Mehana Kranevo
Address: Main square, Kranevo
Opening hours: 11:00 - 00:00
The town of Kranevo is the poor relation to Bulgaria’s Zlatni Pyasutsi (Golden Sands). It lies on the Black Sea, four km from the metropolis and attracts predominantly Bulgarian holidaymakers rather than the wealthy Westerners who flock to the Sands. Yet there is one gem in Kranevo, which is too good to miss.
Mehana Kranevo is adjacent to the main square. It was built in 2005 in traditional Bulgarian style, coloured in a vibrant reddish-orange, which compliments the natural stone walls and the wooden beams. The sheer burst of colour, from the abundance of pink pelargoniums, golden marigolds and blood-red roses, to the bright facade, lures visitors in to savour this authentic outdoor kitchen.
In winter, the restaurant houses its guests indoors and food is cooked over a small open fire. In summer, the main focus is a delightful stone courtyard with a crystal-clear pond. Tables are organised around this area under a covered terrace, which lends both shade and privacy. This is a great place for kids to run about without disturbing other diners; mine always seem to occupy themselves hanging over the miniature bridge, which straddles the pond.
A waiter dressed in a Bulgarian costume brings a picture menu. It does not really do justice to the food they serve here, yet the pictures help, as the translation of each dish into four different languages provides endless amusement (what is pork chomlet?).
The service is friendly, but there are sometimes long delays between dishes and we have found it best to order a good selection of food to share. The salads on the menu are enormous (500g) with names harking back to the old days of the partisans, names like Karakchan, Rozhenska and Corsair. Prices range between three to five leva.
There is a wide selection of tasty meat dishes and you can watch the chefs cook them on the outdoor BBQ while the aroma of spices wafts through the air. The lamb served here is delicious and we always make a point of taking a jar of mint sauce, much to the amusement of the waiters.
On this visit, I ordered lamb kavarma, a type of lamb stew cooked with large tender chunks of lamb, tomatoes, peppers and onions and served in a rustic clay pot. My husband ordered a lamb shashlik, a huge skewer of meat and vegetables, far too big for one person to manage, which is good because our sons are like scavengers the minute it appears. Another family favourite is the Broccoli Kranevo Style, a healthy and delicious broccoli dish with Roquefort cheese.
We always add a mystery dish to our selection. The prices are so reasonable here that it is worth taking a chance in the hope that you discover some new Bulgarian culinary classic. The choice is always a difficult one; we pondered over the Girlish Dream, the Delicacy Karakachans style and the Gizzards with Onion. In the end, we opted for the Ducks and Chicken Hearts in Butter. My son thought they would not be real hearts, just pieces of meat cut into hearts, when they arrived they did indeed look like heart shapes and they tasted delicious. For dessert, we chose Ice Cream Baklava.
Drinks here are reasonably priced; soft drinks are 1.50 leva, beer 1.90 leva. If you feel like splashing out, there is an excellent wine list with bottles of merlot ‘84 at 50 leva each. During summer evenings, there is live music and it is a great place to learn some traditional Bulgarian dancing (horo, anyone?).
It is well worth making the journey to Kranevo to dine here. This is a good-quality restaurant where you can enjoy real Bulgarian cuisine in a traditional, unspoilt atmosphere: you will not be disappointed.
