Bon Appetit

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• Bistro Zita read more ›
  (86 Iskar Ulitsa. Tel. 846 4323)
  This small restaurant is one of only a few in the neighbourhood. It offers salads, grilled meats, fish, spaghetti, pizza and toasted sandwiches.
• Kitayski Drakon read more ›
  (19 Ivaylo Ulitsa. )
  Tasty Chinese dishes, served in plentiful portions. Dine in the convivial restaurant or order a takeaway.
• Am-Gul read more ›
  (3 San Stefano Ulitza. Tel. 943 4416)
  This lovely old house has been turned into a charming restaurant. The menu is rich with pizzas and barbecue dishes.
• Classic read more ›
  (14 Ulitsa Serdica. Tel. 0878 656 401)
  Follows a simple recipe of serving palatable pizzas, fresh salads and Bulgarian dishes. Reasonable prices, friendly service and dependable standards.
• Trops Kashta read more ›
  (36 Gurko Ulitsa. )
  Want a crash course in Bulgarian cuisine? This reliable canteen offers mass-catering versions of most Balkan dishes and is really cheap.
• Tsentralni Hali read more ›
  (28 Maria Luiza Boulevard. )
  Here you'll find an array of counters serving sandwiches, pizza slices, basic grills, and Chinese noodles. No quicker and easier way of stuffing your face.

• Vodenitsata read more ›
  (Dragalevtsi, next to the chairlift. Tel. 967 1058)
  With a breezy garden, water features, turtles and fish, this is a great place to while away a hot summer afternoon while enjoying traditional Bavarian food and wine.
• Victoria read more ›
  (7 Tsar Osvoboditel Bulevard. Tel. 986 3200)
  Generous pizzas and high standards mean this restaurant serves some of the best around. The unusual topping combinations are worth a try.
• Gara za Dvama read more ›
  (18 Georgi Benkovski Ulitza. Tel. 989 7675)
  Based on the 1982 Soviet film of the same name, Gara za Dvama (Station For Two) was designed to be like a small train carriage and offers Russian meals and good vodka.
• Magdanoz read more ›
  (28 Ulitsa Damyan Gruev. Tel. 981 1430)
  The chef prepares delicious salads, soups, meat and vegetarian dishes, as well as whipping together the desserts at this relaxed restaurant. Magdanoz also offers a decent lunch menu.
• Divaka read more ›
  (41A 6th Septemvri Ulitsa. )
  Popular among young people for its informal atmosphere and good food. A diverse range of salads, delicious grilled pork and chicken dishes, and the vegetarian kebab is surprisingly tasty.
• Pri Miro read more ›
  (34 Murphy Ulitsa. Tel. 943 7127 )
  Grilled meats galore including succulent and spicy cevapcici (grilled meat rissoles) and pleskavice (minced meat patties).

• Art Club Museum read more ›
  (2 Saborna Ulitsa. Tel. 980 6664)
  The ideal place to take a breather between bouts of sightseeing. There's a full menu of salads, snacks and alcoholic drinks, making it a good spot for a leisurely lunch.
• Tazka read more ›
  (48 Makedoniya Bulevard. Tel. 951 5429)
  Charming Middle Eastern-style restaurant offering hummus, baba ganoush (aubergine dip), fatayer (spinach pies) and fatteh (chickpeas). Finish with a glass of arak - the aniseed-flavoured spirit turns cloudy when you add water.
• Aegean read more ›
  (18 Sheynovo Ulitza. )
  This excellent restaurant offers fish dishes from Greece: seafood and carefully chosen salads are accompanied by a decent selection of wines.
• Manastirska Magernitsa read more ›
  (67 Ulitsa Han Asparuh. Tel. 980 3883)
  An imaginative approach towards Bulgarian cuisine. The owners have collected traditional recipes from Bulgarian monasteries and reproduce them here.
• Chalet Swiss read more ›
  (50 Botevgradsko Shose Bulevard. Tel. 0884 249 450)
  A good choice if you like cheese as it offers traditional Swiss fondue, as well as Swiss salads, buendnerfleisch (air-dried beef), deer steak, baked apples and more. And to complete the scene, the restaurant looks like a chalet with wooden seating.
• L'Etranger read more ›
  (78 Tsar Simeon Ulitsa. Tel. 983 1417)
  Homely bistro offering very reasonable food-good place for a leisurely three-course meal. The chef is a Frenchman who, together with his Bulgarian wife, makes the place a real family restaurant. Good service and meals that live up to expectations.

