Pizzeria Soča 202 is one of only two pizzerias that you can find in the city of Tolmin, and it definitely takes the first place among the two. The other pizzeria is called Na Placu, and until the Soča 202 was open, the pizzeria Na Placu was extremely popular, but nowadays, less and less people are going there. The pizzas there are not bad, but the ambient is much better in Pizzeria Soča 202. And since it is so good, I just have to describe it for you.
Where is Soča 202 situated?
This great pizzeria is situated in the village of Tolmin, in the western Slovenia.
The restaurant sadly does not have its own parking space. In general, getting a parking space can be a fairly big problem in Tolmin, regardless on the day of the week. So, you have the choice between the following parking spots:
- Park anywhere in the industrial zone of Tolmin, for example in front of Mercator Shopping Centre, or the EuroSpin shop. This parking space is the most distant of all mentioned places, but you will definitely find a free spot here.
- The parking next to the church of Tolmin. This place is situated just on the other side of the road of Pizzeria Soča 202. You might be lucky and find a free spot there, but the ceremonies are happening really often at this church, so at that time, this parking is occupied.
- There is also a parking spot next to the Pizzeria Soča 202, but it is reserved for the guests of a bar that is there. I would not advise to try your luck there, because I heard that several people, who were not guests of the bar, but parked there anyway, got a generous fine to pay.
- The last option, that is still a reasonable walking distance away, is in front of the pharmacy. The parking spots there are marked with blue colour, which means that you can only park there for an hour, and then you have to go and change the ticket. This is not a good solution if you would like to enjoy your meal in peace.
- Well, actually the best thing is if you arrive to Tolmin by bus, so you do not have to worry about a parking space or anything else. The bus station in Tolmin is situated only a couple inutes of walking away from Soča 202.
From any of those spots, follow the directions for Zatolmin – the road there is wide and goes in a straight line. The pizzeria Soča 202 will be situated on your right side, meanwhile the church will be on your left. The church is a really good orientating point there, and what is even better, is that this is the only church in Tolmin, so you can be sure you are at the right place.
This is how Pizzeria Soča 202 looks from outside. Pretty easy to spot, isn't it? After all, there is a signon the wall with the name of the restaurant. And, last but not least, this place looks like a restaurant even to blind people.
Opening times
The Soča 202 is open every day of the week from 9.00 in the morning to 9.00 in the evening. Well, it only closes for a few days each year, when the owners do some renovations or go on vacation, but in general, it should most likely be open when you visit Tolmin.
If you would like to celebrate your birthday there, or go there with a group, it is a good idea to call in advance, not for the sake of reserving the table, but for the sake of making sure that Pizzeria Soča 202 will be open on a desired date.
The ambient of the Pizzeria Soča 202
This is one of my favourite places to eat ever in terms of ambient. The pizzeria was recently renovated. Before the renovation, it was just an average place with an average amount of visitors. But the renovation made this place spectacular, and although it is never so crowded to have to book a table in advance, there is still a decent amount of people there, each time I visit (or just drive by) this place.
The restaurant is divided into a big terrace outside, and the part inside. It is really awesome to sit on the terrace, and the sofas there are super comfortable, but the only downside is that the road passes just by the restaurant, so the place can be quite noisy. But, if I were you, I would sit outside anyway. The comfort of the sofas is just too big to go and sit inside. On the left part, there is also a part where you can choose ice cream. You will sadly only find usual flavours there, and they are average, but the price is only eighty Cents per portion, meanwhile almost everywhere else in Slovenia, you will pay one Euro or more for the same portion.
The part inside consists of the following smaller units:
The eating part. You will find the tables, dedicated to eating, in an intimate enviroment, separated by the bar with half a wall, and a fence. All this serves more for the decoration purposes than anything else. There are only four tables inside, where you can eat, and they can in total accommodate twenty people. If all of them are occupied and you would still like to eat, you can, of course, sit outside without a problem. Well, unless you mind the noise that is coming from the street. In that case, you can simply sit in the drinking part, order a drink, and wait for someone to finish eating.
The main reason for describing the eating part first, is the cool decoration, which you will not find in any other restaurant. First of all, there are a few pillars around, coloured silver, and you can see the prints of the autumn leaves on them. It really looks cool, and at the first sight, I did not even notice the leaves. Then, there comes the fence, which is separating the eating part from the rest of the place. The fence looks like tree branches, and its colour is also silver, so it matches with the pilars very well.
