Welcome to Sofia, Bulgaria. If this is your first visit, you probably don’t know much about the city yet. Most of the friends who visited us had no high expectations about Sofia, Bulgaria, and they were often surprised by many trendy things Sofia city has to offer.
You can see must-visit places in the city center in one day, but you can ideally travel for more than a week. You can go to mountain Vitosha, Boyana waterfall during day time, and discover Sofia bars with live music, craft beer, nightlife, clubs or organize your own “cocktail” pub crawl.
These best bars in Sofia served cocktails with myriad ingredients. Perfect for a before or after-dinner drink; afternoon cocktail or cocktail night with friends hanging at the bar. What is so cool about cocktail bars in Sofia, they often change the concept and the mixtures of the cocktails, so you would never be bored to come to the same bars again when you live in Sofia.
We listed the best 7 cocktail bars in Sofia for you (in no particular order).
"All music events have been, are, and will be a social event. That is why we love to organize them. Share your evening with friends and great cocktails in Sofia."
Best Cocktail Bars in Sofia, Bulgaria :
One More Bar Sofia – 1st Of The Best 7 Cocktail Bars In Sofia
One night, I called my husband after watching Opera and said that I would go to one more bar. I sat outside and sipped a cocktail when I saw him enter the garden with his colleagues. I called him, and he turned right to see me. We laughed together, what a coincidence that we were in the same bar from many other bars in Sofia.
It was on one night of our first 5-day visit in Sofia to decide whether we would live here as ex-pats.
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At the moment I write this post, we have been living here for more than a year. We come to one more bar quite often because we like the vibe, varieties of cocktails, and beers that my husband prefers to drink.
One more bar looks like a house in central Sofia. When you passed tsar shishman street from visiting Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, you probably will notice this big house with a beautiful front garden. The front terrace is all year round open until 11 PM whenever the weather permitted.
My favorite cocktails from last summer was a ‘got mail’ cocktail.
The bar is open throughout the day, as well as into the early hours of the morning. It’s also possible to start your day with breakfast in one more bar.
ONE MORE BAR
Address: 12 Tsar Ivan Shishman street, 1000 Sofia Center, Sofia
Working hours: Everyday 08:30 – 02:00
Telephone: /
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OneMoreBar/
Food: Breakfast & brunch restaurant
Oscar Club – 2nd Of The Best 7 Cocktail Bars In Sofia
Oscar club is not just a typical club for partying all night. You can also come to this cozy bar Sofia to enjoy some of the cocktails with unique mixture ingredients. The bartenders are well passioned in their works. They are highly knowledgeable about cocktails, professional, and will surprise you with art in their drinks.
When we went there for the first time, it took me sometimes to decide which cocktail to order. The bartender asked me which taste I like and made one precisely what I want. We stayed there for a couple more professionally made cocktails that have a unique flavor. What I like the most, the cocktails are served in individual glass/bowl/jars with decorations.
Don’t forget to take pictures of your cocktails and share it on your Instagram or other social media before tasting it.
OSCAR CLUB
Address: 1 Dobrudzha Street, 1000 Sofia Center, Sofia
Working hours: Everyday 17:00 – 01:00/03:00 on Friday & Saturday
Telephone: +359 89 966 6633
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OSCARclub.Sf/
Food: Not available
5L Speakeasy bar – 3rd Of The Best 7 Cocktail Bars In Sofia
5L speakeasy is one of our best pick up bars Sofia when friends from Belgium travel to Sofia for a few days. You would easily pass in front of this cozy bar without noticing the existence of this bar. This unique basement bar is located behind two hidden doors. The first door is just like an ordinary apartment door that is unlocked. Once you enter the first door, there is the second door with a bunch of numbered keys. You have to find the right key to unlocked the door. This is the fun part of bringing new friends to the 5L Speakeasy bar.
A few weeks ago, I visited this bar and noticed that the concept had been changed, so the cocktails. That’s what I like about 5L Speakeasy bar. in 2017, the cocktails menu was placed in an evacuation plan. In 2018, The cocktails menu used to be placed in a quadrant with the vertical line identify the strength of the cocktails and the horizontal identify how classic/modern the cocktails.
Today, the cocktails menu is just like a fairy tale book with roosters as their mascot. Every cocktail is chosen and named carefully with the explanation of ingredients and names.
