Specialty Coffee In Sofia: Cafes & Roasters

Sofia is a great upcoming city that combines East and West in a very unique way. Very green, with parks everywhere and mountains just next door, the city also boasts an increasingly quality-driven specialty coffee scene.

Most of the local specialty cafes are not quite meant for laptoping, and rather more of a quick caffeine fix. Thus, not so great for freelancers or nomads looking for a place to get some work done.

From the below list, the only exception may be Late, which has the largest seating. Alternatively, you’ve got Starbucks and Costa Coffee everywhere.

Specialty Coffee In Sofia

Drekka is a nice and well-equipped specialty coffee shop not too far away from the city center.

Here you’ll be able to find a good selection of specialty-grade coffee beans roasted by international hallmark roasters such as Gardelli, Keen, or MAME.

In addition, you can get fine tea and chocolates as coffee gadgets such as the Aeropress, Hario equipment, and so on.

Drekka is our recommendation if you want to get a wide variety of beans and options. Drekka is just a cafe but in some sense, it tries to give options to the local specialty coffee aficionado.

Late is the most ambitious specialty coffee project in Sofia, and possibly in the Balkans.

Featuring state-of-the-art specialty coffee technology, in the most luxurious way possible, this coffee shop and roastery epitomizes the modern specialty coffee approach.

Initially, this project was initiated and set up by the guys at % Arabica. However, the business was subsequently sold or transferred to a local group, which rebranded the coffee as Late.

In our opinion, the coffee beans menu lacks variety, and the location is not great for tourists (in the Paradise Mall, about 15 min away from the center by subway).

However, given the fantastic infrastructure and the statement of commitment to the specialty coffee industry, this is a project we would like to see flourish.

How To Get to Late Coffee?

Coming from the subway, take the exit that goes directly into the Paradise shopping mall, and then the escalators to the ground floor (so only one up). It’s located at one of the corners (the mall is like a triangle).

Chucky’s is one of the specialty coffee pioneers in Sofia. Simple and to the point, it’s a great place to get your morning coffee fix near the center.

While possibly not the highest quality beans in town, it’s clearly there for the service and availability.

Thanks to years of trustworthy service, this coffee shop has created a local community, more tailored to the local adaptation of the specialty coffee vibe.

Once again, it’s a great place to get a nice cappuccino or espresso while you discover Sofia.

One of the leaders of the local specialty coffee scene, Dabov is hard to label. In some sense, it’s the local adaptation to the specialty coffee needs, and a business also focused on the high-end restaurant hotel type of coffees.

Dabov certainly works with good beans, but the cafe and service may not be what you expect.

Still, it’s a good place to pick some good beans, and to have a nice conversation.

What next?

If you’re in Bulgaria and like brutalist architecture, don’t miss Buzludzha! Check out more here: The Craziest Brutalist Buildings In The World.

Did you find any other good cafe? Let us know in the comments!