Spotlight on Staria Chinar: make yourself at home
Twenty-three years of warmth, hospitality and good food
Our spotlight falls on a familiar name with a clear philosophy and that welcome feeling of being at home.
Staria Chinar is a restaurant group built over many years around hospitality. Warmth is an attitude here, towards the food, the space and everyone who walks through the door. A varied menu combines Bulgarian recipes with carefully chosen seasonal produce. Across the restaurants, you’ll find oven-cooked and charcoal-grilled dishes, fresh Black Sea fish, nose-to-tail beef specialities, homemade preserves and recipes drawn from old notebooks. Weekdays have their pleasures, too: a freshly prepared lunch menu suits a quick meal or a more leisurely meeting. The story began in 2003, beneath a century-old plane tree on a well-known Varna street. A small team set out to create a place where the welcome mattered as much as the food.
Twenty-three years later, that approach remains. Varna is the first stop on the journey, with four locations of distinct character. On Makedonia Street, the restaurant offers a traditional Bulgarian setting and recipes from old notebooks, interpreted with skill and a personal touch.
On Preslav Street, the setting is a 112-year-old house that retains the spirit of the last century,
bringing flavours and memories together. Seasonal herbs, oven cooking and charcoal barbecue give the food its fragrance. Staria Chinar Port pairs Black Sea flavours with Mediterranean touches, while the Sevastopol Square address combines contemporary city details with references to the past.
In Sofia, Staria Chinar welcomes guests at 71 Dondukov Boulevard, in a cosy house with a garden dating from 1922, serving traditional Bulgarian food.
The newest addition is at 17 Shipchenski Prohod Boulevard,
in a wooded setting with a spacious garden, parking and a children’s area. A modern interior has something of a mountain retreat’s warmth, making it suited to celebrations, family dinners and business lunches. What joins these places is simple: the feeling that you’re welcome, that someone has thought about your comfort and that the food has been prepared with care. Sometimes that’s everything you need.
Spotlight on O’Nebesa: brunch on a higher level (in Bulgarian)
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