Bulgaria


Bulgaria

Our Guide To Bulgaria’s Best Pubs and Bars

Nightlife emerging from a deep-freeze, pub culture is almost non-existent out in the provinces, the nearest thing being the Meyhane, traditional folk restaurants, occasionally serving a social scene similar to Croatia's caffe bars without the bland uniformity. In Sofia however, a young population and Western influences are forcing movements onto the scene. There are last-gen brewpubs, new wave craft bars, and a few alternative venues in and around the city. For a city of its size it is still perhaps understocked in comparison to the West, but a traveller will have no trouble finding a venue. You'll find yourself doing a hop-skip-and-jump between venues and styles to keep a crawl going. The same applies for Plovdiv where a thriving arts scene has endowed the city with an array of live music and performance venues worth visiting, and a craft beer scene that stands out too. Value varies significantly, from city centre Sofia's near Western prices for good product to backstreet Samokov where a bottle of local bad lager can be obtained for well under a Euro. Aside of beer drinking, Rakia remains a big part of local culture, with wine in the South East having a distinctive regional influence.

Ratings Key:

A: Choice and/or quality of drinks

B: Style and décor

C: Atmosphere and feel

D: Amenities, Events & Community

E: Value for money

F: The Pub Going Factor

Name Location A B C D E F
Papa Beer Burgas 9 7 7 7 6 7.5
Nylon Plovdiv 7 8 8 8 7 8.1
Kontrabas Plovdiv 6 7 9 8 5 7.8
Jazz Insights Plovdiv 6 7 9 7 6 7.7
Klub Maria Louisa Plovdiv 6 8 8 7 7 7.7
Baba Yaga Plovdiv 8 7 8 8 7 7.7
Cat and Mouse Plovdiv 8 7 8 8 6 7.6
Three Plus Three Samokov 5 7 8 7 10 7.5
The Hat's Club Sofia 7 8 10 7 7 9.1
K.E.B.A Sofia 7 8 8 8 5 7.9
Halbite Sofia 8 7 8 8 7 7.7
High Five Sofia 9 7 7 7 4 7.5
Eddie Sicoy Sofia 7 8 8 7 6 7.5
Beer Kolobars Stara Zagora 9 8 9 8 7 8.6
Guide to Bulgarian cities goes here.