Prices in Bulgaria

What will eating out cost us in Bulgaria? For a visitor's view, we asked Delia Vagner, one of the translation team, who has been living in Sofia for several months. She is quick to point out that where she is in the capital city prices may be slightly different than those we will find in Ruse.

1 lev (plural; leva) is about 0,5€, 1GBP=2,30 leva. It's a fixed exchange rate and you can change money in banks (recommended) or in some small shops.

It is usual to give tips (baksheesh) in Bulgaria. 10% is a good tip in a restaurant. You can go higher for excellent service, but never drop below 5%. Waiting staff are almost all on minimum wage and depend on tips.

Let's start with the most important (and the deadliest)
Beer
costs 1-2 leva in shops, 2-4 leva in bars.
Local brands are Shumensko, Zagorska, Ariana... but you can find German, Belgian and others brands as well.

Cigarettes
cost 4-6 leva. Since 1st June, smoking has been prohibited in some public places (restaurants, some bars, etc.)

Coffee/tea
1-1,50 leva

Sandwich
2-4 leva
You can also try banitsa, a sort of cheese pie, and princesa, a sort of toasted bread with cheese and ham on it.

Loaf of bread
1 lev

Taxi
I don't know about the prices in Ruse, but taxis are very cheap in Sofia (about 0,55-0,70 leva/km)

EATING OUT

Meat dishes are the mainstay of Bulgarian cuisine. There are many variations on stew.  Kepabcheta or kufte are typical dishes, based on spicy ground meat formed into patties or balls. These can be purchased on the street as snacks, or, along with other meat dishes, may be accompanied by vegetables or potatoes at restaurants.

Soup
2-4 leva.
Please try tarator and shkembe chorba
Tarator is a cold soup (or a liquid salad) made of yoghurt, cucumber, garlic, walnut, dill, sunflower oil and water and is served chilled or even with ice.
Shkembe chorba is tripe soup with a little paprika. It is so popular that until the 1980's there were restaurants devoted solely to it.

Salad
4-7 leva.
Please try shopska salata ... made with tomatoes, cucumbers, onion, roasted peppers, serene (white brine cheese) and parsley.

Main courses
5-10 leva.
My favourite, which is actually a starter, is sirene po shopski. Think of feta cheese and mozzarella layered with chilies, tomatoes, roasted peppers, oregano and parsley and an egg on top.

Deserts

Baklava, halva, Turkish delight and excellent ice-creams are common. Garash is a much-loved form of chocolate cake based on walnut kernels and egg-whites in 2mm layers.

Mineral water
1 lev

boza
DO try boza. It's the national drink! It is a malt drink made from maize and millet and about 1% alcoholic.
(That's a joke, it is disgusting!)