The article was updated in July 2023
Food! For some it is only a need, for other it is an adventure. For third it is a religion! One thing is for sure – the food is invariable element of every national culture. This is why today the culinary is the base of entire tourism industry – gastro tourism. There’s barely a person who doesn’t appreciate well cooked and tasty meal. The ones who love it even more fly over oceans just to taste the secrets of a restaurant with a Michelin star. There isn’t a Michelin star restaurant in Plovdiv, but the city is definitely a part of the European culinary map. If you’re in Plovdiv take an hour or two to enjoy the delicious proposals that are culinary oases according to citizens with a good taste.
Lostinplovdiv.com presents 13 restaurants you most definitely must visit. This is not a ranking,
but our subjective assessment of places with quality food, service and atmosphere. We're sure the gastronome in you will be pleased.
1.”Hebros” – The restaurant is situated in a hotel with the same name in the Old Town, which is a Revival house – a monument of the culture. “Hebros” is a light emblem of Slow Food not only in Plovdiv, but in the entire country. In November, 2004 here was discovered the first Slow Food club “Old Town Plovdiv”, a branch of the international movement. The restaurant features a high-class, outstanding cuisine and some details that will satisfy even the most discerning people. You will use silver cutlery, the main dish is served under a silver hood. In "Hebros" you can taste appetizing meals from Bulgarian and international cuisine, prepared with seasonal products. Among our favorites dishes are amazing traditional medley, stew of green beans, stuffed peppers with cheese and Parmesan, frogs' legs and snails with wild rice, foie gras, beef fillet with mushrooms and pickled garlic and duck magret. There are often degustation of wines accompanied by specialties of the house. The menu is short, but various and seasonal. After all of the above we’ll mention that the restaurant won the distinction "Restaurant of the Year" in Bulgaria for 2003.
2.Coupon – They bet on the popular "street food" concept, but with a rather interesting author's handwriting. With them, we advise you to stop at gyoza with turbot or duck, and from the desserts, bet on the interpretation of the recipe of the most famous Italian chef - Massimo Bottura.
3.. d’Asti Osteria Italiana is a culinary journey to Italy without buying a ticket and leaving the borders of Plovdiv. The emphasis is mainly on authentic Italian recipes, mostly from Central and Southern Italy. Chef Miroslav Hristov and his team spend a lot of time experimenting and selecting attractive twists of traditional recipes. Everything is perfectly selected and sorted to ensure that the customer will receive the highest quality products and taste. They rely on minimal heat treatment of the ingredients to preserve their natural texture and taste. Absolutely nothing is frozen and fried. For connoisseurs, we recommend pork cheeks and veal tails, which are prepared for 40 hours using sous vide technology. In this way the meat becomes extremely tender and melts directly in the mouth. We advise vegetarians to try melanzane, because its texture is perfectly felt in combination with parmesan, and the bitter taste is pleasantly muted by the milky note of the cheese.
4.”Hemingway” - the combination of flavors and freshly baked bread make an impression from afar. Flavors from Bulgaria, Italy and France are mixed in one, with a modern interpretation from master chefs. The restaurant is located at the center of Plovdiv, a few meters from City Hall. The products in “Hemingway” are Bulgarian. Many of them - authentic deli meat and cheeses are produced specifically by the establishment of small artisan farms. The gastronomy prism of “Hemingway” is broken at different and substandard point of views. Try fish and seafood, veal steak or duck. And do not miss the foie gras.
5. “Salt and pepper” – the two floored restaurant located behind the Monument of the Unification became emblematic for quality cuisine. All thanks to one of the most famous chefs in Bulgaria Nikolay Borukov. If there is a man in Plovdiv, for who culinary is obsession, not just a profession, it is chef Borukov. If you visit “Salt and pepper” you will definitely meet him – he’s always there. He will ask you “Was the meal good?” Borukov relies on international cuisine. The menu at "Salt and Pepper" is changing constantly, depending on the season and chefs passions. And there are a lot of them – from truffle and porcini, dishes with lobster and octopus, to dishes with pheasant and venison. He doesn’t overlook traditional Bulgarian cuisine. The cabbage leaves are unforgettable. We can recommend many things, but will focus on a few. Beef steak with roasted vegetables, served with fresh salad of baby spinach, blue cheese and avocado, fragile cock, hen specialty as long as it’s on the menu. Do not miss the fresh pasta and chef Borukovs copyright terrines.
6.”Odeon”- undoubtedly one of the most elite restaurants in Plovdiv will confuse you from the
beginning. You’ll ask yourself if you visit a restaurant, a hotel or a gallery. And the answer will be always Yes! The restaurant is situated in hotel "Odeon" who’s looking over the ancient Odeon of Philippopolis. There are paintings of famous Plovdiv artists on its walls, so even if you're not hungry, take a look. The restaurant offers perhaps the most advanced urban cuisine led by specializing in top restaurants in America Harry Sopadiyan. Foie gras on brioche with poached pear and quince jelly from. Fillet of sole with Brussels sprouts, mashed sweet potatoes, bacon and radicchio with balsamic. Overall French cockerel with a special sauce. Dairy beef with bacon, served with ravioli and ricotta, mashed carrot and coriander, peas, mix of wild mushrooms, parmesan, lemon juice and sauce with caramelized shallots. Homemade pasta with veal brains. Momichki lamb with buckwheat and brown rice. Those are only small part from Harry’s unconventional proposals.Yet, he doesn’t forget the traditional Bulgarian cuisine. For example: In the “Odeon” you can taste some of the most delicious hominy in town. Don’t miss the soups as well. Lost in Plovdiv favorites are the pumpkin soup and soup from baked red peppers. If you want something classical.
