Night life in Sofia, Bulgaria: where to find music, live events and drinks?

Leggi in Italiano 

My readers are my boss, there’s not much I can do about it. And the last comments on the Sofia posts are quite clear: you’d like me to give you some tips on where to spend the evening or the night.

No problem, just give me an assignment and I’ll carry it out. Yet, in this post I won’t talk about where to have dinner because I’ve already dealt with lunch and dinner in the post about the suggested restaurants.

On the other hand, I’ll tell you where to go dancing or drink beer, whisky, rum and shots in general, along with where you can find live events that are worth spending the night out.

Vitosha Boulevard 

Let’s start with the road of clubs and nightspots in Sofia, that I’ve already mentioned in several other posts.

Although most places on this road stay open until late night, we’re talking about tourist coffee bars working into the small hours, yet some really deserve paying a visit. My suggestion is the Raffy Bar&Gelato, at street number 18.  Despite the name and the fact that it’s a great place to have breakfast and lunch, it also serves excellent cocktails as well as before and after dinner dinner solutions.

Let’s move away from the usual Vitosha and walk to where young people, students and citizens like to hang out.

Dada Cultural Bar, Benkovski 10.

The right place for a proud radical chic person like me. It’s comfortable and they serve very good beers from different countries, with a good selection of local beers. There’s also a wide choice of local wines that, as I’ve already told you quite a few times, are worth the whole trip.

Delta Blues Bar, ulitsa Sv. Sveti Kiril I Metodiy 44.

If you love blues, RnB and first-rate live events in general, this post will help you satisfy your hunger as well as quench your thirst for beer, shots and music.

Make sure a live event is on schedule when you plan to pass by this place, because in my opinion it’s exactly live music that makes the difference here.

Caldo, G.S.Rakovski №125,

Whisky (more than 250 to choose from!), rum and spirits enthusiasts can’t miss it! The music is not that loud here and the setting is very comfortable due to the wooden interior, leather and…old cigar boxes scattered all around. The lovers of fanciful design based on recycled objects will surely appreciate it.

 

A:part:mental, Neofit Rilski Str, 68, Sofia

Let me sum up the concept of this post: what you need is a sofa to slouch on with your friends at the end of the day, while drinking alcohol and eating some tasty food; are you then looking for a very informal and comfortable place just like your home but that it’s not your home? You gotta go here.

Once, these two or three rooms were actually an apartment. Now, it’s one of the coolest nightclubs of the Bulgarian capital.

Let’s move on to the discos, which are not exactly my cup of tea as you well know. But you also know I won’t skimp on anything for you.

Bedroom Premium Club, ul.Lege 2.

It’s a downtown disco, which comes in handy especially for those who stay downtown and get back on foot. There are live DJ performances and the cost is similar to a southern Italy disco in the low season (…it’s better off for me to cut it out, because the truth is I don’t have the least idea of what is the average cost of a disco in Italy). What I know, though, is that this one costs less compared to Italy. Then, there are also female dancers and cover girls to top it off.

If you’re into this kind of things…well, I told you.

Carrusel club, ul.Georgi Sava Rakovski 108

This club is also downtown and it’s perfect for those who love the nightlife. It’s on two levels and the second floor is a private lounge that overlooks the dance floor, but there’s certainly less space to dance due to its long and narrow shape; end of the day, it’s always like this in the case of reserved areas. Prices are a little higher than other places but still from a Bulgarian standpoint; good quality drinks and pretty nice music for those who love the disco.

Sense Hotel Rooftop Bar, bul.Tsar Osvoboditel 16

The level is a little higher here, both in terms of prices and tastes to please. The Sense is a  rooftopstyle bar, that is set on a roof with panoramic windows overlooking the city.

It’s basically located in front of the Italian embassy and the view is really romantic and intense.

I advise you to go there at sunset more than late at night, yet even by night lights always have a certain charm.

This is the perfect location to have a cocktail, a glass of Prosecco wine or champagne to finish the day.

Well, here are my suggestions! What about you? If you’ve already been to Sofia, what place would you add to the list?