A traditional mehana on a side street in Varna, lovely Bulgarian food including amazing kebabs (try the lamb shaslik!) and of course cheap to boot. The trance background music you can ignore! Was on business in Varna and really wanted to try some local food. I wasn't impressed by the offerings in and around the main square, but was taken there by my local contact, would never have found it otherwise.
Difficult one this - it was dark... Go down Bratka Skorpil Street (Hotel Splendid is on the corner, Cathedral should be behind you) then take the first left after the large villa.
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The Bulgarians enjoy very healthy traditional dining, grilled meats and tons of varied salads, and a reluctance to mix dairy and meat. Particularly in Varna where the tourists keep the restaurants full and vibrant, most any traditional Mehana will boast an extensive menu of salads, meats and fish courses. A fine pork stew called Kavarma, or a hearty bean broth quaintly named Bob are easily found provided you can get your head around the Cyrillic alphabet. Just south of the city square, I recommend the Arkitect restaurant situated next to the police station, or you can try Varna's home-grown chain of restaurants 'Happy'. Although it looks formulaic, the food is excellent and puts our Western fast food experience firmly where it should belong: Dogsdinner Falls USA.
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