Country Dining in Plovdiv

When traveling to new places, one of the best ways to understand a culture is to try the food. As a vibrant and cosmopolitan city, Plovdiv offers a variety of places to dine, suiting many palates. Like many global destinations, it wasn’t uncommon to find burgers and pizza, among other popular international dishes. Plovdiv also has a generous selection of reputable traditional restaurants for those who want a more authentic experience.

Restaurant XIX Century

Restaurant XIX Century feels like a slice of Bulgarian countryside fitted neatly into Plovdiv’s urban landscape. Hungry visitors are immediately greeted with a quaint, dark brown woody exterior, festooned with wild greenery and cracked clay pots. There’s even a small window that peers into what feels like a country residence, adding to the outdoorsy feel. The interior is warm and heavy with wooden tables and benches, brightly colored tablecloths, and rusted metal artifacts among black and white photographs of the countryside.

Local beer with outdoor country scene in background at Restaurant Century XIX

Sitting outside, patrons are surrounded by lush greenery; trees, grass, and flowering bushes. The setting includes a small waterwheel adjacent to a model wooden house, a fence made from tree branches, and a wooden wagon. On a warmish spring evening, it was the perfect spot to try some traditional dishes. For the scenery alone, it would have been worth simply going for a drink and resting in the serene setting.   

Cheese medallions encrusted in cornflakes with berry compote

The menu was robust with several dishes to choose from. Since the Bulgarian diet is meat-heavy, it wasn’t surprising to see multiple pages of various animal-based options. To balance, traditional salads, namely the shopska, normally made with hearty chunks of cucumber and tomato, are predictably included in menu selections. There were other vegetarian options, including cheese medallions encrusted in cornflakes. Tapping into one of my favorite childhood cereals, and for the quirkiness, this was a must-try. Food was was served in traditional dishware – bright and intricately painted dishes with a psychedelic-type pattern using various earth tones, including browns, blacks, reds, and yellows. The ambiance was friendly, the service prompt, and the clientele jovial. 

Typical dish of Bulgarian sausage baked with cheese, egg, and pepper

Bulgar Gastro Bar

Kapana is a popular and busy district in the center of Plovdiv. It boasts several hip restaurants that appeal to international palates. On the edge of this neighborhood, and adjacent to the old town, lies Bulgar Gastro Bar. I was immediately attracted to the restaurant; it was small, elegant, and had a chalkboard menu advertising traditional Bulgarian cuisine. It was also located on a less trafficked side street, and still convenient and accessible to visitors.

What made this experience even more special was the approachable and gregarious chef, Stan. On the first visit, he greeted me and my dinner companion as we entered to investigate the menu and inquire about the wines, looking for a generous selection of Bulgarian varieties. He offered a tasting of pickled peppers, which we quickly accepted. This kind gesture, coupled with the confirmation of local wines, was the final straw that drew me to return two days later to try the menu. 

Bulgarian tarator, yogurt-based cold cucumber soup, accompanied by local white wine variety

The ambiance combines Bulgarian country with a modern, chic design, with an intimate and bright interior. Less than a dozen tables are lined up next to each other, flanked by a wall on one side and a large window on the other. There is a homey staircase leading up to the kitchen, adding to the familiar and familial environment. Each of the tables has colorful ceramic dishes and dried flower arrangements elevating the atmosphere with a bucolic feel.

Having had a rather meaty few days of eating, I opted for vegetarian dishes. I had the traditional cucumber soup for a starter, served cold. Although tempted to try the horse sausage, I instead chose the parsley fritters for the main. As a side note, I had noticed that prominence of parsley at other restaurants; whereas I was used to seeing it on my plate as garnish, in Bulgaria, it seems to play a major role in dishes, including full parsley salads. 

Parsley fritters with yogurt-dill sauce and local rose wine variety

After a satisfying meal and scintillating conversation, both with Stan and a couple from Lithuania (who incidentally tried the horse sausage with positive reviews), I opted to finish with strained yogurt topped with rose jelly. It was simple and delightful; three scoops resembling snow-white ice cream, rich and creamy, with dollops of pink rose jelly exploding with floral tones.

When traveling, I enjoy diving into the authentic, then venturing into the contemporary to see how traditional dishes evolve into a modernized version of themselves. Restaurant XIX Century and Bulgar Gastro Bar are two commendable examples of classic Bulgarian fare. For a glimpse into more modern dining, visit the “Smokini and Wine” post.

Restaurant links

Restaurant XIX Century can be found just outside the city center: https://www.facebook.com/Restorant.Siniq.Kos.Plovdiv?utm_source=restaurantguru&utm_medium=referral

Bulgar Gastro Bar is located in the city center near the old town: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100086950628047