The Best Restaurants in Sofia: 20 Places I'd Book
Sofia's restaurants run from mehanas with folk music and clay-pot stews to a modern Bulgarian tasting menu at Cosmos. These are the 20 restaurants I'd book, grouped by the kind of night you want, with what to order, prices in euros and which ones need a reservation.
Which Sofia restaurant for which night
| If you want | Book | Why |
|---|---|---|
| A first Bulgarian dinner | Manastirska Magernitsa | Monastery recipes, a courtyard in summer |
| Folk music with dinner | Hadjidraganov's Cellars or Chevermeto | Live folk music or dance shows |
| A special night | Cosmos | Modern Bulgarian tasting menu |
| Rakia with your food | Raketa Rakia Bar | One of the longest rakia lists in town |
| A relaxed lunch | Made in Blue or The Little Things | A mansion dining room or a patio |
| Italian | Vino Vino | Near Alexander Nevsky, with a summer garden |
| A big group | Happy Bar & Grill | A menu with something for everyone |
| A late dinner on Vitosha Boulevard | Shtastlivetsa or Constantinoff | Open to midnight, or DJ sets |
Traditional Bulgarian restaurants in Sofia
A mehana is a traditional Bulgarian tavern: wooden beams, embroidered textiles, a long menu of salads, grilled meat and clay-pot dishes, and on many nights a band. These nine are where I'd eat traditional Bulgarian food, from monastery recipes to a rakia bar.
Manastirska Magernitsa
Manastirska Magernitsa, the "monastery kitchen," cooks from more than 160 recipes its founders collected from monasteries around Bulgaria, and the menu names the monastery behind each dish. It fills a 19th-century townhouse, and in summer the tables spill into the courtyard.
Order the wild boar or rabbit, the Mount Athos lentil stew, or klyopanitsa, a pork knuckle, and share a banitsa or a plate of sarmi to start. Pogacha bread comes free, with sharena sol, a "colorful salt" spice mix for dipping.
Hadjidraganov's Cellars
Hadjidraganov's Cellars at Hristo Belchev 18 is named after Hadji Dragan, a 19th-century merchant. The restaurant is underground, with stone walls and old barrels, and live folk music plays in the evenings from Wednesday to Sunday.
The menu is Bulgarian comfort food: clay-pot stews, grilled meats, pork knuckle and patatnik, the potato dish from the Rhodopes. Reservations are essential at weekends.
Hadjidraganov's House
Hadjidraganov's House is the sister restaurant at Kozloduy Street 75, near Lion's Bridge north of the center. It occupies four restored houses from 1886, and each dining room is decorated like a different Bulgarian town: Bansko, Koprivshtitsa, Zheravna and Melnik. A band plays while you eat, so walk through all four rooms.
The dish to order is rack of lamb roasted the St George way. Katino meze is the other one, and dessert is banitsa with orange syrup. Mains cost roughly €6 to €23. Book if you are coming in a group.
Moma Bulgarian Food and Wine
Moma dresses its dining rooms in embroidered linens and painted ceramics. Start with the mixed dip platter, which brings lyutenitsa and kyopolu, a roasted aubergine and garlic spread. For a main, the stewed lamb and the sea bass are the two to order, and a bottle of Bulgarian wine suits both.
Shtastlivetsa
Shtastlivetsa has branches at Vitosha Boulevard 27 and San Stefano Street 22, both open daily from 11 AM to midnight. The rooms are styled on the 1930s, with velvet chairs, chandeliers, shelves of old books and, in one branch, a big floral installation hanging from the ceiling.
The menu is long and seasonal, Bulgarian with an Italian side: katak, shopska, meshana skara (the mixed grill), and kebapcheta with homemade lyutenitsa. It has vegetarian and vegan dishes too, which makes it easy for a group. Prices sit a little above an average Bulgarian restaurant because of the location.
Raketa Rakia Bar
Raketa Rakia Bar at Yanko Sakazov Boulevard 17 is decorated as a communist-era throwback. The rakia list is one of the longest in Sofia, and you can buy a bottle of the one you liked to take home. The kitchen does Bulgarian classics, with plenty of salads and grilled meat to soak up the rakia.
Sputnik Cocktail Bar is next door. Raketa is popular, so reserve, and it opens daily from 11 AM to midnight.
Staria Chinar
Staria Chinar is a tavern-style restaurant, and meat is the reason to come. The house sausages are what I'd order, with a salad to share.
Mehana Mamin Kolyo
Mehana Mamin Kolyo has the feel of a local tavern, with brightly colored tablecloths and a big wine list. In warm weather there are tables outside on the street terrace. Order the chushki burek, peppers stuffed with cheese and fried, and a tarator in summer.
Chevermeto
Chevermeto is a big covered restaurant that stages Bulgarian dance shows, so it is the easiest way to see Bulgarian folk music and dance over dinner on a first visit.
Modern Bulgarian and fine dining in Sofia
Cosmos
Cosmos on Lavele Street, behind the Palace of Justice, is where I'd go for one special dinner in Sofia. Chef Vladislav Penov reworks Bulgarian and Thracian recipes with fermentation, in a room with crystal orbs hanging overhead.
The Bulgarian rose dessert is the course I'd save room for. The tasting menu costs about €70 to €80 per person and must be reserved in advance.
Made in Blue
Made in Blue fills a converted mansion on a side street, with a blue interior. The menu is Mediterranean cooked with Bulgarian ingredients and changes with the season. Order the vegetarian platter, or the grilled fish served on the bone. Portions are large.
