Food · Sofia · Bulgaria
What to eat in Sofia
The dishes, drinks and food experiences that define Sofia, and where locals actually eat them.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Quick answer
Start with Banitsa, Shopska salad and Tarator. Traditional taverns serve shopska salad and rakia, grilled meats and clay-pot stews, sometimes with live folk music and dancing on weekend evenings. Salads arrive as starters and are meant to accompany rakia before the main course.
Key facts
- Signature dish
- Banitsa
- Vegetarian-friendly picks
- 10
- Tipping
- Leaving about 10% in restaurants is customary for good service; in cafés and bars…
- Food experiences
- 4
12 foods to try
Breakfast · Vegetarian
1.Banitsa (Баница)
Layers of filo pastry baked with eggs, yogurt and crumbly white sirene cheese, the classic Bulgarian breakfast, often with a glass of ayran or boza.
Where: Bakery windows and banitsa counters across the city, especially near metro stations in the morning.
Dish · Vegetarian
2.Shopska salad (Шопска салата)
Chopped tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers and onion under a snowfall of grated sirene cheese, named after the Shopi people of the Sofia region; traditionally eaten with a glass of rakia.
Where: Every mehana (tavern) and restaurant; tomatoes are best from July to September.
Dish · Vegetarian
3.Tarator (Таратор)
A chilled soup of yogurt, cucumber, dill, garlic and walnuts, the standard summer starter.
Where: Restaurants and lunch canteens from late spring to autumn.
Dish
4.Kebapche and kyufte (Кебапче и кюфте)
Grilled spiced minced-meat sausages (kebapche) and patties (kyufte), served with fries topped with cheese and a side of lyutenitsa.
Where: Grill restaurants and mehanas across the city.
Dish
5.Kavarma (Кавърма)
A slow-cooked stew of pork or chicken with onions, peppers, mushrooms and wine, baked and served in a clay pot.
Where: Traditional mehanas, especially in the colder months.
Snack · Vegetarian
6.Lyutenitsa (Лютеница)
A thick relish of roasted peppers and tomatoes, spread on bread or served with grilled meat; every family has its own recipe.
Where: Restaurants as a side; jars in every supermarket and at markets.
Snack · Vegetarian
7.Kyopolou (Кьопоолу)
A smoky spread of roasted aubergine and peppers with garlic and parsley, served as a starter with bread.
Where: Mehanas and traditional restaurants.
Breakfast · Vegetarian
8.Bulgarian yogurt (Кисело мляко)
Thick, tangy yogurt made with Lactobacillus bulgaricus, the bacterium named after the country; eaten with honey and walnuts or used in soups and sauces.
Where: Breakfast menus, supermarkets and market dairy stalls.
Breakfast · Vegetarian
9.Mekitsi (Мекици)
Puffy fried dough made with yogurt, dusted with powdered sugar or served with jam, honey or sirene cheese.
Where: Breakfast cafés and small bakeries, often made to order.
Drink · Vegetarian
10.Boza (Боза)
A thick, slightly fermented drink made from wheat or millet with a sweet-sour taste, traditionally paired with banitsa at breakfast.
Where: Bakeries and banitsa counters; also bottled in shops.
Drink · Vegetarian
11.Rakia (Ракия)
Fruit brandy, most often grape (grozdova) or plum (slivova), sipped slowly as an aperitif with shopska salad.
Where: Every mehana; specialist bars offer tastings of regional rakias.
Drink · Vegetarian
12.Mavrud and Bulgarian wine (Мавруд)
Mavrud is a dark, tannic red grape native to the Thracian plain around Plovdiv; Melnik, Rubin and Dimyat are other local varieties worth trying.
Where: Wine bars around Vitosha Boulevard and Tsar Ivan Shishman Street.
Food experiences
Mehana dinner
Traditional taverns serve shopska salad and rakia, grilled meats and clay-pot stews, sometimes with live folk music and dancing on weekend evenings.
Banitsa breakfast
Start the day as locals do, with warm banitsa and a cup of boza or ayran from a bakery counter.
Wine-bar tasting
Sofia's wine bars pour Bulgarian varieties by the glass, from Mavrud and Melnik reds to Dimyat whites, often with cheese and lukanka sausage.
Market hall lunch
Grab a quick meal and browse cheese, honey and spices at the Central Market Hall.
Quick bites and street food
- Banitsa — Bakery windows and banitsa counters across the city, especially near metro stations in the morning.
- Lyutenitsa — Restaurants as a side; jars in every supermarket and at markets.
- Kyopolou — Mehanas and traditional restaurants.
- Bulgarian yogurt — Breakfast menus, supermarkets and market dairy stalls.
- Mekitsi — Breakfast cafés and small bakeries, often made to order.
Vegetarian options
Of the 12 foods in this guide, 10 are usually vegetarian: Banitsa, Shopska salad, Tarator, Lyutenitsa, Kyopolou, Bulgarian yogurt, Mekitsi, Boza, Rakia and Mavrud and Bulgarian wine. Check preparation with staff, as stocks and fats vary.
Eating out: tips and etiquette
- Salads arrive as starters and are meant to accompany rakia before the main course.
- Many restaurants offer weekday lunch menus that cost much less than dinner.
- Portions are generous; share a few starters if you want to try more dishes.
- Ask for 'bez meso' (without meat); vegetarian options are easy with salads, spreads and cheese dishes.
- Check whether bread and side dishes are charged separately on the menu.
Tipping
Leaving about 10% in restaurants is customary for good service; in cafés and bars, rounding up is common.
| Phrase | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Zdravei | Hello |
| Dobar den | Good day |
| Blagodarya | Thank you |
| Molya | Please / you're welcome |
| Nazdrave | Cheers |
| Smetkata, molya | The bill, please |
Questions travellers ask
+What food is Sofia famous for?
Banitsa, Shopska salad, Tarator and Kebapche and kyufte. Layers of filo pastry baked with eggs, yogurt and crumbly white sirene cheese, the classic Bulgarian breakfast, often with a glass of ayran or boza.
+Is Sofia good for vegetarians?
Several local staples are meat-free, including Banitsa, Shopska salad and Tarator.
+Do you tip in restaurants in Sofia?
Leaving about 10% in restaurants is customary for good service; in cafés and bars, rounding up is common.