Photo by Kiril Kapustin. Visiting a foreign country is not just visiting museums and places of interest, but also eating . Food has a fundamental importance to understand a foreign culture, and for this you should pay particular attention to tasting the local dishes of the cities you visit. If you were to visit Sofia in Bulgaria , and eat at a typical restaurant in the city, what would you order
Bulgarian cuisine is famous for being influenced by neighboring states: in its dishes you will find Greek, Turkish, Macedonian and Serbian influences. Lots of meat, spices, yogurt and strong flavors, but also many new flavors to be discovered.
If you are planning a trip to Sofia, check out our “list” of 10 dishes that you absolutely must try in this beautiful city in Bulgaria.
SEE ALSO : What to see in Sofia
1 – Shkembe Chorba
Photo by Kiril Kapustin. It is one of the most popular soups in Bulgaria , but it does not satisfy everyone’s palates. This dish, which in Sofia you will find practically everywhere, in fact is based on tripe or in some variants lamb or pork gut, which is seasoned with pure garlic, vinegar and spicy red pepper.
- Recommended for : dinner
- Average cost : €2.50
- Main ingredients : tripe or intestine, garlic, vinegar and hot red pepper
2 – Tarator
Photo of Ikonact. Staying on the subject of ” soups “, one of the most popular in Sofia. It is a very particular dish that is served cold, and consists of yogurt, cucumbers, fennel, chopped walnuts, parsley and oil. The ideal time to eat it is in summer, when temperatures get warmer.
- Recommended for : lunch and dinner
- Average cost : €2.00
- Main ingredients : yogurt, cucumbers, fennel, walnuts, parsley, oil
3 – Shopska Salata
Shopska is one of the many side salads you will find in Sofia. It is a very popular dish, which is made up of tomatoes, cucumbers, roasted peppers and cheese. Its history is very particular, since it has been specially designed to be a part of a tourism promotion.
- Recommended for : lunch and dinner
- Average cost : €2.50
- Main ingredients : tomatoes, cucumbers, roasted peppers and cheese
4 – Kebapcheta
Photo of Biso. They are meatballs , ubiquitous in Sofia’s kitchen. The traditional ones are made of cow or pork, but in Sofia you will find them in excellent and numerous variations for every palate. A very popular variant is that which includes chicken meat, always seasoned with dill and garlic.
- Recommended for : lunch and dinner
- Average cost : €2.00
- Main ingredients : meat, cheese, spices
5 – Sarmi
Source: wikimedia commons. Another very popular dish is Sarmi : these are cabbage leaves rolls , stuffed with minced pork and various spices. Among its variants most appreciated by those not accustomed to Bulgarian cuisine is the one that also includes rice in its filling.
- Recommended for : lunch and dinner
- Average cost : €3.00
- Main ingredients : cabbage leaves, minced pork, spices, rice
6 – Moussaka Moussaka is one of
the most popular Eastern European dishes. Typical of Greek cuisine, and a very popular dish in Bulgaria. It is an aubergine flan similar to our parmigiana, which in the Balkan version also includes potatoes, minced meat and bechamel.
- Recommended for : lunch and dinner
- Average cost : €3.00
- Main ingredients : eggplant, potatoes, minced meat, bechamel
7 – Baklava
Photo of Apostoloff. Baklava is certainly one of the most famous and well-known sweets of Bulgarian cuisine . It is a dessert composed of dried fruit and honey (or sugar) originally from Turkey which is also very popular in the Balkan peninsula. To tell the original recipe is very difficult, since each region has its own variant. Wherever you go, however, the basic concept is the same: very thin sheets of phyllo dough, buttered and “seasoned” with chopped walnuts or pistachios.
- Recommended for : always
- Average cost : €1.00
- Main ingredients : phyllo dough, honey, sugar, chopped nuts, butter, pistachios
8 – Banitza
Photo of borzo. The Banitza (or Banitsa) looks like a giant cinnamon roll to see it . Very popular dish as well as “street food”, and often used for breakfast by the inhabitants of Sofia . It is prepared with a mixture of egg and pieces of a Bulgarian cheese called sirene, placed between sheets of pasta. In Sofia, however, you could also find it with spinach or pumpkin.
- Recommended for : breakfast
- Average cost : €1.50
- Main ingredients : egg, cheese, pasta
9 – Mastika
Mastika is a mastic flavored liqueur , a resin obtained from mastic. It is a liqueur that is found mainly in Greece, but also in Sofia and very popular.
- Recommended for : always
- Average cost : €1.00
- Main ingredients : grapes, mastic
10 – Rakia
Photo of Laslovarga. Rakia is a hard alcohol , created through the distillation or fermentation of fruit . It is a very strong distillate, which often involves the use of plums and grapes. Be careful to drink it if you are not used to such high alcohol content. In Sofia you will often find it served together with Shopska.
- Recommended for : always
- Average cost : €1.00
- Main ingredients : distilled fruit
Where to eat in Sofia: best restaurants, typical bars and street food
The Bulgarian culinary tradition is influenced by the influence of neighboring countries and finds similarities in the Balkan cuisine and in Turkish and Greek gastronomic preparations.
In Bulgaria it is common to start the meal with a soup (often made with beans or tripe-based, such as shkembe chorba) and then continue with a single dish , which generally consists of meat with a side dish: meats most used are those of pork or lamb, while different types of vegetables or legumes are used for the side dishes.
Among the unmissable Bulgarian dishes are Banitsa, a series of layers of puff pastry usually filled with cheese and eggs, or the Bulgarian version of Moussaka, an aubergine flan with potatoes, eggs and pork.
The most popular dessert is baklava, phyllo dough enriched with butter, dried fruit and honey.
Eating is very cheap , even if there is no shortage of haute cuisine choices in the city. Here’s where to eat in Sofia to discover all the best flavors!
1 – Made in Home
- Description : hipster place with Middle Eastern and Mediterranean influences
- Specialty : soups and hummus
- Average price : from € 10.00 per person
- Address : Get directions – Facebook page
2 – Divaka
- Description : young restaurant serving traditional cuisine but also international variations
- Specialty : soups served in loaves of slightly stale bread
- Average price : from € 10.00 per person
- Address : Get directions – Facebook page
3 – Sunmoon Bakery
- Description : Vegetarian and vegan restaurant, serving fresh and local food as well as healthy
- Specialties : homemade fresh bread, vegetarian dishes and vegan options
- Average price : from € 5.00 per person
- Address : Get directions – Facebook page
4 – Hadjidraganov’s Cellars
- Description : typically Bulgarian place, steeped in traditional details, slightly oriented to impress visiting tourists, but serving excellent traditional food
- Specialties : meat and cold cuts, cheeses
- Average price : from € 15.00 per person
- Address : Get directions – Facebook page
5 – Central Market Hall
- Description : central covered market of the city, full of food of all kinds, as well as shops and shops
- Specialty : street food, local food at cheap prices
- Average price : from € 5.00 per person
- Address : Get directions – Facebook page
