Tams House

Tams House is one of Plovdiv's most distinctive author's restaurants, tucked into Zagreb Street 4 right in the heart of Kapana — a small, boutique space that opened in 2018 and quickly became a go-to for anyone serious about food in the city. The backstory is what sets it apart: owners Todor Tanchev (from Plovdiv) and Melissa (Peruvian with Japanese roots) met while cooking in a Michelin-starred restaurant in Napa Valley, and when the timing was right they moved back to Bulgaria and chose Kapana as their home base. The result is a short, weekly-changing menu of modern Bulgarian cuisine with real technique — seasonal ingredients from small regional farms, careful plating, and that kind of thoughtful precision you usually associate with higher-priced fine dining. Dishes move between Bulgarian tradition and unexpected international accents: foie gras mousse with pistachio and house jam served with brioche, duck magret, beet hummus, gnocchi with sausage, potatoes with truffle, beef tongue, the signature "Egg" — a mango-mousse cheesecake wrapped in white chocolate — and other playful creations. A thoughtfully curated list of Bulgarian wines and signature cocktails round it out. The space is small and discreet (there's not even a visible sign outside), so reservations are strongly recommended. A natural pick for anyone who wants to understand what modern Bulgarian cooking can look like when it's done with real ambition.