The Little Things
The Little Things serves huge portions, with veggie options next to the meat dishes, and its shopska is the one I'd eat on the outdoor patio. Chushki burek is on the menu here too.
Lubimoto
Lubimoto at General Parensov 25 is hidden: the entrance is a corridor that leads you into a small courtyard. Order the Rodopska salad, the chushki burek, and the pork shank or the pork loin platter. Mains cost roughly €9 to €23.
Dark Sister by Made in Home
Dark Sister is the new name of Made in Home on Angel Kanchev Street, with an industrial interior and a courtyard. It is my choice for a light lunch: a salad with black hummus and a cold tarator. There are vegetarian and vegan options, and local beers and rakia.
Constantinoff RestoBar
Constantinoff RestoBar on Vitosha Boulevard spreads over two floors, with self-service wine taps and DJ sets in the evening. It is the one on this list for a dinner that turns into a night out.
International restaurants in Sofia
Vino Vino
Vino Vino at Georgi S. Rakovski 121, near Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, is an Italian restaurant built around its wine, with a garden for summer. It is open daily from noon to 11 PM.
Cinecitta Osteria Italiana
Cinecitta is an upscale Italian restaurant at Kumata 75G, out in Boyana by the film studios. A main costs about €15, and pasta or pizza about €8 to €10, and it is open from noon to 11 PM.
Taj Mahal
Taj Mahal at 11-ti Avgust 11 serves Indian food with a big vegetarian menu, and it is open daily from 11:30 AM to 11 PM. For a meal with no meat on the menu at all, Vita Rama and Loving Hut are two vegan vegetarian restaurants in Sofia.
Casual restaurants in Sofia
Happy Bar & Grill
Happy Bar & Grill is a Bulgarian chain that has run for about 25 years and now has a branch in London. The menu runs from sushi to schnitzel, and a burger or sandwich costs about €10 to €11, so it works for a group that cannot agree.
Dobro
Dobro, near Vitosha Boulevard, cooks salads, seafood, grilled meats and local sausages. The garden terrace is the place to sit in the warmer months, and it gets busy, so I'd come early.
Eating out in Sofia: prices, booking and tipping
Bulgaria switched to the euro on 1 January 2026, so menus now show euros. At the traditional restaurants above, a main course costs about €6 to €23, and between dinners, eating in Sofia costs very little: a bakery banitsa is about €1 to €2. Most central restaurants have English menus and take cards.
Book ahead at the popular places: Manastirska Magernitsa several nights before, Raketa and the Cosmos tasting menu in advance, and Hadjidraganov's Cellars for any weekend evening. The tip is not on the bill. Leave about 10%, in cash even if you paid by card, which is the normal practice for tipping in Bulgaria.
Key takeaways
- Manastirska Magernitsa is my first choice for a traditional Bulgarian dinner, and it needs booking days ahead.
- Hadjidraganov's Cellars, Hadjidraganov's House and Chevermeto add live folk music or dance to dinner.
- Cosmos is the special-occasion restaurant, with a modern Bulgarian tasting menu at about €70 to €80.
- Expect about €6 to €23 for a main course at a traditional restaurant, and tip about 10% in cash.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best restaurant in Sofia?
For traditional Bulgarian food, my pick is Manastirska Magernitsa, which cooks from more than 160 monastery recipes. For a modern, special-occasion dinner, it is Cosmos and its tasting menu at about €70 to €80. Moma and Hadjidraganov's Cellars are close behind for Bulgarian classics.
Where can I eat traditional Bulgarian food in Sofia?
Manastirska Magernitsa, Hadjidraganov's Cellars, Hadjidraganov's House, Moma and Shtastlivetsa all serve traditional Bulgarian food in the center. Staria Chinar and Mehana Mamin Kolyo are good tavern-style choices. Raketa Rakia Bar pairs Bulgarian classics with a long rakia list.
What is a mehana?
A mehana is a traditional Bulgarian tavern serving salads, grilled meat, clay-pot stews and rakia, usually in a room of wood beams and folk textiles. Many have live folk music on some evenings. In Sofia, Hadjidraganov's Cellars and Mehana Mamin Kolyo are good examples.
Is there fine dining in Sofia?
Yes. Cosmos is my top fine dining choice, with a modern Bulgarian tasting menu at about €70 to €80 per person. Cinecitta in Boyana is an upscale Italian restaurant, and Constantinoff on Vitosha Boulevard pairs dinner with self-service wine taps and DJ sets.
How much does dinner cost in Sofia?
A main course at a traditional restaurant costs about €6 to €23, and a burger at a chain about €10 to €11. Add a salad, a drink and a 10% tip for a full dinner. A tasting menu at Cosmos is about €70 to €80 a head.
Do I need to book restaurants in Sofia?
Yes, for the popular ones. Manastirska Magernitsa fills up several nights ahead, Raketa Rakia Bar and Cosmos need a booking, and Hadjidraganov's Cellars needs one at weekends.
Do you tip in restaurants in Sofia?
Yes, about 10% is normal, and more for good service. The tip is not included in the bill, so leave it in cash, even if you pay the bill by card.
Which Sofia restaurants have folk music?
Hadjidraganov's Cellars has live folk music from Wednesday to Sunday evenings. Hadjidraganov's House has a band playing in its four dining rooms, and Chevermeto stages traditional dance shows.
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