Bansko is a preferred place for fun and amusement both during the winter and the summer. The resort town, comfortably nestling in the bosom of the Pirin Mountain, attracts tourists from near and far all year round. Nature here is uniquely beautiful, the town is ancient and filled with many sights and the tracks … oh, the white tracks are among the most favorite ones of skiers and snowboarders from all over Europe.
Apart from all the beautiful things, sights and entertainment opportunities, Bansko attracts tourists and its many restaurants where dishes are offered for every taste.
The options for a delicious meal in the resort town are many and the restaurants in the town offer an extremely varied cuisine that will satisfy even the most demanding taste.
Yet, if you are visiting the resort for the first time, despite the numerous restaurants offering international, traditional and specialty cuisine, you are probably asking yourself…
Where and what to eat in Bansko?
*Traditional cuisine
Going to Bansko and not tasting home-made traditional cuisine is like going to Rome and not seeing the Pope.
So just choose one of the many taverns in the town and try kapama, chomlek, katino meze, banska blood pudding or bean in a pot.
Nowhere else will you be lucky enough to taste such delicious dishes as those prepared in Bansko. The secret of the delicious food that is prepared there is that the Bansko natives keep their traditions and prepare the dishes from old, homemade recipes handed down from generation to generation. Almost all dishes typical of Bansko and the region are prepared in clay pots, with many spices, a pinch of love and on a slow fire.
The kapama for example is made in a crock in which rows are made of cabbage, rice and several types of meat (pork, beef, chicken, rabbit and blood pudding). The dish is seasoned with salt, pepper and bay leaf and then is left to simmer for at least 5-10 hours.
Chomlek – knuckle of veal, potatoes, onions and garlic are placed in a crock, seasoned with tomatoes, salt, pepper, bay leaf, water and red wine are poured in and the meat is again left to simmer for a few hours.
Katino Meze – veal or pork tenderloin is cut into pieces and fired, onion, leek, peppers, mushrooms, tomatoes and white wine are added. The dish is seasoned with salt and pepper. It’s served in a gyuveche (a small clay pot).
Prepared in this way and with eco-grown produces, the traditional cuisine in Bansko will definitely make you lick your fingers and ask for more.
And if you are not up for cooked food, then you must try the pride of Bansko natives – banski starets or a flat-sausage. And don’t forget that these appetizers are even more tasty with a beer or a jug of wine from the wine-cellars of the Bansko natives.
*Mediterranean cuisine
You didn’t think that in Bansko, in the middle of the Pirin Mountain, you can enjoy your favorite Italian cuisine? Not so fast! Look for the Leonardo Bansko Italian restaurant on the map and make way for it.
They will not offer you traditional Bansko cuisine here, but will make your senses start to flicker with pleasure. Mediterranean cuisine, astonishing desserts and chocolate delights await you and all that in an extremely stylish and refined setting.
*Serbian cuisine
Who doesn’t like Serbian grill? If you are a fan of pljeskavica (a Serbian spiced meat patty) and huge portions of meat, in Bansko you will find at least a few great places where you can taste as many delicious Serbian grill dishes as you like.
*Irish pub
If you are a beer and fries lover, Bansko has several pubs where you can have some of those. The pubs at the resort offer a simple but tasty food and an abundance of different beers.
*Greek cuisine
The cuisine of our neighbors is well-known and loved here. Therefore if you feel like eating something from the Greek cuisine, in Bansko there are several restaurants where you can enjoy Greek moussaka (a meat-and-vegetable hash), zucchini, lamb chops and different types of fish all prepared deliciously, served together with ouzo and large Greek salads.