Manastirska Magernitsa Restaurant

“I had a truly wonderful experience at Manastirska Magernitsa. The atmosphere is absolutely beautiful – traditional Bulgarian style, warm and authentic, exactly what I was hoping to find. Bulgarian music was playing in the background, which made the whole experience feel even more genuine and special. The service was excellent. The young lady who served me spoke perfect English and was incredibly kind and welcoming. She brought me a delicious dark Bulgarian beer, which I really enjoyed, and as a compliment from the restaurant, she served homemade bread with salt and spices. She recommended dipping it in olive oil before tasting it – and it was absolutely amazing! I then had the Shopska salad and meatballs with lyutenitsa. The meatballs were fantastic – perfectly seasoned and full of flavor. The lyutenitsa was creamy and delicious, and the Shopska salad was fresh and wonderfully crunchy. I am honestly so impressed. I did not expect something this good, and it became one of the highlights of my stay. I would definitely recommend this restaurant to anyone who wants to experience authentic Bulgarian cuisine in a beautiful setting.”

“One of the worst culinary experiences I've ever had. The dishes were simply unappetizing, and now I have a stomach ache. We were greeted by unfriendly staff, and then we were given a very long and confusing menu. We ordered six items, only one of which we liked. The bread was good to start with, but otherwise the compositions were poor, underseasoned, and simply unappetizing. Maybe we were unlucky? Maybe these dishes are supposed to taste this way? I don't know, but we've left other Bulgarian restaurants happy and content. Unfortunately, not here. And the prices are like those in an expensive fine dining restaurant, but here it's cafeteria food! I don't recommend it.”

“Very good range of vegetarian and vegan options in the "lean" menu. Grilled vegetables so much more than just grilled vegetables. Good range of starters. Large beans with prunes main was delicious. Plus assorted sides. Local unfiltered beer, and some excellent wines.”

“This was a lucky find on our 1st night in Sofia, Bulgaria. We googled on our phones several times till we agreed on a reasonable location with great reviews and with a good walk from our hotel. Turned out we got lucky to secure a table likely because we arrived before 6:30pm; apparently they are always fully booked. The restaurant is basically a villa and tho we did not enquire about its origins, it could be a family foundation/business through time. Evidence abound all over of care and attn to decor and layout of dining tables artfully placed in every room and space. Decor items shows care in selection as they were old and mostly everyday items recycled/upcycled which was refreshing and prompt nostalgic conversations. Service was excellent and very personable; the food was also very well done and presented, and tasted. We ordered pork and also fish and also sampled the local snails prepped the Bulgarian way - flavourful and interesting to hv it in a different style. We had a very satisfying experience and will return for future visits to Sofia 👍🏻”