Dieci Boutique Restaurant

Dieci Boutique Restaurant is a fine-dining establishment in the village of Devino, Bulgaria. It was established by chef Gianfranco Chiarini, his wife and sommelier Anna Chiarini, and business partner Jimmy Beasley. The restaurant occupies a former village elementary-school building that was constructed roughly 120 years ago and had remained unused since the late 1990s, after the dissolution of the Soviet Union. The adaptive reuse of that building is central to Dieci’s identity: rather than presenting itself as a conventional urban luxury restaurant, it combines a remote rural setting, a restored historic structure, tightly controlled guest numbers, and an explicitly environmental operating model. Dieci’s service is deliberately intimate. It offers a seasonal ten-course tasting menu to no more than ten guests per evening. The menu is described as strictly farm-to-table and uses Bulgarian ingredients exclusively, making local sourcing and the interpretation of Bulgarian produce central to its culinary proposition. The restaurant’s format places emphasis on the complete experience—food, wine and beverage service, architecture, hospitality, and the story of the building—rather than on high-volume dining or an extensive à la carte offer. Anna Chiarini’s role as sommelier is part of that integrated hospitality model, while Gianfranco Chiarini leads the kitchen and culinary direction. Sustainability is a defining part of the brand rather than a secondary operational claim. Dieci sources its water from a natural deep well, uses environmentally oriented renovation materials including hemp-based insulation and carpeting, processes its own food waste, and recycles plastic, glass, metal, and paper. The restaurant became energy-independent and zero-waste in 2024. In 2025, it received a three-star rating from London-based Sustainable Restaurant Association and was described as the only fully sustainable restaurant in Bulgaria at that time. Green Key International, headquartered in Copenhagen, named it the most sustainable restaurant in Eastern Europe in 2025; Dieci renewed its Green Key environmental certification in 2026. The restaurant has also expanded its cultural and professional profile through publications and gastronomic organizations. In 2023, it published One of a Kind, a book about its philosophy, design, and culinary approach. A second book, Dieci & Beyond, appeared in early 2026 and documents elements of the restaurant’s sustainability practices alongside selected recipes. In 2026, Dieci became the official headquarters of the Bailliage de Bulgarie, the Bulgarian chapter of La Chaîne des Rôtisseurs. It also received Ospitalità Italiana certification from the Italian Chambers of Commerce, a designation intended for restaurants outside Italy that meet standards relating to Italian authenticity, quality, and hospitality. In the same year, chef-owner Gianfranco Chiarini was admitted to the Associazione Italiana Ambasciatori del Gusto, with the admission formally marked at a ceremony in Milan on 30 July 2026. Recognition accelerated in 2026. Dieci was included in the La Liste Top 1000 restaurants in the world and was named Restaurant of the Year Aqua Panna & S.Pellegrino at the Bacchus Restaurant of the Year awards in Sofia on 12 March 2026. Bulgarian broadcaster NOVA TV reported that the restaurant could become the first in Bulgaria to receive a Michelin star if the Michelin Guide expands into the country, although this was presented as a possibility rather than an awarded distinction. Dieci’s positioning therefore rests on a combination of destination fine dining, Bulgarian sourcing, intimate service, environmental performance, and international culinary recognition.

Dieci Boutique Restaurant operates from a former elementary school in Devino, Bulgaria. The building was erected approximately 120 years ago and was left vacant from the late 1990s, following the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Its conversion into a restaurant gave the founders a setting in which architecture, locality, and hospitality could be treated as parts of one concept rather than as separate design elements. The restaurant was founded by chef Gianfranco Chiarini, sommelier Anna Chiarini, and business partner Jimmy Beasley. The founders developed a small-capacity model centered on a seasonal ten-course tasting menu. Service is limited to no more than ten guests per evening, allowing the restaurant to maintain close control over preparation, presentation, hospitality, and sourcing. Its culinary approach is farm-to-table and is based exclusively on Bulgarian ingredients, connecting the menu to local agriculture and regional produce. Environmental performance became a major part of Dieci’s operating model. The restaurant draws water from a natural deep well and used environmentally oriented materials, including hemp-based insulation and carpeting, during renovation. It processes its own food waste and recycles plastic, glass, metal, and paper. In 2024, Dieci became energy-independent and zero-waste. These practices helped establish a reputation that extends beyond conventional restaurant awards and into sustainability certification. In 2025, Dieci received a three-star rating from the Sustainable Restaurant Association in London. It was described at the time as the only 100% sustainable restaurant in Bulgaria. Green Key International subsequently named it the most sustainable restaurant in Eastern Europe for 2025. The Green Key certification was renewed in 2026. Dieci also documented its philosophy in publishing. One of a Kind was released in 2023 and examined the restaurant’s concept, design, and culinary approach. In early 2026, the restaurant published Dieci & Beyond, which covered aspects of its sustainability practices and included a selection of recipes. The restaurant’s professional standing expanded in 2026. It was included in the La Liste Top 1000 restaurants in the world and became the official headquarters of the Bailliage de Bulgarie, the Bulgarian chapter of La Chaîne des Rôtisseurs. It received Ospitalità Italiana certification from the Italian Chambers of Commerce, recognizing compliance with standards related to Italian authenticity, quality, and hospitality. Gianfranco Chiarini was also admitted to the Associazione Italiana Ambasciatori del Gusto, with a formal ceremony held in Milan on 30 July 2026. On 12 March 2026, Dieci was named Restaurant of the Year Aqua Panna & S.Pellegrino at the Bacchus Restaurant of the Year awards in Sofia. Bulgarian broadcaster NOVA TV reported that Dieci could become the first restaurant in Bulgaria to receive a Michelin star if the Michelin Guide expands into the country. This report indicated potential future recognition, not an existing Michelin star.

