Despite the Sofia Palace Hotel website boasting several eating options, we were disappointed to find it was breakfast only and so we had to eat out for the two nights at the beginning of our trip and the two at the end. We were probably a little unadventurous and frequented the three places nearest to our hotel, although a German bierkeller, a Bulgarian institution and an Italian café bar, couldn’t have been more diverse.
HALBITE BEER HOUSE
Fortunately on our first day, we discovered a German bierkeller, the Halbite Beer House, right opposite the hotel. As our previous holiday had ended in a bierkeller in Kazakhstan, which had provided the best meal of our trip, it seemed propitious to begin Bulgaria in a bierkeller.
Our first visit was mid-afternoon, when a narrow path down the side led us to a large beer garden shaded with umbrellas, trailing grape vines and lots of plants. The menu was in English as well as Bulgarian Cyrillic, and we chose two different sizes of Nash’to Pivo, said to be their original beer. It was pleasantly busy and as we saw delicious looking food being served, we returned for dinner.
It was busier in the evening, possibly because it was Unification Day, and there was a steady turnover all night. We ordered a snack of two large warm salty pretzels accompanied by three dips, olive tapenade, sun-dried tomato, and one with anchovies. To follow we opted to share a Shepherd Salad, a huge bowl full of tomato, cucumber, red pepper, onions, olives, mushrooms, egg and ham. With a litre carafe of a chilled Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc blend, we bucked the trend as everyone else was drinking beers, served in a variety of colours and glass types, and huge platters of rustic meat and sausages. It was all perfect and came to 51.38 Lev or £21.22 – exceptionally good value bearing in mind a bottle of wine in London would cost around £27.
We lazily returned the following evening and expected it to be busier on a Saturday, but it was much quieter with only a couple of tables occupied, and as a result, service was slicker. This time we shared a rustic salad (tomatoes, olives, red onion and Bulgarian cheese) along with a pork fillet in a cream sauce served with chips. They were both delicious and the cost similar.
Five weeks later we returned to Sofia but as it was now early October, only hardy souls sat in the garden. Our table was inside a small wood panelled atmospheric room, where we couldn’t resist repeating the pretzels, and as it was no longer salad weather, shared a huge crisp golden pork schnitzel topped with garlic and herb butter.
HAPPY BAR AND GRILL
We also chose to eat somewhere more traditional: the Bulgarian institution, Happy Bar and Grill. A sign at the entrance proclaimed Happy was voted ‘Best Culinary Experience in London 2023’ in the British Restaurant Awards, a claim I thought slightly dubious. But having checked it out, Happy Bar and Grill in Piccadilly Circus did receive the award.
Again, our first visit was for late afternoon drinks, a half-litre jug of Bulgarian Sauvignon Blanc and a small Perrier Water. Whilst this is normally the type of place I’d avoid due to its picture book menu full of fried food, I couldn’t resist what was described as potato popcorn, which were basically hash brown balls, along with a rather bland blue cheese dip.
We wanted our final night in Bulgaria to be ‘Happy’ and found people queuing on the pavement at 7.30pm on a Saturday night. The estimated 15-minute waiting time proved accurate, and we were shown through the huge cavernous restaurant to a table next to a pillar which reduced some of the impact of the noise and scale. We ordered a carafe of house white, a large bottle of mineral water, a salad of cous cous, avocado, shrimps and calamari followed by Happy fish goujons with chips. At the end of our meal, we celebrated what had been a successful trip, with a couple of double Sixth Sense gins and Schweppes tonic. When the bill arrived, 71 Lev or £31, we were invited to provide feedback on the food and service and on a win to spin, won ‘one-day access to a gym of your choice from the Pulse chain’.
Happy have clearly developed a winning formula and so I checked out the menu at Happy Piccadilly and found that the prices were twice the price.
SPAGHETTI KITCHEN AND BAR
At the beginning of our trip, we’d avoided the Spaghetti Kitchen and Bar, although we’re not sure why. However, on our return trip, their front garden had a huge magnificent pumpkin display and as I wanted to take photos, I felt it was polite to buy something, so we sat outside one afternoon with a couple of beers.
The following day, we spent the morning sightseeing but then the rain began, and as there was a queue outside Happy, opted to go inside as it was the next nearest place. It was a deceptively large, classy but casual place, with a huge variety of seating styles. We were shown to a table in a quiet area and chose a bottle of Pixels Sauvignon Blanc and a mezze platter with an aubergine dip, hummus, taramasalata, tzatziki and sour dough. It was an excellent way to spend a wet afternoon, and whilst the wine was more expensive, the food was very reasonable, and our bill came to 58 Lev or £25.35.
Having enjoyed our lunch so much, we decided it was the ideal place to spend our final afternoon whilst waiting for our taxi at 6pm. However, we hadn’t realised Sunday lunchtime would be so busy, and arriving at 2.30pm, we were told it was full. We decided to have a beer outside, whilst waiting for a table as we had plenty of time. However, by the time we came to order, a table was ready, just inside the door and opposite a splendid dessert cabinet. We chose a cobb salad, a splendid mix of leaves, crispy chicken and bacon, cherry tomatoes, avocado, quail eggs and Roquefort cheese, followed by a Calabria pizza with rather spicy Nduja sausage. With the same wine and water, we managed to spin out our last afternoon in style.