Author: Neda Zagorchinova
It happens to everyone to find themselves in the following situation - Saturday afternoon, having coffee with friends, but from one the coffee turns into two, even three, then into beers, wine, hours pass, and all of a sudden nothing is left from your rich breakfast. Hunger creeps in slowly but surely, and the stomach begins to signal that all of these drinks need some food. But the conversation is in full swing, all kinds of socially important, personal and lifestyle topics are passionately debated and we do not want to miss any part of the party.
Two or three other members of the group usually also share your desire to eat, and you immediately start thinking frantically and giving ideas of where you can eat something quickly. Plovdiv is full of cool restaurants, but sitting in a restaurant in such a situation will take at least an hour, which removes it as an option.
There are many fast food spots that each of us has heard of, visited dozens of times at 4 am after leaving the Nylon, but now I will try to suggest a few places that you will not think of right away, but definitely worth visiting.
We will start the secret tour of Plovdiv’s Fast Food spots with the doner kebab on Ivan Vazov Street. Located two steps away from the Little Lilyana is my favorite doner kebab in Plovdiv. At first glance, a small and unpretentious building, which hides the most delicious Arabic specialty in the city. There's definitely a special spice I couldn't recognize, but it's what makes you say "m-m-m-m" on the first bite. Its working hours are a bit unpredictable, during the week it is open mainly during the day, and on weekends sometimes doesn't work at all, so it's a matter of luck to find it open, but if the planets are arranged correctly and you can try it, don't forget to tell us if it was finger licking good.
Another serious contestant for the title of Fast Food King of Plovdiv is Tasty Bar & Pizza on the small street next to the Halls. Right on the corner (next to our favorite lingerie and sock shops) is this little paradise of fast food pizzas. Whichever you choose, you will not go wrong and you will want to come back immediately for another one. I recommend the Vegetarian and Salsiche.
For the fans of retro food among us, the "school shop" type of food, I recently discovered a little treasure near the Thursday Market. According to Google Maps, its name is "Meskom Popov - Pri Chichaka", but my friends know him as "Karavankata". They took me to try it and it brought me back to the distant 2007 on the bench in front of the school. There you can eat all kinds of grilled meat, and as the name suggests, the place is supplied by Popov. There are divine french fries that are served with garlic sauce, and the real nostalgia struck me when I ordered a toaster sandwich with the addition of Russian and youghrt salad – absolutely delicious.
But let's not forget the uncle with the Hot Dog next to the Halls. Between the Halls and the North Star restaurant there is a tiny white stand, where for a small price, you can experience a huge culinary pleasure with a retro hot dog. The recipe is simple - bun, sausage and sauces, but the bonus is that you can ask for lyutenitsa and sharena sol and so the combination becomes just like the old times.
I wish you bon appetite and don't forget to let me know if you visit one of my favorite Fast Food places. And if you come up with a place that we can include in the list - we are expecting your recommendations!