4 Best Restaurants in Arbanasi, Bulgaria

Stone walls and floor, beamed ceiling, and roaring fireplace combine to create a charming medieval-style tavern. Red embroidered tablecloths and pillar candles resting in a candelabra bring further warmth to the 50-seat space, whose walls are dotted with antlers. The outdoor tables sit on a covered patio and the restaurant's idyllic garden has rustic wooden tables shaded by trees and a little playground. The menu is well-rounded enough to please everyone; there's trout for pescetarians and a hearty chicken stew for carnivores. For vegetarians, some light salads, including the shepherd's salad, a Turkish dish of diced tomatoes, cucumbers, onion, and parsley. The shopska salad is similar to the shepherd's but with peppers and sirene, a white brine cheese that akin to feta. For kids, a juvenile dream come true: French fries with cheese.

A super central location draws in Arbanasi sightseers, who stay for Arbat's excellent home-made bread, best washed down with locally-brewed Boliarka beer. The food served is traditional Bulgarian pub grub. On any given day two of the four clay pot stews are available–fish, chicken, lamb, or veal–alongside grilled meats, fried potatoes, and shepherd's and shopska salads; the former is a Turkish salad of chopped tomatoes, onions, cucumbers, and parsley and the latter is similar, but with peppers and cubes of sirene, a mild white brine cheese similar to feta. Service here is a bit slow, and some staff members do not speak English as well as others; check your bill to make sure there are no mistakes.

Avoid the street-side tables closest to the bus stop.

A 17th-century residence turned tavern, Izvora has a verdant, spacious garden with swimming pool and play equipment. Service is slow, but there's free Wi-Fi and kids can entertain themselves outdoors. Expect standard Bulgarian pub fare such as meat stews served with housemade bread and Turkish-influenced salads of diced tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, parsley, peppers, and sirene (a white brine cheese similar to feta). Yogurt with honey and nuts is a sweet, refreshing end to the meal. Wash it all down with Boliarka beer, brewed in Veliko Tarnovo.

The coffee here is subpar; avoid it.

Knock-out views and a fenced-in outdoor playground make this the ideal spot for sundowners and a break from the kids. The terrace and window tables at the Park Hotel Sevastokrator's restaurant offer sweeping vistas of Veliko Tarnovo and the Stara Planina Mountain, particularly picturesque when snow-capped. The food is traditional Bulgarian cuisine gone slightly upmarket to match the hotel setting; look for hearty meat stews served with thick slices of bread, roasted trout; fragrant garlic flat bread, and slices of grilled local cheeses, like sirene (a white brine cheese), topped with herbs from the garden. The restaurant seats 180, but reservations are recommended for outdoor and window tables.