A local's reccomended guide for Plovdiv!

Restuarants to visit in Plovdiv

Plovdiv has some fantastic locations for tourists and local to sit down and enjoy some of their delicious selection of foods.

Here I will be giving you the Top 10 best restaurants in Plovdiv that are worth visiting and if you are in the area that are worth visiting.

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Gyuvech

The Bulgarian Gyuvech is a Bulgarian stable food, the easiest way to describe it is like a Vegetable casserole with meat in a clay pot, it’s absolutely delicious and it’s an amazing comfort food.

Usually it consists of Pork or Beef ( most likely pork as it’s used more in Bulgaria), Potatoes, eggplants, Zucchini, Okra, Carrots, Bell Peppers, Onions and Tomato Puree.

As for the seasonings it’s usually kept quite simple as Salt, olive or sunflower oil, and sweet paprika powder. A lot of the flavour tends to come from the meat as it absorbs all of the juices from vegetables and at that point it becomes so tender that I can fall off the fork.

Banitsa

Banitsa is a traditional Bulgarian Phyllo recipe that is a staple back home, It’s flakey & buttery phyllo dough rolled with feta or with Bulgarian white cheese called “Sirene”.

The ingredients for this dish are supper simple and it doesn’t take long to make at all, there are some different variations of this dish around the country as some people tend to make it with spinach or pumpkin at times to times but the original ingredients list.

5 Eggs, 400 Grams of Bulgarian white cheese (Sirene) or Feta work well, 1.5 Cups or 280 Grams of plain Yoghurt - (Kiselo Mlayko), 1/2 Teaspoons of Baking Soda, 1 cup of Butter and 1 pack of 16 classic Banitsa Phyllo Dough sheets.

Lukanka

Lukanka is the Bulgarian cousin of the Italian sopresatta. In essence it is a spicy sausage made of minced meat curried with a lot of flavourful spices and half dried in cold windy place for at least two months. In fact it is a must have on every table where a traditional alcohol “Rakia” is served.

It can be eaten with anything along side most alcohol or even as a snack or a sandwich.

The basic list of ingredient for Lukanka is 2lbs minced meat (pork), 2 table spoons of salt, 2 tablespoons of cumin, 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper, 1 teaspoon sweet paprika, 2 tablespoons savoury (Chubritsa) and any hog casing or sausage link like casings for it to be wrapped up in.

Shkembe (Tripe Soup)

At first thought and glance this dish might not sound or look the most appetising but let me reassure you that it is a delicious classic dish that smells and tastes 100 times better than it looks.

Tripe is the thick lining of the stomach of cattle…. Seasoned with garlic, vinegar and hot red pepper, I promise it will surprise you with its unique aroma and taste, fun fact Shkembe (Tripe Soup) is proven to be a hangover cure.

Ingredients: 1lb tripe (calf belly), 1 cup (sunflower) oil, 2 cups fresh milk, 1 teaspoon paprika, 1 tablespoon ground black Pepper, 1 tablespoon salt, 2 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly diced, 1/3 cup red wine vinegar, dried hot chilli pepper mix.

Tarator (Cold Soup)

The cold soup called Tarator is among Bulgarian peoples favourite summer food, it can be served as a main course, side course and depending on the meal and its thickness it can be even be a light refreshing drink (Recipe can vary as it will go a lot lighter on certain ingredients such as garlic).

On a hot day you can see a lot of people enjoying this food with a nice cold glass of ouzo or Rakiya (Bulgarian grape alcohol)

This is considered one of the easiest Bulgarian dishes and the ingredients for it are: 2 cucumber, 500g plain greek yoghurt (Kiselo Mlayko), 3-4 garlic cloves, 2-3 tablespoons of crushed walnuts (optional up to taste), fresh dill, olive oil (to taste), 1 table spoon of salt (If need more can always add) and water (this bit is optional as it depends on how thick or runny you like this).

Shopska Salad

Shopska salad is a simple yet one of Bulgarias most famous dishes, Bulgaria has always been very famous for it's salads and the Shopska Salad is the stand out one.

Using simple and local ingredients such as: Pink Bulgarian tomatoes, cucumbers, bell peppers, onions, parsley, feta cheese and a drizzle of olive oil, this salad is packed with flavours and is enjoyed all year around.

For any tourists visiting Bulgaria and Plovdiv for the fisrt time this should be a must on your try food list as you won't have another salad like it anywhere else!

Meshana Skara (Mixed Grill)

This is another classic Bulgarian meal, Meshana Kara (or mixed grill in English) consists of one kebapche, one kyufte, one pork steak and one skewer of pork with grilled veggies.

All this comes with traditional Bulgarian freshly cooked fries/chips with grated feta cheese on top, a side of bean salad and chopped onion and a dip of lyutenitsa. Always tends to go down well with a couple of beers for a complete meal.

Lozovi Sarmi (Stuffed Grape Leaves)

Lozovi sarmi commonly confused with its Greek counterpart “Dolmas” is a dish made of grape leaves stuffed with a combination of rice and minced meat and then boiled.

They can be served either hot or cold it’s all up to personal preference, they always taste better with greek yoghurt on top or a light garlic sauce with greek yoghurt for additional flavour.

This Dish is commonly seen on big events such as Easter and Christmas but can be seen all year round most of the time because of its simplicity and tastiness.

Bob Chorba (Bulgarian Bean Soup)

Bob Chorba is a national Bulgarian dish. The name translates to “bean soup” and as the name suggests its made from dry beans, onions, tomatoes and dzhodzhen (spearmint) and carrots, there are several variations that include meat such as pork sausage or meat chunks.

As one of Bulgarias national dishes the ingredients that set this soup apart from all the other bean and tomato soups is the spearmint that is used, its not usually used a lot in the country but when it is it transforms the flavour completely.

Lyutenitsa

Lyutenitsa is a sauce like spread that is made from tomatoes, peppers and eggplants pureed together. It looks a lot like babbaganush and has similar ingredients but it taste a little more peppery.

In the name Lyutenitsa, Lyut means spicy even tho the sauce it self is not really spicy is more of a sweeter condiment and is so delicious on a slice of bread or alongside a nice salad and meat!

Kiselo Mlyako

Bulgarian Kiselo Mlyako is with out a doubt one of the best yoghurts available. This Bulgarian yoghurt has two types of bacteria “Lactobacillus and bulgaricus” both excellent probiotic bacteria.

Kiselo Mlyako is one of the things that make Bulgarians proud to call themselves Bulgarian, it is their exclusive invention and heritage that dates back many centuries.

If you are looking for pure yogurt in its best form the Bulgarian yogurt is undoubtedly it. Eat it straight, with fruits, add it on meals or make ayran or tarator.