The monumental TOP PICKS
Aleksander Nevski
Cathedral
COMPILED BY CATRIONA GREW WITH CONTRIBUTIONS FROM MARK BAKER AND ANITA ISALSKA.PHOTOGRAPHS: MARIYAN TASHEV/500PX, COURTESY OF BALKAN BITES
6RÀDLVDQHFOHFWLFFLW\ZLWKDVFDWWHULQJRI
RQLRQGRPHGFKXUFKHV2WWRPDQPRVTXHV
DQGVWXEERUQ5HG$UP\PRQXPHQWV
8VHWKLVOLVWWRSODQ\RXULWLQHUDU\IRU
DZHHNHQGLQWKH%XOJDULDQFDSLWDO
Balkan Bitesisatwo-hour
guidedwalkingtourfocusing
onfood,andincludestastings
anddrinksatrestaurants
aroundtown.Thebasictour
isfreebutadonationis
expected.Walksdepartat
2pmfromthestatueofStefan
StambolovinCrystalPark
(balkanbites.bg).
Weekend in
6RÀD
SIGHTS
Aleksander Nevski
Cathedral
(Aleksander Nevski Square)
One of the symbols not just of
6RÀDEXWRI%XOJDULDLWVHOIWKLV
PDVVLYHDZHLQVSLULQJFDWKHGUDO
ZDVEXLOWEHWZHHQDQG
LQPHPRU\RIWKH
5XVVLDQVROGLHUVZKRGLHG
ÀJKWLQJIRU%XOJDULD·V
LQGHSHQGHQFHGXULQJWKH
5XVVR7XUNLVK:DU²
,WLVQDPHGLQKRQRXURIDWK
FHQWXU\5XVVLDQZDUULRUSULQFH
Archaeological Museum
(naim.bg; ul Saborna 2)
+RXVHGLQDIRUPHUPRVTXHEXLOW
LQWKLVPXVHXPGLVSOD\V
DZHDOWKRI7KUDFLDQ5RPDQ
DQGPHGLHYDODUWHIDFWV
+LJKOLJKWVLQFOXGHDPRVDLFÁRRU
IURPWKH&KXUFKRI6YHWD6RÀD
DWKFHQWXU\%&7KUDFLDQJROG
EXULDOPDVNDQGDPDJQLÀFHQW
EURQ]HKHDGWKRXJKWWRUHSUHVHQW
D7KUDFLDQNLQJ
Sveta Sofia Church
(00 359 2 987 0971; ul Parizh 2)
6YHWD6RÀDLVRQHRIWKHFDSLWDO·V
ROGHVWFKXUFKHVDQGJDYHWKH
FLW\LWVQDPH$VXEWHUUDQHDQ
PXVHXPKRXVHVDQDQFLHQW
QHFURSROLVDQGWKHUHPDLQVRI
IRXURWKHUFKXUFKHV2XWVLGH
DUHWKH7RPERIWKH8QNQRZQ
6ROGLHUDQGDQHWHUQDOÁDPH
DQGWKHJUDYHRI,YDQ9D]RY
%XOJDULD·VPRVWUHYHUHGZULWHU
EATING
Annette MOROCCAN ££
(annette.bg; ul Angel Kânchev 27)
:LWKLWVFXVKLRQVWUHZQFRXFKHV
JORZLQJFDQGOHVDQGODQWHUQV
DQGVSLF\DURPDVWKLVLVDJUHDW
SODFHIRUDXWKHQWLF0RURFFDQ
FRRNLQJLQFOXGLQJDELJVHOHFWLRQ
RIPH]HDQGGHOLFLRXVWDJLQHV
VXFKDVODPEZLWKÀJVDQG
DSULFRWVDQGFKLFNHQLQZLQH
Made In Home
INTERNATIONAL ££
(00 359 0876884014;
ulAngel Kânchev 30a)
6RÀD·VYHU\SRSXODUHQWUDQWLQWR
WKHZRUOGZLGHORFDOO\VRXUFHG
VORZIRRGWUHQGWKHQDPHUHIHUV
WRWKHIDFWWKDWDOOLWHPVDUHPDGH
LQKRXVH7KHFRRNLQJLVHFOHFWLF
ZLWKGROORSVRI0LGGOH(DVWHUQ
