Address: 5 Sheinovo Str, Berkovitsa
Opening hours: 10:30 to midnight
Tel.: 0953/ 880 99

Krusteva Kushta is a white building in a style that might best be described as a modern variant of Bulgarian Renaissance.  Part of the second floor stretches out over the street, though the traditional angled wooden support beams aren't present.  The roof is tiled and there is a stone wall attached to the building that surrounds the garden.  Entrance is through a gate in the wall, whereupon one has the choice of going into the building, which offers fairly extensive seating in a series of small to medium-sized rooms on two floors, or in the garden.

The garden is really quite nice and, weather and season permitting, is the place to sit.  The tables are all underneath a tile-roof overhang that wraps around the outer stone wall.  In the middle is a great deal of space devoted to plants - flower and trees in tasteful arrangements and raised boxes.  A small stream usually runs along a channel in the flagstones from a fountain near the entrance, but it wasn't running on my most recent visit.  I'm not sure where the water comes from, if it's from the water system, they might only turn it on in the evenings.  We have even on previous occasions spotted turtles.

Inside, the separate rooms offer some privacy and, a personal favourite, the possibility of a real non-smoking section.  In colder weather, each room has either a lit fireplace or a large heater.  There's something about a fire that really warms you up better than a radiator ever could, and they do keep the fires lit whenever it's cold enough.  A significant point of criticism, however, is that there are only two unisex bathrooms consisting of one stall each, and one of these is in the squat style.  There is also only one sink between them.  This is somewhat annoying, especially with large groups or when the restaurant is crowded.

As with most Bulgarian restaurants, there are few, if any, clients at lunch, so feel free to just show up.  In the evenings, however, especially after eight o'clock, the restaurant is usually quite full and reservations are highly recommended.

The English translations on the menu are somewhat odd, definitely not checked by a native speaker, and the majority of the staff do not speak English.  "Mackeral with becon and creamer", anyone?  However, since the menu gives the name of every dish in both English and Bulgarian, it is possible simply to point and be reasonably well-assured of getting what you ordered, even if you're not entirely sure what it is.

We've been coming to this restaurant for several years now, and I've tried quite a few of the items.  The salad selection is good, two-and-a-half pages, with quite a great deal of variation.  The tarator (1.30 leva), my preferred soup here, comes with walnuts the way God intended, though I like it somewhat colder (though this might have had to do with the power outage).  A long-time favourite is the "Smothered and Steamed Roast Beef" (5.20 leva), which is a beef fillet "smothered" in a very rich sauce - very tasty.  Today, one of my companions ordered the dish that the English translation calls the "Roast Lamb Chop (with dressing)" (seven leva).  Lamb isn't always available, and it's a personal favourite, so I followed suit.  The dish consists of a cut of lamb, well-cooked, covered in gravy with a small ball of rice off to the side.  Another one of our party ordered a chicken "Jarden" (six leva).  This is a rolled, breaded chicken fillet stuffed with melted cheese, peas, corn, peppers and pickles, stuck through with a toothpick and black olive.  It's a bit of an odd combination and not my favourite thing on the menu, but well-prepared, and if you happen to like that sort of thing, it's good.  Both of these dishes come with a side (not all do): a salad of sorts with shredded carrots and cabbage, and French fries.  The chips are nothing special, but not bad, and the cabbage and carrots are just fresh cabbage and carrots.  Other side dishes are available to order, such as steamed vegetables (1.80 leva) or potatoes in butters (1.20 leva), both of which are a decent complement to a meal.

Unfortunately, on this particular day, that part of the city lost power, so our food arrived not quite as warm as might be desired.  Hardly their fault, but I've noticed that Berkovitsa as a city seems to have considerably worse luck with utilities than some.

Though we did not order dessert, the restaurant does have a respectable selection: the creme caramel (one lev), given in the English menu as "caramelized cream", is excellent, as are the crepes (pancakes with marmalade or pancakes with chocolate, both one lev each).

Overall, it's quite a satisfactory dining experience, and very reasonably priced.  The bill for three, including drinks but not tip, came nearly 30 leva.