5L Speakeasy bar only serves cocktails. I love cocktails and can drink them all nights, but some friends would like to drink beers. Otherwise, I would come here more often.
5L SPEAKEASY BAR
Address: 15 Tsar Ivan Shishman street, 1000 Sofia Center, Sofia
Working hours: Everyday 16:00 – 02:00
Telephone: +359 88 401 0205
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/5LSpeakeasyBar/
Food: Not available
Social Cafe Bar & Kitchen restaurant – 4th Of The Best 7 Cocktail Bars In Sofia
Social Cafe Bar & Kitchen restaurant is the restaurant and bar at the same time. It’s the perfect spot for coffee, breakfast, lunch, or dinner.
It’s open daily from 9 in the morning until 2 after midnight.
It is ideally located in the Vitosha boulevard, in the heart of Sofia. It is not difficult to find Social Cafe Bar & Kitchen restaurant. Vitosha Boulevard is a pedestrian street with many restaurants and cafes and is a hot spot destination street for many tourists.
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Social Cafe Bar & Kitchen restaurant is my favorite place to go for dinner or just for drinks. The menu offers a range of meals as well as some smaller nibbles. It has three themes in one place. If you are a smoker or want to sit and enjoy watching people pass by in the busy Vitosha boulevard, you can sit on the terrace. If you’re going to enjoy your dinner with a DJ, go upstairs. They organize events several times a week.
This is what they said:
“All music events have been, are, and will be a social event. That is why we love to organize them. Share your evening with friends and great cocktails in Sofia.”
Social Cafe Bar & Kitchen restaurant offers 20 kinds of cocktails, and my favorite here is strawberry Mojito.
SOCIAL CAFE BAR & KITCHEN RESTAURANT
Address: 16 Vitosha blvd, 1000 Sofia
Working hours: Everyday 09:00 – 02:00
Telephone: +359 87 676 7647
Website: http://socialcafe.bg/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/socialcafe.bg/
Food: all meals
The Cocktail Bar – 5th Of The Best 7 Cocktail Bars In Sofia
A 2-day trip to Sofia, you would not probably pass this area because it’s not located in the touristy places with all monumental buildings. The cocktail bar is not far from other mentioned best pick up bars Sofia.
The cocktail bar is in a small garden between solunska and angel kanchev street. The seating area is in the garden with big beach umbrellas. There is a round glass pavilion in the center where the bartenders prepare your cocktails.
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It’s a cocktail bar with a romantic interior. It’s on the expensive side, and the jury’s out on the quality of the service and the atmosphere.
The cocktail bar is a perfect start of your craft cocktail bar crawl in Sofia. It’s not far from the Oscar club, 5L Speakeasy bar, One more and bar Hotel Sense Rooftop Bar.
THE COCKTAIL BAR
Address: 9 Angel Kanchev street, 1000 Sofia Center, Sofia
Working hours: Everyday 09:00 – 02:00
Telephone: +359 087 715 1152
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/The.Cocktail.Bar.Sofia
Food: Not available
Sputnik Cocktail Bar – 6th Of The Best 7 Cocktail Bars In Sofia
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Sputnik Cocktail Bar is co-located right next to Raketa Rakia Bar so you can easily stay and spend the whole night in the same location. Go first for dinner in Raketa Rakia Bar, and then you can head to Bar Sputnik after. For dinner in Raketa Rakia Bar, do make a reservation a few days in advance because the tables are filled up very soon.
Sputnik cocktail bar is hidden away near Zaimov park. You probably hesitate to have a drink here because of the location. But trust us — you would have a great night here. You can always ask them to call a taxi to bring you home or use taxi applications such as Taxime or Yellow taxi. The fare is very affordable.
Like the 5L Speakeasy bar, Sputnik cocktail bar also changed their concept and the cocktails regularly. 2015-2016, the menu was called the astronaut book. 2017-2018, the menu is a play between word and symbol.
Today, the cocktails menu is the “HORO” cocktail menu. HORO is a Bulgarian folklore dance. There are 12 kinds of cocktails. Not like other mentioned cocktail bars in Sofia, signature cocktails in Sputnik are with eastern-European undertones with the typical Bulgarian flavors.
