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.
Bulgarian sarmi are cabbage or vine leaves stuffed with rice, minced pork and dill. The Christmas Eve table classic and a winter mehana standby.
Sarmi descend from Ottoman dolma (stuffed vegetables) and were absorbed into Bulgarian Christmas tradition. The pickled cabbage leaf version is winter; vine leaves are summer. Each Bulgarian grandmother has a slightly different ratio. Distinguishable from Romanian sarmale by their dill-heavy seasoning.
4 editor picks for Sarmi in Plovdiv, ranked by editorial score. All Plovdiv signature dishes · Sarmi across every city.
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.
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.
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.
Puldin Restaurant ★ 4.0
old-town · ul. Knyaz Tseretelev 3, 4000 Plovdiv
Puldin sits in a 19th-century Revival merchant's house high in Old Plovdiv. The terrace looks across the city; the kitchen runs classic Bulgarian banqueting.
Learn to cook it, or eat it with a guide
Sarmi 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.