HJKXPPXVDQG7XUNLVKWDVWHV
DVZHOODVSOHQWLIXOYHJHWDULDQDQG
YHJDQRՙHULQJV7KHSOD\IXOO\
UXVWLFLQWHULRUIHHOVVWUDLJKWRXW
RID:LQQLHWKH3RRKERRN
5HVHUYDWLRQVHVVHQWLDO
MoMa Bulgarian
Food & Wine BULGARIAN££
(moma-restaurant.com;
ulSolunska 28)
$QXSGDWHRQWKHWUDGLWLRQDO
PHKDQDWDYHUQDVHUYLQJW\SLFDO
%XOJDULDQIRRGVVXFKDVJULOOHG
PHDWVDQGPHDWEDOOVDQGZLQHV
EXWLQDPRUHPRGHUQDQG
XQGHUVWDWHGLQWHULRU7KHUHVXOW
LVRQHRIWKHEHVWQLJKWVRXWLQ
WRZQ6WDUWRՙZLWKDVKRWRIUDNLD
%XOJDULDQEUDQG\DQGDVDODG
DQGPRYHRQWRWKHDPSOHPDLQ
FRXUVHV%RRNDKHDG²WKLV
UHVWDXUDQWLVSRSXODU
Pastorant ITALIAN£££
(pastorant.eu; ul Tsar Asen 16)
7 KLVFKDUPLQJSHDJUHHQ
UHVWDXUDQWSURYLGHVDQLQWLPDWH
VHWWLQJIRUKLJKTXDOLW\,WDOLDQ
FXLVLQHLQFOXGLQJVRPHLQYHQWLYH
SDVWDDQGULVRWWRGLVKHVDQG
WUDGLWLRQDOIDYRXULWHVVXFKDV
VDOWLPERFFDDQGSHVWRFKLFNHQ
Vila Rosich BAKERY£
(vilarosiche.com; ul Neofit Rilski)
6 WHSLQWRWKHEDFNJDUGHQRIWKLV
KLGGHQEDNHU\DQGHQWHUZKDW
IHHOVOLNHDVHFUHWZRUOGRIIUHVKO\
EDNHGEUHDGVDQGFDNHV,W·VD
SHUIHFWVSRWIRUDQDIWHUQRRQ
VZHHWRUDOLJKWFKHHVHVWXՙHG
FURLVVDQWVDQGZLFK
DRINKING
DaDa Cultural Bar
(blog.dadaculturalbar.eu;
ul Georgi Benkovski 10)
$ORFDOLQVWLWXWLRQ'D'DEDULV
IDUPRUHWKDQDSODFHWRGULQN
7KHPLVVLRQKHUHLVFXOWXUHDQG
\RXFDQXVXDOO\H[SHFWWRÀQGOLYH
PXVLFDUWLQVWDOODWLRQVUHDGLQJV
RUKDSSHQLQJV/RRNIRUXSWR
GDWHOLVWLQJVRQWKHZHEVLWH
Fabrika Daga
(00 359 02 444 0556;
ul Veslets 10)
$FODVVLFWKLUGJHQFRՙHHURDVWHU
ZLWKORWVRIH[SRVHGSLSLQJDQG
DFRՙHHPHQXVFUDZOHGRQD
FKDONERDUG(VSUHVVRVYDFXXP
SRWVDQG)UHQFKSUHVVHVVTXHH]H
RXWMDYDIURPDZLGHYDULHW\RI
H[RWLFEHDQV,WDOVRKDVDORQJOLVW
RIVDODGVDQGVDQGZLFKHVZLWK
YHJDQDQGYHJHWDULDQRSWLRQV
$KDQG\VSRWIRUPRUQLQJFRՙHH
DQGDEUHDNIDVWUROORUFDNH
Raketa Rakia Bar
(00 359 0 2 444 6111;
ul Yanko Sakazov 15–17)
8QVXUSULVLQJO\WKLVUDNLVK
FRPPXQLVWHUDUHWUREDUKDVD
KXJHVHOHFWLRQRIUDNLDRQKDQG
EHIRUH\RXVWDUWZRUNLQJ\RXUZD\
GRZQWKHOLVWOLQH\RXUVWRPDFK
ZLWKVQDFNVDQGPHDOVKHDY\LQ
PHDWDQGFUHDP&KHHVHEDNHGLQ
KRQH\ZLWKZDOQXWVLVDSDUWLFXODU
ZLQQHU7KLVSODFHLVYHU\SRSXODU
VRPDNHVXUH\RXPDNHD
UHVHUYDWLRQ²RUDUULYHHDUO\DQG
VHWWOHLQIRUWKHORQJKDXO
Good to know