Sofia , you can't not love her.

If you haven't been in Sofia, you must go! You can read lonely planet guides or look at photos or listen to stories about how friendly the people are. But the truth is that the city has a soul,  which is hard to explain, you have to experience it. And although I have been living in Sofia for a quite while, last time when I was back for the holidays I've rediscover the city through it's bars and restaurants . Don't get me wrong Sofia has much more to offer, it's was just the holidays season and the freezing weather outside which made me wonder more indoors :).
Below is my short list of places you should visit if you would like to have fun, catch up with friends or just spend a relaxing afternoon with a book or laptop.  

1. Hambara (Хамбара) (22, 6th of September Street) 

This place is not the easiest to be found. The entrance is situated far from the main street, at the end of narrow passage between the buildings. After a short wondering around in the freezing cold evening we found it. Once you see the entrance door you know that it's not your ordinary bar. 

The whole place is lit only by candles and you can see a huge piles of wax under each of the candles. The ambiance reminds me of a bar where pirates hangout or hobbits - unfortunately I saw none. 

The music was loud enough to create a nice atmosphere but not too loud to hinder your conversation. The list of drinks was large enough but don't expect to get any fancy cocktails (Mojito for example).  

It's the perfect place for nice intimate conversation over a drink. 

2. Raketa - rakia bar (bul. Ianko Sakuzov 17)   

 It's located just near the Zaimov park. This place will bring you back in time , way back. All over the shelves you'll find things that were in use 20 or 30 years ago. I remember everyone was like - "a we had this vacuum cleaner at home when I was a little boy", or "I had this toy"... or "the fridge..." . It was good that I was the first to arrive and I could just look around . This place just brought so much childhood memories.    

They have their own Rakia brew (I'm sure it's not called brew but you know what I mean :) ) , and even though I'm not a big fan of the drink the apricot Rakia which we had was amazing. 

The food quality is a bit above the average for a restaurant in the city. You can even get a high quality rum steak for a reasonable price. 

Overall - great service , amazing rakia, very nice food and a trip back in time to your childhood if you were fortunate enough to have lived in Bulgaria.

You'll even get an excuse note for the misses which states that you have been in the company of respectful men and you haven't been involved in any activities that can hinder your family honor. Classy ! :) 

3. McCarthys - Irish Pub ( „Alabin I. Vl.“ 29 )

You can find Irish pubs anywhere in the world, Sofia is not an exception.
Overlooking the corner of Vitoshka and Alabin this Irish pub is the perfect place to spend a relaxing afternoon or stay for the evening and enjoy a gig and live band. I've only been there in the late afternoon and was happily surprised by the tea variety and the service. 

4. Bilkova Bar - (22 Tsar Ivan Shishman St)

It's all about the barman, just sit behind the bar - it's a must. The guy is pretty knowledgeable of his stuff and knows his alcohol. Although he is mostly drinking rum he can elaborate and suggest a good whiskey (doesn't have to be the most expensive one). 

Thanks to Radi, Petko and Dido for showing me these jewels!