Good food in Sofia is not hard to find. Simple kiosks scattered all over the city sell cheap but often very delicious banitsas (Bulgarian version of burek) and even high-end restaurants are currently not out of reach of an average traveller's budget.
The secret of good Bulgarian food lies in the quality of its ingredients. It seems that Bulgarian food industry has not yet degraded to the level of certain European countries; many vegetables and meats come from small producers who are still doing their business properly. And if the quality of the ingredients is high, the dishes taste great, even if they are not prepared according to modern recipes that seem to be taking over culinary scene in trendy cities all over the world.
The very first morning we walked through a dilapidated underpass in the suburbs of Sofia and spotted a simple kiosk selling banitsas, bread filled with jam and pastries. We tried our luck buying a few items and all of them were simply delicious, much better than one would expect from a small kiosk in a godforsaken part of Sofia. So while you are in Sofia, try whichever foods you come across and look good. You just might discover a hidden gastronomic jewel.
Motto
Motto is a trendy restaurant in the centre of Sofia characterised by sleek interior, pleasant atmosphere, cool music and above all, tasty food. Motto can easily be compared with similar establishments in Western Europe, which is perhaps the reason to be very popular among foreigners living in Sofia and (well-off) locals. Motto is not the cheapest restaurant by Bulgarian standards, but from general European perspective still very reasonably priced.
Motto serves lunch and dinner and when the evening rolls into the night, Motto becomes an attractive bar with great selection of cocktails and music by famous local DJs.
During summer you can sit in a beautiful garden.
We visited Motto during lunch time. About half of the tables were taken, mostly by a large group of foreigners having some sort of celebration.
We started with honey baked goat cheese served with a green salad and cedar nuts, drizzled with pepper vinaigrette. It was as good as the huge shopska salad with cucumbers, tomatoes, sweet peppers, onion and feta cheese. Shopska salad was so big that it could have been eaten as a light meal alone.
For main we ordered a veal fillet garnished with stewed potatoes, wild onion and pepper sauce, which did not turn out as the best selection. Veal is expensive so apparently not many guests order it, thus it was not really fresh. We liked the way it was prepared though.
From the dessert section we ordered creme brulee a la Motto, which was nice.
In general we were very satisfied with the food. All the dishes were skilfully prepared, served in a modern way and tasty – except the veal which was not the freshest. The bill for the abovementioned dishes, a coke, apple juice and espresso came to 21 leva.
If you decide to visit Motto open your eyes wide. You have to enter the restaurant through a small, discreetly signposted doors of a nondescript building. You would have never imagined such a cool place as Motto behind those doors.
Location: Aksakov 18. Tel. 987 27 23. Web: www.motto-bg.com
Sladuk svyat
Sladuk svyat (Sweet World) is a small place selling delicious banitsas, various pastries, sweets, baklavas and excellent crème caramel.
Sladuk svyat is at a good location in the centre of Sofia so you can drop by for breakfast and morning coffee, stockig up goodies for the day at the same time.
You will recognise the place by the big front window displaying their pastries. There are a few plastic chairs and tables in front of the place during summer, and during winter you can sit inside.
We made our way to Sladuk svyat at least once per day. We developed an addiction to their crème caramel, banitsas and other Balkan food.
Location: Alabin (near the intersection with Vitosha Blvd.)
Barbados
Barbados is an upscale fish restaurant located in Hotel Shipka.
During our visit we've been amusing ourselves with occasionally glancing at a rich middle-aged local trying to impress his companion, a beautiful young lady, his bodyguard sitting at the next table.
The fish was not very fresh but still OK. We expected a bit more from such an expensive place despite in a land-locked Sofia.
An average cost of lunch or dinner at Barbados is around 30 leva.
Location: 34A Totleben Blvd (in Hotel Shipka)
The Restaurant Complex Hadjidraganov's Houses (Restaurant Kashtite)
The restaurant complex Hadjidraganov's Houses, also known as Kashtite, offers Bulgarian national dishes prepared on fire, on a hot plate or in an oven.
The restaurant is situated in a complex of restored renaissance houses from 1886. The restaurant's rooms are decorated with typical Bulgarian folk-art pieces from Koprivshtitsa, Zheravna, Melnik and Bansko.
When we first visited we tried kebab, sarmi and grilled beef. We liked the food so much that we decided to revisit the restaurant. Unfortunately our second visit didn't turn out that well. Pork in vine leaves was tasteless and completely white, so we've been asking ourselves whether that really was pork or was is actually chicken on the plate in front of us. We inquired with the waitress and even with the owner of the restaurant, but they practically didn't want to talk about it. As far as the service is concerned it was far from perfect even during our first visit. The waiter was rather pushy trying to sell us a bottle of expensive wine and when we paid he explicitly demanded a tip.
Still, restaurant Kashtite is worth a try, one of the reasons being the houses and interesting interior. When ordering food however, be careful. Try to select something that can't really go wrong. And don't be too disappointed by the service – it seems that when a restaurant becomes as popular with tourists as Kashtite, the service level plummets to unimaginable depths.
Location: Ul. Kozloduy 75 (near Princess Hotel). Tel.: +359 2 931 31 48. Web: www.kashtite.com