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Updated on Jan 23, 2026
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Specialty Coffee in Sofia, Bulgaria: Top Cafés Worth Visiting
Article commissioned for crema magazine. This version has been translated.
Pulsating Sofia is an architectural melting pot, from ancient ruins and religious structures to socialist realism and brutalism. In recent years, another force is at play: the evolving coffee culture has increasingly shaped the cityscape. The roastnaissance has begun. What was once a modest coffee scene is now a vibrant mosaic of roast profiles, flavor nuances, and brewing methods, away from the usual coffee chains and toward quality-driven coffee shops. For those who want to discover Sofia’s coffee scene beyond the usual suspects, we’ve tracked down the best addresses for specialty coffee.
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A decade ago, musician, barista trainer, and coffee hunter Jordan Dabov put his plan into action to bring the world’s best coffees to Bulgaria, importing and roasting coffee from the Alliance of Coffee Excellence for the first time. These rarities were first made accessible in this very showroom. Today DABOV counts several locations in Bulgaria, can also be found in Spain and the Czech Republic, and has long been regarded as an institution for exceptional coffee enjoyment. As a Cup of Excellence judge, Jordan regularly secures the best lots to offer his guests the country’s largest bean selection. Upon entering, a kind of reception desk sits to the right, where visitors receive excellent guidance. Coffees in all roast levels line the shelves.
To the left, the room opens to a coffee bar with various brewing stations, around which baristas move with purpose. A seemingly endless variety of brewing apparatus is also part of the inventory. A handful of seats provide space for spirited coffee conversations. All in all, the open design makes the shop feel inviting and communicative. A place where Jordan Dabov’s vision comes to life anew each day.
Chucky’s Coffee House was founded more than a decade ago. Owner Ivan Chavdarov is considered a trailblazer who has already overcome quite a few highs and lows. We met him at his original location, a small shop furnished with dark wood that radiates an inviting atmosphere. “It started as an experiment, something I never thought would work,” he reflects. The pandemic hit many businesses hard, and Chucky’s was no exception. “Before Covid we had four locations, but now there’s only this one,” he adds.
Despite all challenges, the café maintained its focus: quality coffee without compromise. South of Sofia lies the roastery, where they constantly reinvent themselves and shape the rotating coffee offering. Each month, about 80 percent of the beans are exchanged to give guests the opportunity to discover new flavor profiles again and again.
Martines are always on the lookout for new developments. When they introduced the Paragon Brewing Tool from Nucleus to guests as the first establishment in Sofia, it caused quite a stir. For the first time in the café’s relatively young history, demand for filter coffee exceeded that for espresso and cappuccino. Alongside the Paragon, a variety of brewing methods are available, from V60 to Chemex to siphon. Whenever a new tool hits the market, it gets tested here.
With this appetite for innovation, Martines sets new standards in Sofia’s coffee scene. As the flagship of the roastery, it draws only from the top segment. Behind Martines, by the way, is passionate barista Anes Malkanova-Skrinjaric. In collaboration with her husband Alex, she has managed to preserve the character of locality while simultaneously putting the Martines stamp on it.
Surrounded by government buildings and luxury hotels, three coffee enthusiasts realized their vision for the Coffee Syndicate project in 2021. Velimir Bachev, passionate barista and co-founder, tells us about his inspirational trip to Amsterdam in 2018. Taken with the roastery Friedhats, the idea of his own café matured, one that would not only offer high-quality coffee from the Netherlands but also put sustainability in the foreground. To this day, the trio remains true to the beans from tins with the Friedhats sticker.
Exquisite éclairs and a zero-waste strategy accompany the coffee specialties. The interior is reduced, simple, and spans two floors. While the ground floor invites casual chats with the friendly baristas, the upper floor scores with additional places to linger. Whether for an after-work espresso or extensive coffee tasting with the Origami Dripper, Coffee Syndicate is a great destination for coffee lovers.
Better stands for the aspiration that every cup of coffee becomes better than the one before. “I want to serve returning guests a coffee that surpasses the taste of their last one,” says founder Ivan. The shoebox-sized coffee bar is a result of his pronounced entrepreneurial spirit. Through his encounter with the roast master who already refines beans for Café Martines, his house blend received its own distinctive roast signature. Ivan knows that creating an exceptional espresso requires precision and dedication. His standard is quality over quantity. “Mass processing doesn’t align with my understanding of hospitality,” he says firmly. Cup by cup, a unique coffee experience emerges.
The modern industrial design in dark tones with yellow accents in the form of seat cushions and curtains underscores his vision. “For me, advancing coffee culture in Bulgaria is a matter close to my heart.” You notice it, and you taste it.
Bug Coffee is a small but fine coffee bar in red that opened its doors to the neighborhood of Oborischte six or so years ago, and has become an elemental part of it. Co-founder Johnny is also the roast master and ensures exquisite coffee specialties with over ten years of experience.
The interior of the café may be modest in its seating options, but outside, an open-air salon unfolds in good weather. The team, consisting of dedicated and knowledgeable baristas, is always ready to assist guests with their coffee selection and offer recommendations. Chemex, espresso tonic, and an Ethiopian single origin are particularly popular here.
Photo credits: Drekka
Drekka is a café and concept store that was brought to life in 2016 by Hristo Hristov and his wife Martina after a formative New Year’s Eve. Like almost every coffee connoisseur, he still remembers his first time precisely, when shortly before midnight he celebrated his specialty debut with an exclusive coffee bean from the ranks of Ninety Plus Coffee.
Radiating modern minimalism, the light-flooded café appeals to a design-conscious audience as well as coffee connoisseurs. The clean-lined concrete structure catches the eye not least because of its sky-blue color scheme. The coffee-lineup includes home roasted beans. Beyond that, guest roasters are chosen monthly to provide fresh impulses. A carefully curated selection of teas and refreshments stands ready for those seeking an alternative to coffee.
Photo credits: Urban Embassy
The eleven-square-meter Urban Embassy has been shaking up Sofia’s coffee scene since its opening in September 2021. “We wanted to offer solutions against coffee-to-go waste and create a community space,” says co-founder Nikola, who brings over a decade of industry experience. In collaboration with his partner Alexandra, a place for first-class coffee and harmonious togetherness emerged.
The interior is based on purist flair, concentrated on the essentials, reflecting their vision for the coffee experience. Particularly in terms of sustainability, they go their own way. “From the beginning, we relied on reusable deposit bottles for our housemade plant milk.” Another charming detail: the cups at Urban Embassy are exclusively secondhand and come from various parts of the country and the world. “Some of our guests found the idea so good that they brought their own coffee cups to contribute to our collection.”