• Uno BBQ read more ›
  (121 Rakovski Ulitza. Tel. 980 5958)
  Elegance with a twist of contemporary comfort defines this family-owned Italian favourite of Sofia's visiting diplomats. Converse over almond-encrusted camembert, then go for the saltimbocca (veal).
• Maraia Fusion Bar & Dinner read more ›
  (123 Rakovski Ulitsa. Tel. 980 6260)
  New sushi restaurant in the centre of town. Nigiri sushi and sashimi are handsomely presented and deliciously refreshing.
• Uno BBQ read more ›
  (121 Rakovski Ulitza. Tel. 980 5958)
  Elegant, contemporary style define this family-owned Italian eatery, a favourite with visiting diplomats. Start with almond-encrusted camembert, then go for the saltimbocca.
• Sakura read more ›
  (Kempinski Hotel Zografski, 100 James Baucher Boulevard. Tel. 969 2420)
  In a pavilion in the garden of the Kempinski Hotel, the paper partitions, low tables and cushions, and nimble waitresses in kimonos help to set the mood. For a great evening out with a difference, a meal at Sakura is money well spent.
• Vratata read more ›
  (13 Kokiche Ulitsa. Tel. 0889 235 866)
  Game dishes feature, as well as European, Greek and Turkish cuisine. The wine list is rich with Argentinian, Italian, Spanish and Bulgarian wines.
• Kumbare read more ›
  (14 Saborna Ulitsa. Tel. 981 1794)
  Pretty much everything you would expect from a Greek restaurant is here in abundance, with a succulent repertoire of grilled lamb and fish dishes accompanied by luxuriant salads-all prepared under the watchful eye of a head chef from Tassos.

After Dark

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• Before & After read more ›
  (12 Hristo Belchev Ulitsa. Tel. 981 6088)
  Expect coffee strong enough to give an elephant heart palpitations, luxuriant hot chocolate and an appetising range of salads and snacks.
• Casa de Cuba read more ›
  (13 Cvetna gradina Ulitsa. Tel. 963 2297)
  Evoking a pre-revolutionary atmosphere, Casa de Cuba is a spicy option for pre-dinner drinks, with cocktails and cigar smoke.
• Bash Bar read more ›
  (31 Ivan Asen II Ulitza. Tel. 943 4397)
  This small, red-coloured bar is the new place for trendy youngsters who are looking for the next big thing.
• Apartment read more ›
  (68 Ulitsa Neofit Rilski. Tel. 0886 655 093)
  This high-ceilinged 19th-century flat, with each room decked in different kind of artworks and furnishings, is perfect for a little unwinding. Try the home-made chocolate desserts.
• Cookies Bar & Diner Café read more ›
  (Slaveykov Ploshtad. Tel. 488 1722)
  A French-style eatery offering a choice of Mediterranean dishes, soups, salads and, of course, cakes and cookies for dessert.
• Blaze read more ›
  (36 Slavyanska Ulitsa. Tel. 0888 354 004)
  This tight squeeze of a DJ bar has been around for years. If you are keen to meet young and trendy locals, you're in the right place.

• Swinging Hall read more ›
  (8 Dragan Tsankov Bulevard. Tel. 963 0696)
  Bursting with bar stools, band-devotees, dancers and guitars, this joint hosts jazz, pop and rock. Swings every night but Monday. Opens at 9pm, parties until 4am.
• Tea House read more ›
  (11 Benkovska Ulitza. )
  Paper-shaded light fixtures, ever-changing art and retro furniture, while live jazz plays from 8pm. The Tea House serves more than 40 teas as well as an array of outrageously delicious desserts.
• Tea House read more ›
  (11 Benkovska Ulitza. )
  Paper-shaded light fixtures, ever-changing artworks and retro furniture provide a relaxing atmosphere, while jazz musicians play from 8pm. More than 40 teas are offered alongside outrageously delicious desserts.
• D2 read more ›
  (Ulitsa Nikolay Kopernik. )
  D2 are among the hardest working Bulgarian rock bands and you'll often find them at Sofia's cult rock club. This is where all good Bulgarian musicians play.
• The Club read more ›
  (2 Nikolay Kopernik Ulitsa. Tel. 872 0946)
  Once a cult rock club, this is where all good Bulgarian musicians play.
• 8th Ball read more ›
  (27 Sv Sv Kiril i Metodiy Ulitsa. Tel. 0876 107 722)
  This underground basement cavern is a place for hardcore punks and all types of tattooed oddballs. Noisy bands play here with fierce passion.

• Toba&co read more ›
  (6 Moskovska Ulitza. Tel. 989 4696)
  A bar dating back to the 1950s, servers with attitude, decadent cocktails and a heated garden terrace of sprawling sofas and random statues makes Toba&co one part wicked, one part wondrous.
• Jim Beam Club read more ›
  (3 Atanas Manchev Ulitsa. )
  The ultra-modern interior, spacious dance floor, state-of-the-art sound system and two enclosed bar areas combine to make this one seriously hopping nightclub.
• Salsa Club read more ›
  (31 Aksakov Ulitza. Tel. 980 4080)
  Latin music for a mixed crowd. A lively alternative to disco dance clubs for anyone who likes something a little different.
• Colorama Club read more ›
  (6 Ulitsa Angista. Tel. 0893 414 253)
  This is a new place for the fans of Latino music and dancing. You'll find a heady mix of Cuban rum, cocktails and dancing couples.
• Retro club Gramophone read more ›
  (6 Budapeshta Ulitsa. Tel. 981 1410)
  One of the most popular clubs in Sofia, with the DJ desk spinning different music genres, depending on the day of the week.
• Escape read more ›
  (1 Angel Kanchev Ulitsa. Tel. 0889 990 000)
  Boasts a huge dance floor, four bars, a bone-grinding sound system and an energised, foxy clientèle. House and techno DJs twiddle the knobs at the weekend.

This month...

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Tips

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