Then, there is the eating part itself. Here, everything is in bright green colour, and on the wall behind, there is a huge picture of the river Soča (just in case you were wondering, where this pizzeria got its name from, here is your answer). But not an ordinary picture – it is lit up from behind, so it looks like the river is really there. The only thing I was missing, was the actual sound of the river. If they would play it, it would seem like you are eating somewhere next to the Soča river.
The drinking part is situated before you reach the bar. Here, you will find five tables, each of them can accommodate either two or four people. On each table, there is a napkin, made out of wheat straws and coloured in silver and green, and a plant in the middle of it.
The bar with the TV. The bar is wooden and it looks nice. In the background, you can see a variety of different drinks. Alcoholic ones, of course. On the left side of the bar, there is a TV, which is smaller than I am used to in other bars and restaurants. But after all, I did not come there to watch TV. They either play MTV or some other popular channels, or footbal matches. The volume is really low, so if you would like to hear anything, you can ask the waiter to turn the volume up for a bit.
The restrooms. It might seem unusual to describe restrooms, but I just had to. The reason for doing so, is, of course, the awesome decoration. They are all in grey marble, which again matches the grey colour in the bar. When you enter, it seems like a maze, and there are again pictures of Soča on the walls. What do you think, isn't this a great idea for decorating a space?
Food and drinks
This is a pizzeria, so they mainly serve pizzas, but also some other dishes, such as, for example, fried squids and spaghetti. But do not bother with those, go straight for the pizza instead! But what is so good about their pizzas? Everything!
- First of all, the size. Please, do not order a big pizza if you are there by yourself, because it is almost the size of the family pizza. Last time, I went to Pizzeria Soča 202 with my parents. We were all very hungry, and we decided to order one big pizza and share it. We barely ate it. Even the small pizza is bigger than the big edition in most restaurants.
- Secondly, the taste. The cook in Soča 202 is a pure genious. The taste of their pizzas is so rich, and it is a total symphony of different ingredients. Some people say that any pizza is good, but I do not agree with that statement. You have to try the pizzas in this pizzeria to know what I am talking about.
- Then, the variety of different pizzas. They, of course, have the menu, where you can see the available pizzas, and last time I was there, I just had to count, how many pizza kinds do they offer. And the answer more than surprised me – there is exactly fifty different kinds of pizzas on their menu! Some of them are very exotic, but ptobably worth trying.
- The variety and the amount of toppings. In the menu, there is a special part, which is dedicated to toppings. So, you can basically choose how much of each topping you want. And what is even better, the prices for each additional topping are not high at all – half an Euro for each one that you choose.
- A very crunchy pizza crust. I know a lot of people who do not like pizza crust. Wait, who am I lying to? Almost no one I know, likes the pizza crust, except me and maybe two more people. But for me, this is (almost) the best part of the pizza, and the more it is baked and crunchy, the better it is. And in Pizzeria Soča 202, you get the crust that is baked black at some points, and I just love it.
- And last, but not least, the price. Would you believe me if I said that the small pizza here costs only four Euros and a half, and the big one six Euros and a half? No? Then please go there yourself as soon as possible to make sure.
Besides the awesome pizzas (and other food), you can also come to Pizzeria Siča 202, if you would just like to drink something. And my favourite drink there, even in summer, is definitely their hot chocolate with strawberries and a lot of whipped cream on top. Just take a look at the size of the cup that you get! Not to mention, how pretty those cups are.
The staff
The one thing that I do not like about the staff there is, that the waiters are constantly chatting with guys and men from town, who come to Soča 202 to have a beer or two, and probably to try to seduce the waitresses. So it can happen that you have to wait for the waiter (I have finally figure out why they are called that way – you have to wait for them a lot in this restaurant) even for twenty minutes, and when they finally decide to take your order, they are acting like they are super bored. Not a good attitude if you work with people, if you ask me. But hey, the pizzas are so good that I forgive them this not so little mistake.
But, on the other hand, they are still to be considered friendly, and this is all I am looking for.
Conclusion
Are you staying in Tolmin, or just passing through, and you are getting super hungry? If your answer is yes, do not hesitate and go straight to Pizzeria Soča 202. Despite the fact that it is well known, it is still a quiet place where you can enjoy a tasty meal, or just a cup of coffee.
Where to eat Nova Gorica,
Nova Gorica,
Slovenia
