3 Best Restaurants in 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.

One of several Nessebar restaurants that offers the winning combination of good, locally caught fish and unmissable sea views—especially at sunset—this place's biggest selling point is its large outdoor terrace, shaded by a long wooden pergola. Because of the massive portion sizes, the excellent salads are often a good option unless you are ravenous. Several meaty Bulgarian classics are offered, and the grilled prawns are particularly good. The prices are very reasonable to boot. During the peak summer months there is live music some nights.

The historic city of Nessebar has several good dining options, and the place named after the town is one of the best. Located right on the coast, the tables on the terrace are right by the water. You can be sure of a friendly welcome here, and the food—from fresh-caught fish to the grilled meats specials that pepper restaurant menus across the Balkans—is both tasty and hearty, as well as being an exceptionally good value.