17 unusual restaurants in Sofia

Bulgaria. Are you wondering what are the best restaurants in Sofia? Sofia restaurants with national cuisine, music, or restaurants that serve dishes of other national cuisines that have already become classics, few people can be surprised. However, unusual places, cafes and restaurants might be of interest to even the most experienced visitor.

1. Coffee Shop 2 Giraffes

This coffee shop is interesting in its interior – long bookshelves, upholstered chairs, walls decorated with giraffes. According to the reviews of the guests who visited it, it serves the best coffee of different varieties in Sofia. Tea made according to an Egyptian recipe. Food is served here on wooden trays in the form of hearts. Friendly, friendly staff. Suitable for a small snack and lovers of coffee with sweets.

2. Q-ftetaria Restaurant

It is a small restaurant, without knowledge of Sofia's city, it is tough to find it, it is located inside a residential building. You need to climb the stairs to the second floor, open the iron door, and are there. The restaurant's main specialty is meatballs and grilled meat dishes—and an excellent selection of Bulgarian wines and beers. The interior also deserves attention – bookshelves under the ceiling, paintings in the style of surrealism, and opposite the entrance. It is impossible not to notice the refrigerator "Zil", painted in scarlet, which returns to the recent past and contributes to nostalgia.

3. Arena di Serdica Boutique Hotel

The bar is located inside Arena di Serdica Boutique Hotel; its main feature is designing the ruins of an ancient Roman amphitheater. Tables are placed among the ruins.  It is an atmospheric place. It helps to imagine yourself as a Roman emperor, be transported to that era, and drink wine. In addition to the atmosphere, the quality of the snacks and drinks served is good. Suitable for history lovers and romantics.

4. Gurkha Restaurant

Gurkha is one of the best restaurants in Sofia. In addition to serving Indian cuisine, the restaurant also specializes in Nepali cuisine. The atmosphere in the restaurant is homely. The interior has colorful decor, a fireplace in the corner. The restaurant has been operating for more than two decades and still manages to keep the quality of the dishes at a high level and be the number one in preparing homemade Oriental food. It is suitable for a quick snack during sightseeing and a longer meal, such as lunch or dinner.

5. Monastery Cook House Restaurant

It is a national Bulgarian cuisine restaurant, but it is interesting because it contains recipes from one hundred and sixty monasteries from all over the country. Bulgaria is famous for its ancient recipes. The monastery cuisine is famous for simple but delicious dishes. The interior is quite simple, decorated in the style of a national wooden hut with brick walls, a wooden ceiling, and examples of utensils—a good selection of various dishes, national drinks, and wines.

6. L'etranger Restaurant

The institution is considered one of the most prestigious. Here is dominated by French cuisine so that guests can enjoy the best of fine French cuisine. The staff speaks several foreign languages, knows the menu well, can suggest the composition of unfamiliar dishes. The service and quality of the dishes are at a high level. There are no dissatisfied guests who visited it.

7. Pastorant Restaurant

It is a restaurant for fans of Italian cuisine, classics in cooking. Here you can try both classic dishes, such as pasta of different types, risotto, salads, and original dishes, delicious desserts. A large selection of Italian wines, both expensive and at a reasonable price, in short, for every budget.

8. Te Quiero Restaurant

The restaurant serves Spanish cuisine for lovers of paella and other famous Spanish dishes. In the warmer months, guests can enjoy a meal in the picturesque garden, in the fresh air. Guests can also relax in the grandly decorated hall. Despite the fairly high price level, this place is visited by many regular guests and tourists, which indicates the high quality of the dishes served and the high level of service. This place is suitable both for special events and for a romantic dinner together.

9. China Dreams Restaurant

This Chinese restaurant is located near the centre of Sofia. There is an atmosphere of peace and comfort, pleasant music; the interior will surprise you with a variety of bright colors. The dishes here range from the simplest and most homely to the most refined haute cuisine. Chinese cuisine is notable because it consists of several main components that can be combined in different ways and satisfy even the most demanding taste. Dishes are prepared quite quickly, but they retain useful substances—a large selection of various desserts, drinks of different degrees of strength. At the end of the meal, guests will be introduced to the rituals of tea ceremonies. The staff is very friendly and provides nice service.

10. O!Shipka Restaurant

It is a chain of restaurants. It is popular among Russian emigrants. Russian Cultural Information Center is located in front of one of the restaurants of this chain. It often hosts various meetings of compatriots, etc. The restaurant is interesting in its name because Shipka is the place where the decisive battle of the Russian army with the Turkish army for the liberation of Bulgaria from the Ottoman yoke took place. When pronouncing the name, it turns out to be a play on words, which many people find funny. There are covered tables in the garden, and there is also a room where guests can sit in the warmth of winter. In the bar, the waiters are men. The restaurant is also famous for a variety of delicious dishes and, at the same time, low prices. Parking is available near the restaurant. You can almost always find a free space to your liking.

