Staria Chinar

Staria Chinar (The Old Sycamore Tree) Restaurant is a must visit if you are in

Varna and after the local experience. Though not top central it is very popular among the locals who sometimes drive more than an hour in busy traffic to come and sit here.

The restaurant huddles among tall blocks of flats in the close proximity of some of the biggest medical establishments in Varna -the Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital and the St Anna Hospital, the Medical University is close-by too. There is an old sycamore tree in the yard where Staria Chinar was built and which gave it the name. The building is far from fancy - stone, bricks and chipboard under light wood beams. There is a gorgeous fireplace which turns the place in the winter into a warm and cozy retreat in the urban jungle. Furniture and decorations follow the traditional mehana pattern - the traditional clay plates and pots, the traditional fabric of the table cloths, the traditional ornaments and decorations on the walls. Some of these (the hunting trophies mainly) may be not to everybody's taste and liking.

The outside garden is big and spacious and benefits from the natural shade of the trees (sycamore included) around. There is a charcoal BBQ and a section in the menu is dedicated to it.

Staria Chinar cooks and serves traditional Bulgarian and Balkan food. Stews and soups from old recipes offer the unbeatable 'home-cooked' taste. The menu features game and offal recipes, pre-ordered slow cooked specialties, BBQed meats, fresh salads, the typical Bulgarian meatless dishes and classic deserts, a good choice of reasonably priced quality local and imported wines - in brief, the menu will hardly surprise the local cuisine experts. The taste, however, will definitely draw their attention and will throw some light on why Staria Chinar is always bustling with life from day till night.