Local dishes
Kapama, banitsa and shopska salad: this is what the Pirin tastes like.
Kapamaspeciality of Bansko
Mehanatraditional restaurant
Melniklocal wine
Babuchour tip in Dobrinishte
Eating in the mountains
Honest, hearty and made with love
The cuisine of the Pirin is simple and full of flavour: vegetables from the garden, sheep's cheese, slow-cooked meat from the clay pot and a glass of local wine. Preferably eat in a mehana, a traditional restaurant with a wood fire.
Our tip
Babuch Mehana in Dobrinishte
Our favourite mehana in the village. Cosy, honest food and a real Bulgarian atmosphere. This is where you eat like the locals.
Ask us for directions
What you must taste
Our favourites
Bansko specialityKapamaMeat, sausage, rice and sauerkraut, cooked for up to ten hours in a sealed clay pot. The festive dish of the region, so often on Sundays or at a celebration.
Bansko specialityBanski staretsDried, spiced sausage from Bansko. Delicious with a glass of wine.
SaladShopska salataTomato, cucumber, pepper and onion with grated white cheese. With every meal.
BreakfastBanitsaFilo pastry with white cheese and egg. Warm from the oven at the bakery.
From the potKavarmaStew of meat, onion and pepper, served in an earthenware dish.
From the grillKebapche and kyufteGrilled minced-meat rolls and balls, with chips and cheese.
SummerTaratorCold soup of yoghurt, cucumber, garlic and dill. Perfect on a hot day.
SauceLyutenitsaSauce of roasted pepper and tomato. On bread, with meat, with everything.
From the ovenSirene po shopskiWhite cheese with egg, tomato and pepper, baked in a clay pot. With bread for dipping.
To shareMeshana skaraA large board of grilled meat and sausages, for the whole table.
SoupShkembe chorbaTripe soup with garlic and vinegar. For enthusiasts, and according to Bulgarians good after a long night.
DrinksRakia and Melnik wineRakia as an aperitif, and wine from Melnik with the meal.
DrinksBozaLightly fermented grain drink, sweet and nutty. At breakfast with a piece of banitsa.
Good to know
Eating out in Bulgaria
MehanaA traditional restaurant, often with a wood fire and sometimes live folk music.
Salad firstBulgarians start with a salad and rakia, then comes the main course.
White cheeseSirene, a kind of feta, is in many dishes. Definitely try it.
MarketAt the weekly markets you buy fresh vegetables, cheese, honey and herbs.
MealtimesThe main meal is in the evening around 20:00. During the day you eat something small: banitsa, fruit or a toastie from the kiosk.
YoghurtThe bacterium that makes yoghurt is called Lactobacillus bulgaricus, after Bulgaria. Supermarkets stock dozens of kinds.
More places
Where we like to eat
Chevermeto, BanskoA cosy, traditional mehana in Bansko, with meat from the spit.
Mechomiya, RazlogOn the edge of the town park, in an old Ottoman bathhouse.
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Tasting in Bansko
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