Mekitsa and Coffee ★ 4.8
Plovdiv's only mekitsa-to-order counter on the pedestrian Knyaz Alexander spine. Classic with sirene, jam, honey, plus pesto or halva combinations daily.
Order: Mekitsa with sirene and honey, Bulgarian coffee
History
Mekitsa is the Bulgarian and Balkan answer to the doughnut or beignet. The Bulgarian version uses a yoghurt-leavened dough that puffs in hot oil. Plovdiv's Mekitsa and Coffee popularised modern combinations alongside the traditional sirene-and-jam pairing, and the fried discs are eaten hot for breakfast from morning counters across the city.
Common allergens: Gluten, Dairy, Egg
Make it at home
Ingredients
- 500g all-purpose flour
- 300ml Bulgarian yoghurt (full fat)
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- Sunflower oil for frying
Method
- Whisk yoghurt with baking soda until foamy.
- Add egg, salt and sugar; mix well.
- Gradually add flour, mixing to a soft sticky dough.
- Cover; rest 1 hour at room temperature.
- Heat 4 cm of oil in a heavy pan to 170 degrees Celsius.
- Pull off pieces of dough and stretch into 10 cm discs.
- Fry in batches for 1 minute per side until deep golden.
- Drain on paper. Serve hot with sirene cheese, jam or powdered sugar.
Tip from the editors. The dough should be sticky, not firm; flour your hands rather than the dough. Eat the mekitsa within five minutes of frying for the best texture.
Where to eat mekitsa
Mekitsa in Plovdiv
Gibb Bakery ★ 4.5
Gibb Bakery in Kuchuk Paris near the Kaufland junction runs through the early-morning queue. Banitsa with butter and milinka sell out before 10:00 daily.
Worth the queue: Butter banitsa
Hali Banitsa Counter ★ 4.6
The old banitsa counter beside Hali sells phyllo pastry under 4 BGN. Marmalade banitsa is the local favorite; queue early, gone by lunch most weekdays.
Try: Banitsa with sirene or marmalade
Hlyab Bakery Ostromila ★ 4.3
Hlyab Bakery on the Komatevsko Shose roundabout near Ostromila runs the southern Plovdiv standard for cheese bureks; second branch sits near the meat shop.
Worth the queue: Cheese burek
More cities are in research. Want mekitsa covered somewhere specific? Tell us where you want to eat.