Janko’s Little Zagreb Restaurant and Story Inn Bed & Breakfast win Awards of Excellence by Wine Spectator

BLOOMINGTON — Wine Spectator, the world’s leading authority on wine, has unveiled the winners of the 2023 Restaurant Awards, which honor the world’s best restaurants for wine.

This year’s awards program recognizes 3,505 dining destinations from all 50 states in the U.S. and more than 70 countries internationally. 

Honored locally with an Award of Excellence were Janko’s Little Zagreb Restaurant, located at 223 West 6th Street in Bloomington, and Story Inn Bed & Breakfast at 6404 State Road 135 South in Nashville.

“In a time of technological innovation, restaurants offer the human experience diners are hungry for—listening to their customers and offering personalized experience,” said Marvin R. Shanken, Editor and Publisher, Wine Spectator. “This annual issue celebrates the places where wine is at the top of that conversation. I’m pleased to congratulate all 3,505 restaurants for their dedication to wine and wine-loving diners.”

Marvin R. Shanken

Launched in 1981, the Restaurant Awards represent the world’s only program focused exclusively on restaurant wine service. They are assigned on three levels: the Award of Excellence, the Best of Award of Excellence, and the Grand Award, with 2,001; 1,411; and 93 winners this year in each respective category.

Included in Wine Spectator’s special Restaurant Awards issue is a favorable forecast for restaurants – how today’s restaurants are staffing up, refreshing their menus, and increasing their wine offerings creatively to engage their customers.

The Restaurant Awards issue, which features chef and restaurateur Thomas Keller on the cover, becomes available to readers on July 11th.

Follow the Restaurant Awards on Instagram (@wsrestaurantawards), with the hashtag #WSRestaurantAward, and at Restaurants.WineSpectator.com, where all winners can be searched by location and sorted by attributes including name, proximity, award level, cuisine, and pricing. Winners are also profiled in the free Restaurant Awards app, available for iPhone and iPad users.