Step out into summer - Dining and drinking outdoors

Dining and drinking outdoors
In the heat of summer you may actually prefer having a bite or a drink inside an air-conditioned bar or restaurant rather than enjoying the outdoor garden, but there is nothing nicer than feasting outdoors on a pleasant summer evening. Here are a few places that have (shaded) backyards and patios.

Clubs and bars
Art Club
6 Tsar Ivan Asen II
02/946 13 77
Mon-Sat: 10am-midnight
Sun: 11am-1pm
This time-tested club on Ivan Asen off Orlov Most still has its grand piano and occasional live performances. The outdoor sitting area is spacious and shady.

Bibliotekata
88 Vasil Levski Blvd
02/943 39 78
10am on
Bibliotekata (The Library) has opened its summer bar behind the National Library, in the thick shade of Doctors' Garden. They've added a water bar, too, in the pond that is at the establishment's centre.

Bilkovata
22 Shishman Str
02/986 49 05
10am-2am
Bilkovata was hip and open long before I first set foot in it as a teenager breaking curfew, and little has changed in the many years since then. I can still count on running into some of the friends I made back then, still sitting at the same tables, only in some cases spotting a few grey hairs or extra pounds. And there is a brand new wave of teens breaking curfew, too. It is a venerable Sofia institution and a great place to watch the Shishman Str. crowd and meet interesting people.

By the Way
166 Georgi Rakovski
9am-1am
A devoted and hip crowd gathers here to enjoy one of the many cocktails on the menu. Some Scrabble players, too. One of those places that quickly climbed to the top of Sofia's Cool Places chart and has stayed there.

Chervilo (Lipstick)
9 Tsar Osvoboditel Blvd
02/981 66 33
22:30 till dawn
Feel the city nightlife vibe in one of Sofia's hottest clubs, also featuring two extremely well-stocked outdoor bars.

Gramofon
6 Budapeshta Str
02/981 14 10
Last I checked, the outdoor sitting area of Gramofon was getting a facelift. It's pretty calm during the day and quite busy after hours. Gramofon also hosts the Balkan Wednesdays – after-work parties featuring live music followed by a DJ set of themed Balkan Music. May's event was dedicated to Israeli music.

Toba&Co
6B Moskovska Str
10am-till the last person leaves
Located in the lovely garden at the back of the king's palace, Toba&Co has got to have the most outdoor seating of any bar in Sofia. And, they bring out blankets for their guests on cooler nights. I must say I could hardly taste the alcohol in my Mojito the last time I had one and they did call Jack Daniels bourbon, but neither has deterred me from going there – ambience and location go a long way.

Vinobar
7-9 Tsar Osvoboditel (At the back of the Military Club)
089/997-79-95
Mon-Sat: 10am-1am
The Vinobar's wine list is clearly targeted at the true connoisseur, though I can't imagine savouring the scent of a classy wine shrouded in the exhaust of the cars jamming Rakovski Str on any given workday. But the tiny patio off Rakovski Str is a lovely place to enjoy a glass of wine and a seasonal dish after-hours, with a view of the Russian Church.

Yalta
20 Tsar Osvoboditel
089/787 02 30
Sofia's most famous dance club not only boasts the best DJ line-up but also has a lovely patio looking out at the Sofia University. Go there for good music, people-watching, a fashion-check and a stiff drink at a stiff price.

Restaurants
BackHome
24A Vrabvhca Str
02/843 03 53
This new vegetarian restaurant with a menu that even die-hard carnivores might find enticing has the potential for a nice garden. Last time we checked it still wasn’t open but we're sure it'll be coming soon.

33 Stola
14 Asen Zlatarov Str
02/846 53 33
The restaurant offers limited outdoor sitting in a shady and secluded area. Good, reasonably-priced lunch menu draws a steady lunch crowd. Too bad the olive oil and Balsamic vinegar formerly available at each table have been replaced by wine vinegar and sunflower oil.

Egur-Egur
18 Sheinovo Str
02/946 17 65
This Armenian restaurant is one of my personal summer favourites, consistently delivering delicious food, good service and pleasant ambiance. Appropriate for formal, white-tablecloth occasions, though a quick soup-and-salad lunch will not be frowned upon. Reservations advised.

Nikola's
158 Knyaz Boris Str
089/786 90 29
French-inspired, self-dubbed “street-food bar” that I haven't tried but will soon, thanks to rave reviews by trusted sources.

Mediterraneo
9B Oborishte Str
02/944 95 82
One of my favourite restaurant gardens in Sofia is here, and it keeps bringing me back despite certain inconsistencies in food and service. Prices seemed steeper before, but, unlike in most places, have withstood inflation, so seem reasonable these days. The wine has been served at perfect temperature every time I've visited.

Motto
18 Aksakov 18
02/987 27 23
9am-2am
Lovely outside garden that makes it easy to forget you're in the heart of the city. Given the attempt at SOHO chic and the central location, prices come as a pleasant surprise. Impressive dessert menu, though some items are a great departure form the original; the coconut tiramisu is some fluffy creamy concoction that comes in a flute glass and bears little resemblance to the mascarpone-espresso desert.

Pod Lipite (Under the Linden Trees)
1 Elin Pelin Str
02/866 50 53
Another default location for when the question “Where should we go?” lingers in the air without resolution for a bit too long. Delicious traditional Bulgarian cuisine from the Bansko region in a lovely setting. Reservations advised.

Red Cafe
15 Lyuben Karavelov Str
02/988 81 88
10am-11pm
Tucked away on the shady Lyuben Karavelov Str, to the side of the Red House Centre for Culture and Debate, the Red Cafe has a nice menu of light dishes, and a decent wine and alcohol list. Service can be slow and charging extra for olive oil is just bad taste, but if you're not in a hurry, try the baked zucchini (perfectly cooked with a bit of bite intact) with cheese and tomatoes or the spaghetti (they came al dente) with cherry tomatoes and basil.

Spaghetti Company
1 Knyaz Dondoukov Blvd.
02/926 04 27
Only three things make this place worth going to: their superb mascarpone dessert, their green peas cream soup with pancetta served in a bread ball and the outdoor sitting area behind TSUM.

Browsing outdoors
It's a shame that there are so few places with public-access wifi in our capital. There are only two places offering outdoor web access option that I could think of.

Zaimov Park
Along Yanko Sakuzov Blvd, between Krakra Str and Evlgoi Georgiev Blvd.
The first public park in Bulgaria to offer free wifi. Yeah!

Timeless Cafe
11 Krakra Str
Timeless is tucked behind the Central Residence of the Architects and offer the rare combination of great outdoor seating and wifi internet access. Please be warned that staff frowns upon moving table to accommodate larger parties. Go figure.

Not in Sofia?
Unfortunately, our guide to other large cities cannot be as comprehensive as our selection for Sofia, for we hate to write about places we haven't tried personally. We apologise and suggest these English-language resources: http://plovdiv.zavedenia.com/uk/, http://www.veliko-tarnovo.net/english-vijte/

Source: Month2Come