7. Tams House opened its doors in mid-2018, but it definitely deserves to be mentioned as one of the places that gained popularity with its original approach to cooking and presentation. Designed to showcase the endless possibilities of creativity, knowledge and aromas, Tams House is distinguished by a strong aesthetic and distinctive style and incredibly delicious food. Their desserts are simply unique - both in terms of presentation on the plate and in terms of taste, and you will certainly not regret the extra calories after the main course!
8.”Porky’s BBQ” - if you want to eat delicious barbecue in a friendly atmosphere, this is the place. The lunch menu is nutritious. The rich list of dishes is with an emphasis in pork and veal. You can order a whole roast pig and lamb balls while the aroma is spreading around. The prides of the chefs are meatballs, porketa, Brezovsko tray and veal cheeks. Don’t miss "Porky’s BBQ" or you will be angry with yourself!
9.”Mikonos”- the Greek restaurant will win you over with its rich selection of fish meals and traditional Greek cuisine. The welcoming in "Mikonos" is warm. The staff will offer you a wide variety of seafood, accompanied by appropriate wines. The location and appearance of the restaurant is combination between Greek culture and sea elements, and this is not surprising. The place is situated right next to the water, only hundred meters away of the Regatta venue and Maritsa River. Actually, if there is a true seafood restaurant in Plovdiv it’s “Mikonos”. We strongly recommend wild sea bream and sea bass, tarama fish roe, Greek appetizers and meat specialties. But most impressive is the octopus. The best in town!
10.”Osteria Rosmarino”- it’s like you’re in Italy. The family restaurant will surprise you with wonderfully prepared Italian cuisine, delicious pizzas and desserts. The bread is baked on the spot. The pasta is fresh and classic. The tagliatelle with veal ragout are very outstanding. We recommend to always order a fresh pasta. It’s little more expensive, but the difference is worth every penny. The steaks here are close to perfection. The same goes for the antipasto. Do not miss the sea food- you will feel the taste of the Mediterranean.
11.
Memory Wine&Dine - when we write about classy restaurants that we would be happy to recommend, we cannot fail to mention Memory Wine & Dine, which has been offering cozy hospitality in the heart of the oldest city in Europe for 10 years. The cuisine is a unique mix of Bulgarian, Mediterranean and European recipes, prepared with the personal touch of Chef Alexander Bardarov. Having gained experience at home and abroad, he and his team recreate the magic of food so that one can enjoy every single note and component of the dish. Foie gras on chocolate brownies and dried fruit sauce, smoked locally selected meats and Sicilian canola with raspberry cream are just a small part of
the selected and seasonally changing menu, which will delight and surprise us with new and captivating tastes - another sign of a highly qualified restaurant. The whole feast for the senses is perfectly complemented by the exclusive wine selection with specially selected offers from the best wineries. Due to the rich assortment, the restaurant often becomes a stage for tasting the latest offers and an experienced sommelier reveals the aromas and flavors of the offered wine, as well as its possibilities to be combined with the dishes for full enjoyment of dinner or lunch.
12.”Poco Loco”- ask anyone for Ricardos thin mustache and golden hands. Ricardo and his better half Maria run their home restaurant in neighborhood “Karshiaka” for years. It’s not in the center of Plovdiv but his pasta is so good that Lostinplovdiv team will go as far as it gets. We’ll travel even to Italy. Fortunately, the maestro has no intention of leaving Plovdiv. The strange thing in “Poco Loco” is that this is a Mexican – Italian restaurant. Ricardo specialization is Mexican food. He mastered tortillas, tacos and burritos to perfection. But, as we know, the truth is in the Italian cuisine. Ricardo delivers all specific products for the meals from his homeland. In fact, one of his fantastic antipasto can feed you. But you must continue and beyond. Try his meat specialties, pizzas or traditional Italian mess. In our humble opinion it the unpretentious restaurant you can have the best pasta in town. We strongly recommend tagliatelle with cuttlefish ink. It will make you scream with pleasure. If you don’t like the idea, try classic carbonara or pasta with seafood. And don’t stop there. If you want the whole pack, you should find strength for some of Ricardo and Maria’s home deserts. If you’re lucky, you’ll have the chance to taste their home made panna cotta. Maria also makes her own ice cream, and Ricardo serves it with his own Limoncello. They are both generous so they might surprise you with a compliment. Another interesting aspect for “Poco Loco”is that Ricardo welcomes and send away the costumers in Italian. Mamma mia!
13. Smokini - Not far from the Kapana district and the Old Plovdiv, Smokini is the perfect location when you want to relax, enjoy delicious and well-prepared food and experiment with different tastes. The menu is enviably varied and the specialties prepared incredibly well combine tradition and innovation. They do not stop putting a great amount of creativity in every dish. They like to provoke the client. From a smile on the door, through a pleasant interior to fast service, they always try to provide their guests with positive emotions.