• 2026

  International and national recognition

  [1]Dieci Boutique Restauranten.wikipedia.org

  Dieci renewed its Green Key certification, entered the La Liste Top 1000, became the Bulgarian headquarters of La Chaîne des Rôtisseurs, received Ospitalità Italiana certification, and won Bacchus Restaurant of the Year.

• 2026

  Publication of Dieci & Beyond

  [1]Dieci Boutique Restauranten.wikipedia.org

  Dieci published a second book documenting sustainability practices and selected recipes.

• 2026

  Gianfranco Chiarini joins Ambasciatori del Gusto

  [1]Dieci Boutique Restauranten.wikipedia.org

  Chef-owner Gianfranco Chiarini was formally welcomed into the Associazione Italiana Ambasciatori del Gusto at a Milan ceremony on 30 July 2026.

• 2025

  Sustainability certifications and recognition

  [1]Dieci Boutique Restauranten.wikipedia.org

  Dieci received a three-star Sustainable Restaurant Association rating and was named by Green Key International as the most sustainable restaurant in Eastern Europe.

• 2024

  Energy independence and zero-waste milestone

  [1]Dieci Boutique Restauranten.wikipedia.org

  The restaurant became energy-independent and zero-waste.

• 2023

  Publication of One of a Kind

  [1]Dieci Boutique Restauranten.wikipedia.org

  Dieci published One of a Kind, a book presenting its philosophy, design, and culinary approach.

A destination fine-dining restaurant positioned around intimate hospitality, Bulgarian terroir, seasonal tasting-menu cuisine, adaptive reuse, and unusually rigorous sustainability practices.

• Fine dining

  Seasonal ten-course tasting menu

  Dieci’s principal offering is a seasonal ten-course tasting menu served in an intentionally small setting. The menu is farm-to-table and uses Bulgarian ingredients exclusively. Its limited capacity and fixed-course structure allow the kitchen to adjust the experience to seasonal availability while maintaining close control over sourcing, preparation, and presentation.

• Beverage service

  Sommelier-led beverage service

  Beverage service forms part of the restaurant’s wider fine-dining experience, with Anna Chiarini serving as sommelier and co-founder. Specific wine lists, pairing formats, and commercial details are not identified in the available reference material.

• Book · 2026

  Dieci & Beyond

  Dieci & Beyond is a restaurant publication released in early 2026. It documents elements of Dieci’s sustainability practices and includes a selection of recipes, extending the restaurant’s philosophy beyond the dining room.

• Book · 2023

  One of a Kind

  One of a Kind, published in 2023, presents the restaurant’s philosophy, design, and culinary approach. It serves as a record of Dieci’s concept and the relationship between its setting, food, and hospitality.

• 2026

  Appointment as Bailliage de Bulgarie headquartersOther

  Background

  La Chaîne des Rôtisseurs is an international gastronomic society with a Bulgarian chapter.

  Action taken

  Dieci became the official headquarters of the Bailliage de Bulgarie.

  Aftermath

  The appointment strengthened the restaurant’s role as a formal gastronomic and hospitality venue in Bulgaria.

  Source

• 2024

  Adoption of energy-independent, zero-waste operationsStrategy

  Background

  Dieci’s concept places environmental performance alongside culinary quality and hospitality.

  Action taken

  The restaurant adopted an operating model described as energy-independent and zero-waste, supported by waste processing, materials recycling, and environmentally oriented infrastructure.

  Aftermath

  The change preceded later sustainability recognition, including Sustainable Restaurant Association and Green Key accolades.

  Source

1. 1Dieci Boutique Restauranten.wikipedia.org