11. Buffet Restaurant

The restaurant is located in the center of Sofia. It is interesting because its entire interior is assembled from various old things that can be found at the parents, grandmothers. If modern apartments and houses are considered unnecessary junk, then it is an interesting decorated interior. Someone will come here to feel nostalgic for ancient times, and someone younger will come here as a museum of interesting things. It is also a restaurant with delicious cuisine with a Czech twist; for example, it serves Czech beer with fried sausages. Dishes are also varied and interesting. The menu is varied. This place is very popular, and you need to reserve a table in advance. The guests are served by three girls, two of whom are the owners of this institution; they are also colorfully dressed and correspond to the restaurant's appearance. Paid parking is available nearby.

12. Restaurant-sladkarnitsa Laguna

The restaurant is located in the heart of the city on a street that runs parallel to the tourist boulevard. This restaurant has two floors and a winter garden with streams, fountains, and swimming pools. Almost all the plants here are alive. It is one of the best restaurants in Sofia, which makes a variety of cakes to order. You can also try these cakes in the restaurant. The menu is very rich, not only various desserts and sweets, here you can also have a full lunch or dinner. Smoking is not allowed in the restaurant. The staff is polite, unobtrusive, serves correctly. This place is very attractive for children because here you can try so many sweets. For example, you can find there sweet pizza, various dishes from pancakes, pizza from ice cream and fruit, and other sweet dishes. Here everyone will find something to their taste.

13. Cafe Barista Coffe and more

The cafe is located in Sofia, a few meters from the Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry. It is always sparsely populated and quiet. In front of the cafe there is a small, but always free paid Parking. Here they make good coffee of several types, and there are also cakes, delicious sandwiches, tea, and juices on the menu. Here, the guest makes the order at the counter, and the waiter comes to clean up the dishes. Even if you are sitting at a table and waiting for a waiter, he will always come. The cafe periodically sells books and paintings. On the stands are postcards-invitations to various exhibitions and sales, as well as premieres of theatrical productions. In this cafe, you can drink a good coffee with a cake and learn Sofia's cultural news and find out what Bulgaria lives like in a cultural sense.

14. Restaurant Supabar

The restaurant is located in the city center, on the corner of two streets. The main menu consists of Bulgarian national soups and a small number of salads.  The interior is notable for its large windows and almost homely atmosphere. Here you can try several types of national shkembe soup, cheese and tomato soup, chicken soup. All soups cost the same – 3 leva, about 1.5 euros. They are served in large cups, and seasonings, croutons, and grated cheese can be taken independently to your liking at the bar. The menu with prices is written on a slate above the distributor's head. The restaurant is conveniently located in the Sofia hydrothermal spring, next to the mineral Bath and Halite tourist market.

15. Restaurant Mahaloto

The restaurant is interesting for its name, so Mahaloto means "pendulum". The restaurant is located in the basement. The service is unobtrusive, but the dishes are delivered on time and in the right order. It is good here. Even in smoking halls, there are no unpleasant odors. The menu is varied, consisting of national, Bulgarian, and European dishes. The prices here are average, not the highest. There are also more expensive unusual restaurants. Among the restaurant guests, you can see famous Sofia photographers, Bulgarian TV stars, and writers.

16. 13-те стъпала Restaurant

The restaurant is located in the very center of Sofia. Like most restaurants in the center of Sofia, it is located inside the courtyard. These best restaurants are called the restaurant "the garden," that is, the restaurant is a garden. Although there is winter, it is closed from the elements of the room. The restaurant has three floors and all stylized as the Middle Ages, the chivalric era. There is a separate room for the company, at an oval table and also a fireplace.  There is a knight's hall located in the basement. It's cool there, even in the hottest summer weather. The owner of the restaurant himself meets the guests, and male waiters serve them. What is typical for such a restaurant, it has a lot of stairs. The toilet is organically organized. There are even hygiene items. That you can not even find in every hotel, this restaurant is good for business meetings, and it is also suitable for people who love history and the Middle Ages.

17. Vishnite Restaurant

This restaurant is located in the most prestigious of the central districts. The house where the restaurant is located is very old. It was built at least a hundred years ago. So the restaurant has also been open for a long time, about 15 years. This block is home to a Russian school. It is the smallest restaurant in Sofia. There are only four tables in it. It should not be confusing. You can eat here, for example, fondue, and other complex and delicious dishes. Thus, it is clear that in the capital of Bulgaria, the city of Sofia, you can visit not only traditional institutions of national Bulgarian cuisine or, for example, best restaurants with Italian, American, and other national cuisines of the world, long recognized as classics of cooking. But also unusual restaurants, in their way, interesting places. With its twist. The atmosphere is interesting, unusual dishes or interior, where you can not just eat delicious food, but also spend time with interest.