SPUTNIK COCKTAIL BAR
Address: 17 Yanko Sakazov blvd, 1527 Sofia Center, Sofia
Working hours: Everyday 11:00 – 02:00
Telephone: +359 88 498 2098
Website: http://www.sputnikcocktailbar.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SputnikCocktailBar/
Food: Snacks and salads
Hotel Sense Rooftop Bar – 7th Of The Best 7 Cocktail Bars In Sofia
Hotel Sense Rooftop Bar has a view over the city center and particularly a great view to Alexander Nevsky Cathedral and an extensive beverage list of champagnes, premium spirits, rare liqueurs. Hotel Sense rooftop bar in Sofia has a shortlist of cocktails, yet exclusive. The sense rooftop bar is a hot rooftop to enjoy all year round, winter or summer, day or night, and beautiful weather or on rainy days. Head to the swanky spot for a casual drink with delicious food or tapas.
HOTEL SENSE ROOFTOP BAR
Address: 16 Tsar Osvoboditel blvd, 1000 Sofia Center, Sofia
Working hours: Everyday 10:00 – 02:00
Telephone: +359 884 544 108.
Website: https://www.sensehotel.com/en/roof-top-bar.html
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SenseRooftopBar/
Food: All meals
We hope you enjoy your time in Sofia! On our Instagram account @asliceofbalkan and @efratakristina you can find more recommendations and new hotspots in town.
If you plan to enjoy hot springs that are very famous in Bulgaria, check our post: the Best 7 Bulgaria Spa resorts.
If you are only on a short visit to Sofia and still want to take a plunge in a mineral water swimming pools, check our post: Best Sofia Spa: Where Can I take a Plunge into thermal water pools.
I regularly review my Best 7 Series to ensure I share my most current content.
18 Responses
I am fascinated by the creativity of these cocktails and the bars in which they are served. Clearly, each destination puts a lot of thought into each drink! (Plus, I have never seen a drink served in a shell like the one at Oscar’s. So cool!) Great to have a local’s perspective to inspire my next pub crawl.
Also, all these cocktails come with affordable prices (between 5€ to 7€ for each cocktail).
Bulgaria is waiting to be explored and the more I read about this country the more I am getting attracted. Awesome cocktails that I see here and the places I would love to visit someday myself.
So true, not only cocktails and spa resorts, there are a lot of pizzerias and good restaurants. You should come here one day
I like this cocktail guide to Sofia. I really like local bars with good drinks and food and the vibe. The ones you recommend look great. The cocktails look great. I want to visit the Oscar Club, Social Cafe Bar & Kitchen, and Sputnik Cocktail Bar for sure.
Good choice. If you go to the sputnik cocktail bar, you will get a souvenir magnet for every cocktail you order.
Vitosha Street looks like so much fun! I’d want to visit the speakeasy bar. I really want to visit Bulgaria, it’s definitely an up and coming destination that looks like it has lots to offer.
Sofia is a small, yet trendy city. There is a lot of new and stylish establishments. The speakeasy bar is one of my favorites.
Wow that is really helpful guide to cocktails in Sofia! You have mentioned a good variety of them. I don’t take alcoholic drinks, nevertheless they sounded interesting to me. I liked the creative ways they made the menu in evacuation plan, fairy tale book… commendable effort on their part to stand out!
Thank you, most of the mentioned places offer variety of virgin cocktails or non alcoholic drinks
I have been getting more interested in visiting Sofia. I have not heard of the possibility of a pub crawl. The cocktails look very creative and it seems there are many location options with nice vibes to chill and enjoy. A perfect way to wind up a sight seeing evening in my opinion!
Sofia has many things to offer at affordable prices. Let me know your experience when you visit Sofia
Great post!! I visited Bulgaria a few months ago and they sure have some great bar for cocktails and drinks. I surely loved their drinks and they sure have a great and unique way to present them. I am sure many people who are traveling to Bulgaria for the first time will find it really useful.
Thank you for reading my post. Did you go to some of cocktail bars that I recommend in this post?
Looks like a great place to chill out. I love places that have designated smoking areas. It is all about respecting those who want to smoke and non-smokers at the same time. Happy to know that they hold events. Hope to visit some time in the future.
Let me know about your experience in Sofia when you are here.
Um – that Got Mail one with the stamp is TOO CUTE! What a creative idea. And I love the speakeasy – it’s so fun to go to a place that feels a bit more “underground.” It sounds like you had fun and that there are some great places to try yummy cocktails.
Indeed, that’s my favorite too ‘got mail’ 🙂