Dalboka mussels farm

Do you love mussels or want to try them out? Well…I love them, so when I heard there is a mussels farm relatively close to home, I had to check it out! The trip was definitely worth it 🙂

So where is this mussels farm? It is on the Black Sea shore, in Bulgaria, about 30 km away from the Romanian border. The closest town is called Balgarevo. The location is a bit remote, so I’m not sure how you can reach it if you do not come by car, but I’m guessing you can hitchhike from the nearest town. If you do come by car, on the road between Balgarevo and Kavarna you will have to turn left on a small road that will take you to the mussels farm. There’s a roadsign so you can’t miss the left turn 🙂 I added a google map at the bottom of the post so you can view the exact directions 😉

The restaurant is next to the seashore, the view from there is amazing, you can even see the actual farm where they harvest the mussels. It is usually full, but there should be enough parking spots. There are a few parking spots next to the restaurant, but those were full when I went there. There is also a parking place a bit further from the restaurant. If you leave the car there, you will have to go down to the seashore to get to the restaurant. It’s not far, but note that you will have to climb up with a full belly 😛  There are two different restaurants actually, I’m still not sure what is the difference. The one on the right was recommended to me, but it was full when I got there so I went to the one on the left. Next time I will check out the one on the right!

Most of the dishes on the menu are with…..surprise!….mussels! : mussels soup, mussels with rice, stuffed peppers with mussels, mussels on a spit, salads with mussels and also mussels for deserts! I still haven’t decided if I liked the caramel mussels, I found the combination of mussels and something sweet a bit odd, but all the other dishes I tasted were delicious!

There are also a few non-mussels dishes, mostly fish and other sea-food. But I can’ t say much about those, since I only tasted mussels dishes.

For payments they accept levas, euros or lei, but not credit cards. Or at least this was the case when I went there. You could check with them via email or phone just to be sure.

You can also make a reservation, it’s not a bad idea since you might find the place crowded.

Also, if you feel like taking a walk after all those mussels, here’s an idea for you: a visit to Kap Kaliakra. Located only 10 kms away from Dalboka, Kaliakra is a narrow headland on the coast where you can find the ruins of an ancient fortress.

After paying a small entrance fee (here too you can pay using levas, lei or euros), you can go for a walk through the site. It’s not a big site, but it has many ruins of fortified walls, houses, baths and also a tiny museum. And all this is high up on the cliffs, so you can also enjoy the awesome view of the Black Sea. There’s also a small restaurant there and of course lots of souvenirs booths.

If you visit during the summer, you could also head to the beach for a swim, in Bulgaria or Romania. I went to a nice beach in Bulgaria, Shabla beach. It’s a bit difficult to find though…  There are also the resorts on the Romanian shore 🙂 The closest one is Vama Veche.

Useful info

• the cheapest would be to pay in levas, both at the restaurant and the entrace fee to Kap Kaliakra. The exchange rate they use for converting to euros or lei is approximate and rounded up.
• entrance fee to Kap Kaliakra was 10 lei / 2 euros when we visited. I don’t remember the fee in levas.
• GPS coordinates of the Dalboka Restaurants are: 43.403784, 28.389019
• The websites for the restaurants are: the one on the right and the one on the left. They have lots of useful info on the sites, about location, menu and also contact details 😉
• Here‘s a useful link in case you are looking for accommodation on the shore of the Black Sea in Bulgaria

And here’s the google map I promised with all the mentioned locations so you can find them easier 😉 And please let me know if you need other info!

trip date: August 2012