atmosphere here is calm and grounded rather than buzzy or urban. Expect a dining room where conversation carries easily, noise levels stay low, and the pace of service reflects the village setting rather than a city centre operation. For food-focused visitors who want to eat without competing with a packed room, that ambient quality is a genuine advantage over many coastal alternatives.
The Google rating of 4.7 across 506 reviews is one of the strongest signals available here, given that volume at that score level filters out most statistical noise. More than 500 ratings sustaining a 4.7 average points to consistent execution rather than a spike from a single good season. That is relevant to the multi-visit case: you are not gambling on a one-off high-performance night.
€€ price range makes repeat visits financially realistic in a way that the €€€€ restaurants in Slovenia's fine dining tier do not. If you are spending several days on the Istrian coast, treat the first visit as a grounding meal: come in the evening, eat without a fixed agenda, and use it to understand the kitchen's range. The second visit, if the menu format allows, is where you can make more deliberate choices based on what you discovered the first time. Regional cuisine restaurants of this type often anchor their menus in seasonal and local produce, which means a return visit in a different part of the season can yield a meaningfully different experience.
For explorers planning a wider circuit of Slovenia's Michelin-recognised dining scene, Hiša Torkla pairs well with a coastal day in Izola followed by dinner here in the evening, before moving on to the Vipava Valley or Ljubljana on subsequent days. It fits naturally into an itinerary that also takes in Gostilna Pri Lojzetu in Vipava, Restavracija Strelec in Ljubljana, or further north, Hiša Linhart in Radovljica. All are operating in different regional contexts and price brackets, which makes the contrast useful rather than repetitive.
If your trip is specifically Istrian-focused, the coastal dining comparison is also worth considering. Restavracija Hotela Marina in Izola itself covers the Mediterranean Cuisine angle closer to the waterfront, giving you a structural split between coastal and inland, formal and casual, across two meals.
Reservations: Booking is rated Easy, and there is no evidence of the weeks-in-advance pressure associated with Slovenia's higher-demand Michelin restaurants. That said, Korte is a small village and Hiša Torkla is likely operating with a limited number of covers, so booking ahead for dinner is advisable rather than showing up without a reservation. Budget: €€ positions this well below the €€€€ bracket of most of Slovenia's Michelin-starred and Michelin Plate peers. For two people eating a full meal with wine, expect to remain comfortably within a mid-range budget by Slovenian dining standards. Getting There: Korte sits above Izola and is most easily reached by car. If you are staying in Izola, Koper, or Piran, driving up is the practical choice. Factor the village location into your planning, particularly if you intend to drink wine with dinner. Dress: No dress code is specified; the village and regional setting suggest smart casual is appropriate without any requirement for formal attire.
For broader context on eating, drinking, and staying in the area, see our full Izola restaurants guide, our full Izola hotels guide, our full Izola bars guide, our full Izola wineries guide, and our full Izola experiences guide.
See the comparison section below for how Hiša Torkla sits relative to other Michelin-recognised restaurants in the wider Slovenian region.
| Venue | Cuisine | Price | Booking Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hiša Torkla | Regional Cuisine | €€ | Easy |
| Dam | Mediterranean, Modern Cuisine | €€€ | Unknown |
| Hiša Franko | Modern European, Creative | €€€€ | Unknown |
| Milka | Creative | €€€€ | Unknown |
| Gostilna Pri Lojzetu | Modern Cuisine | €€€€ | Unknown |
| Grič | Farm to table | €€€€ | Unknown |
Comparing your options in Izola for this tier.
Menu specifics are not published in available records, but Hiša Torkla's Michelin Plate recognition in both 2024 and 2025 points to consistent kitchen execution across its regional cuisine offering. At the €€ price tier, the safest approach is to eat broadly rather than selectively — order what the kitchen recommends or leads with on any set offering.
Bar seating details are not confirmed for Hiša Torkla. Given its location at Korte 44b — a village address rather than a city-centre restaurant — the format is likely table-service focused. check the venue's official channels before arriving and expecting counter or bar options.
Yes, with the right expectations. Two consecutive Michelin Plate years (2024 and 2025) at a €€ price point makes this a strong choice for a low-pressure special occasion — meaningful enough to feel considered, without the formality or cost of Slovenia's higher-tier Michelin restaurants. It works well for occasions where quality matters more than ceremony.
The address is Korte 44b — Korte is a small village above Izola, so you are not walking to this from the seafront. Build in travel time and confirm hours before visiting, as they are not publicly listed. Booking is rated easy, so last-minute reservations are realistic, but confirming ahead avoids a wasted trip to a rural address.
Tasting menu availability is not confirmed in the venue record. If one is offered, the €€ pricing makes it a low-risk commitment by Slovenian Michelin standards — comparable spend to a mid-range meal elsewhere. The two-year Michelin Plate run suggests the kitchen is consistent enough to justify it if the format is available.
At €€, yes. Michelin Plate recognition for two consecutive years at this price tier is a practical signal of quality-to-cost ratio. You are not paying for a prestige room or a famous chef name — you are paying for regional cooking that earned external validation at a price that makes repeat visits realistic.
Izola's immediate restaurant scene is limited at the Michelin-recognised tier, so the practical comparison set widens to the broader Slovenian Istria and coastal region. For higher ambition and budget, Hiša Franko (Kobarid) is Slovenia's most decorated restaurant. For a similar regional-cuisine approach at comparable or lower spend, Milka and Gostilna Pri Lojzetu offer different regional perspectives within Slovenia. Dam is worth considering if you are already in the Ljubljana circuit.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
