What’s the fuss all about and are they worth a visit?

It’s still summer, it’s hot and, if you are stuck in the city, just like me, it’s definitely time to go out. But there are so many options to choose from, especially post quarantine, that sometimes it is just hard to decide where to go. Usually, I frequent places that I think look interesting and, of course, have good reviews online. So I chose 3 top rated restaurants that caught my attention and went to see why are they so popular and if a visit there is worth the time and money.

1. The Little Things

Google: 4,5 stars
Facebook: 5 stars
Tripadvisor: 4,5 stars

I’ve learnt about The Little Things from an Instagram post of a friend. The place just looked so beautiful with the wisteria tree in bloom in the front, that I had to follow them. The food pictures they were posting in their Facebook stories looked absolutely amazing and, without a doubt, something you would like to put in your mouth.

So I’ve waited and waited for the lock down to be over and persuaded my boyfriend we absolutely needed to go. I’ve decided to make a reservation, as I knew they are very busy and probably will not have seats outside if we just show up. I’ve sent them a message on Facebook and they confirmed we will have a table.

When we went there the next day, though, it turned out we do not have reservation at all. To be honest, we were 10 minutes late, and, at first, I thought that is the reason not to be on the list. But then the waitress informed us that her colleague had just forgot to write down the reservation. Not a good first impression at all!

So we had to sit inside due to lack of tables in the garden. I have to confess, the inside of the old house, in which the restaurant is located, is decorated in a very interesting and unique way, that gives vintage vibes. This was not enough to compensate the slow service and lack of air conditioning, though. My boyfriend even noticed spiderwebs and dust at some spots.

Anyways, I wanted to stay positive and give those amazing dishes from Facebook a chance. We ordered a lemonade, a salad and a main dish to share. This was the strangest lemonade we’d ever tasted. It had absolutely no ice, so it was kind of hot in an unpleasant way. There were tiny, chopped pieces of mint inside, instead of mint leaves and it generally did not look very well. We had to wait kind of long for the waitress to come in order to order ice and our general mood was already ruined at this point.

The first dish we ordered came, but it was difficult to figure out which one of the two it was. They had to bring out the second one in order to understand what we are eating. The general taste of the food was good and it was the best part of our experience.

We waited a long time for the bill, as well, so we were definitely not crazy about the service. But even worse than this for me was visiting the bathroom, which was one of the most disgusting restaurant toilets I’ve seen to this day.

My rating: Much ado about nothing!

2. Constantinoff RestoBar

Google: 4,5 star
Facebook: 4,6 stars
Tripadvisor: 4,5 stars

It does not happen often to me to pass by a restaurant and to fall in love with it only by seeing the outside décor! This gem is located on Vitosha Boulevard – one of the liveliest pedestrian streets in Sofia. Despite the huge competition, it is impossible to miss the place – the big statues of human heads, finished by flowery hair will definitely grab your attention!

The interior of Constantinoff RestoBar does not disappoint, as well! The décor is modern and sophisticated and the digital walls downstairs are just beautiful. There is even a small, very instagrammable photo corner for you to capture your great experience. The menu is extensive and offers a modern interpretation of Easter European cuisine, as well as an amazing selection of cocktails and cold drinks. I was not so adventurous and ate a burger (which was delicious by the way), but my friend ate veal brain with pea puree, which is just an example of the interesting dishes in the menu.

There were only two downfalls of the whole experience – the first one was that the prices there are more on the high end and the second was that I literally fell off the table.

At one point while eating my burger, I just felt how I was slowly descending towards the ground. My first thought was “I am not drink enough for this to be happening!” It turned out the foot of the armchair I was sitting in broke and that is how I ended up on the floor. The waiter apologized and explained that there had been multiple accidents with this type of chairs and I had just destroyed the last one. I was not sure why they had not replaced them after breaking under multiple guests, but I guess money-saving was the reason.

My rating: Despite the killer chair, really nice 🙂

3. Shtastlivetsa

Google: 4,5 star
Facebook: 4,8 stars
Tripadvisor: 4,5 stars

This restaurant is absolutely iconic and a must-visit both in Sofia and Veliko Tarnovo. It first opened its doors in 1997 in the old capital and grew from there. The place shares the pseudonym of the famous Bulgarian writer Aleko Konstantinov and takes us back to the 1930s with its typical interior solutions that embody the urban home style in Europe of that era.

Visiting Shtastlivetsa is always a culinary experience. Their own spin on traditional dishes is unique and is something different from the pizza or fast food places that you can find on Vitosha Boulevard. There are vegan, vegetarian and fitness options, as well! No matter what you choose, I am pretty sure it will be delicious. For me, their grilled calamari with lemon-oregano sauce is to die for and I have been even ordering it for home as the restaurant also has a delivery service. The cheese tart from the featured image is their best sweet-savory temptation.

The restaurant is also the favorite place of my extremely picky boyfriend because of the comfy armchairs and pleasant atmosphere. If you visit, definitely sit inside as this is the more impressive part, although the outside is also quite nice. Shtastlivetsa also has a photo corner, but there is no need of it as everything in this place is beautiful and picture-worthy.

My rating: Not only iconic, but also totally worth all the fuss.

If you liked this review, one about Largo di Serdika, Raketa Rakia Bar, and Arbat will be on the blog soon 🙂

Photos: Personal Archive