Sofia food guide
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Sofia is the perfect place to experience traditional Bulgarian food. The city’s cosy taverns and long standing restaurants serve delicious, home style dishes shaped by Balkan, Ottoman, and Eastern European influences.
Bread, grilled meats, and fresh dairy play a central role, with staples like banitsa (a flaky pastry filled with cheese), and kyufte and kebapche (grilled minced meat) appearing on almost every menu. Bulgarian cuisine also features slow cooked stews such as kavarma, along with comforting soups and dishes built around yoghurt and white brined cheese.
In this quick guide, we’ll introduce you to a few of our favourite restaurants in Sofia and the delicious dishes they offer, helping you make the most of your time in the city.
A welcoming traditional Bulgarian restaurant in both its food and décor, Izbata Tavern offers good prices and friendly, attentive service. Located centrally, it’s very popular with both locals and visitors, so booking ahead is recommended, especially in the evenings. The extensive menu features many Bulgarian classics, including starters such as Shopska salad (tomatoes, cucumber, peppers, onion and cheese), tarator (a cold yoghurt and cucumber soup), mish-mash (scrambled eggs with peppers, tomatoes and cheese) and Panagyurishte-style eggs (poached eggs in yoghurt and butter with cheese) though be warned, this is a very large “starter”. For mains, dishes like kapama (slow-cooked mixed meats with sauerkraut) and kavarma (a clay-pot meat and vegetable stew) are highlights, alongside a full selection of classic Bulgarian grilled meats.
Izbata Tavern
One of Sofia’s most atmospheric traditional restaurants, Hadjidraganov’s Cellars is styled like an old Bulgarian cellar, with wooden barrels, carved wood, stone floors, and rustic furnishings throughout. Traditional folk singing often accompanies dinner, adding to the experience. Prices are very reasonable for the generous portions served, and the service is efficient and friendly. This was probably our favourite restaurant in Sofia, thanks to both the setting and the food. The menu offers a good selection of classic dishes, with the standout being the kapama (slow-cooked mixed meats with sauerkraut), here served with a sarma (stuffed cabbage roll) on top. It was absolutely delicious and comes highly recommended.
Hadjidraganov’s Cellars
We were initially hesitant to visit Mehana Mamin Kolyo due to some mixed reviews online, but our experience was entirely positive, particularly thanks to the excellent musaka (minced meat, potatoes and egg). It’s a very large restaurant, so service can occasionally suffer when it gets especially busy. It’s a little pricier by local standards, but the traditional interior and outdoor seating are both excellent. Based on our visit, we’d happily recommend it. The extensive menu covers most Bulgarian classics, including kavarma (slow cooked meat and vegetables in a clay pot), pŭlneni chushki (stuffed peppers), and sarma (stuffed cabbage rolls).
Mehana Mamin Kolyo
📍 Skarabar
With three locations across Sofia, Skarabar is hugely popular with locals and is our go to place for traditional grilled food. If you’re a meat lover, this is very much the place for you. The highlight for hungry diners is the Meshana Skara (a large mixed grill of various barbecued meats), which is both huge and tasty, served with salad, fried potatoes and a delicious side of lyutenitsa (a sweet pepper and tomato relish). It’s an excellent choice for classic Bulgarian grilled food, though it’s definitely not the best option for vegetarians.
Skarabar
