Food Walk Plovdiv: Bulgarian Food and Culture Tour
Taste Plovdiv like a local, with the locals! Visit a number of different locations, each with its unique taste and significance in the history of our city and culture.
Rakia is the Bulgarian fruit brandy, typically distilled from grape (grozdova) or plum (slivova). The shot accompanies almost every Bulgarian meal start.
Rakia distillation reached Bulgaria from the Ottoman Empire in the 15th century. Bulgarian villages still distil home rakia each autumn from grape and plum harvests. The Plovdiv plain's grape harvest feeds both the wine and rakia industries; the strongest grozdova reaches 55 percent ABV, and shots are poured before nearly every meal in the city.
4 editor picks for Rakia in Plovdiv, ranked by editorial score. All Plovdiv signature dishes · Rakia across every city.
Pavaj ★ 4.7
kapana · ul. Zlatarska 7, 4000 Plovdiv
Raycho Markov sources from his father's farm 20 km outside Plovdiv; the short Pavaj menu rotates with the seasons in this Kapana neighborhood flagship.
Stariyat Plovdiv ★ 4.3
kapana · ul. Frederic Joliot-Curie 6A, 4000 Plovdiv
Tucked on a Kapana side street with a shaded rooftop, Stariyat Plovdiv runs a stone pizza oven and charcoal grill alongside traditional Bulgarian classics.
Restaurant Alafrangite ★ 4.3
old-town · ul. Kiril Nektariev 13, 4000 Plovdiv
Restaurant Alafrangite occupies an 18th-century Revival house with a courtyard garden in Old Plovdiv. Traditional Bulgarian salads and meat dishes anchor.
Boris Palace ★ 4.3
old-town · ul. Saborna 49, 4000 Plovdiv
Boris Palace, a Saborna Street Revival mansion turned boutique hotel, serves Bulgarian and European cooking with vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options.
Learn to cook it, or eat it with a guide
Rakia makes more sense with someone from Plovdiv explaining it. These are the classes and tours we have checked, with booking links.
Book food experiences in Plovdiv
Plovdiv:Rural Tasting in Academic Winery &Artisan Dairy Farm
Taste wines at an academic estate and sheep cheese at a family farm in the countryside.
From Plovdiv: Thracian Heritage Wine Tasting & Lunch
Organic winery visit, 5 wine tastings & countryside lunch in the Thracian Valley.