3 Best Restaurants in Vidin, Bulgaria

This warm weather restaurant and sister eatery to BBQ Dunava (right next door) is on boats docked in the Danube. The extensive menu puts American seafood shacks to shame. There are more than a dozen salads, ranging from the simple caprese to the captain's salad, with white and red beans, pickles, purple onion, roasted red pepper, and smoked mackerel. Goat cheese with honey and walnuts makes for a pleasant appetizer and a nice compliment to the main event: ultra fresh seafood. Those who don't eat fish can tuck into pastas and risotto or chicken and pork dishes.

Christine and Michael Cooper moved from England to Bulgaria in 2008 and in 2013 opened this lovely social enterprise café. The goal of Phoenix is to educate disadvantaged youth, giving them a chance to aquire skills and do meaningful work. Trainees work at Phoenix for two years, and Michael's hope is that they'll be able to use the skills and knowledge they've gained to find a job. Michael's training as a chef and baker has paid off; he and his staff produce wonderful food–soup, salad, sandwiches, quiche, and delicious desserts best enjoyed with Phoenix's proper coffee and tea.

The café is part of the Coopers' NGO Phoenix Inspire, which works to support the struggling local community and has grown from a place to eat into a small social center, where people can read and exchange English-language books.

A riverside eatery popular with locals, Pizzeria Classic serves quite authentic pizzas as well as a slew of grilled meats, salads, and seafood dishes that make use of local catches. Food is prepared simply, letting the fresh ingredients shine through—think salmon steak served with a lemon and a carrot and celery slaw. Their thick slices of housemade cakes get high marks.