The first part of our favorite vegetarian and vegan restaurant series
Written by Kristina Petkova, edited by Mila Boshnakova, photos by Loving Hut, DaOrganic, Satsanga
Some years ago, it was extremely hard to find healthy, vegetarian, vegan, and eco-friendly restaurants in Sofia - but not anymore! The healthy restaurant scene in Sofia has improved drastically and we will take you through a short tour of our favorite places, most of them located in the heart of the city. Are you in?
Loving Hut
We start our vegan and vegetarian restaurants tour in Sofia with Loving Hut. It's part of the largest chain of vegan restaurants in the world, consisting of over 200 locations globally and only one in Bulgaria. The place is famous for cakes - they can be either vegan or classic, and all the recipes are developed by the restaurant and can be customized to the client’s wishes. The most impressive cake so far consisted of 120 pieces and was specifically created for the Austrian Embassy!
Every wеекday, you can enjoy the lunch menu, consisting of a choice between the soup of the day and two kinds of main dishes. Our choice among the specialties are the vegan version of tarator (traditionally a cold yogurt-based soup with chopped fresh cucumber, oil, dill, and walnuts), vegan doner with chickpea balls, gluten-free quiche with spinach and vegan mozzarella, as well as pizza with dried vegan sausage. Do you want to have a glimpse of the communism sweet house classics in Bulgaria? Then the “rockies” are for you. Loving Hut offers the healthy vegan version of this dessert, which was popular in Bulgaria until 1989.
Location: 113 Rakovski str.
Working hours: Mon - Fri : 11:00 - 18:00, Sat : 11:00 - 17:00
All ways of delivery: https://lovinghut.bg/en/delivery/
Da!Organic
Our next stop combines healthy food, art events, a gallery, a backyard bamboo hideaway garden, onsite prepared bread with locally grown ancient varieties of grains, and stone-ground flour. Does it sound too good to be true? You can find all this and more in Da!Organic art space & natural food - a vegetarian/vegan restaurant in the historic center of Sofia, where traditional and natural cuisine meet a creative space.The chefs use natural, healthy food and select products from local farmers. Da!Organic brings back to life the old-fashioned and centuries-old Bulgarian dishes, made in an extraordinary way. The restaurant supports local farmers, the use of organic products, slow-cooked food, and wild fermentation.
The menu also includes raw, sugar, and gluten-free desserts made from nuts and fresh or dried fruits. In Da!Organic, you can also enjoy boutique Bulgarian wines, including their own homemade red wine without sulfites. Among our favorite drinks are the traditional orient coffee prepared on hot sand, homemade traditional Indian Masala tea, Yerba Mate, and locally produced gin with herbs (mmm!). The restaurant is also a creative art space - where you can find (and actually buy!) paintings from Bulgarian art galleries, featuring dozens of local artists. They also have live music events, art exhibitions, painting courses for kids and adults, and a kids’ playground corner.
Location: 22 Alabin Str.
Working hours: Mon-Fri : 8:00 - 23:00, Sat-Sun : 9:00 - 23:00
Delivery: gladen.bg, +359 897 094 139
Satsanga and Kring
Have you experienced that feeling when you want to try everything on the menu? Us too! Тhat’s why we love both Satsanga and Kring, and have included them in our map of favorite vegan and vegetarian restaurants. They offer food served buffet style. You pay according to the weight of the food you put on your plate, although some dishes have a fixed price (e.g. vegan doner). Both places offer freshly prepared hummus daily, a soup of the day, and several types of salads.
The name Satsanga comes from Sanskrit, sat meaning truth, and sanga meaning meeting. The place has a cozy interior, making it indeed suitable for a lovely date. Most of the recipes come from Indian cuisine, but not exclusively. While the restaurant is vegetarian, most of the dishes are also vegan. Among our favorites from the main dishes are the vegan bolognese lasagna and the vegan burgers with chickpeas, quinoa, and grilled beetroot. The menu is published daily on their Facebook.
Location: 8 Georgi Benkovski str.
Working hours: Mon-Sun : 9:30 - 22h
Delivery: +359 885 983 933, delivery to address takes 15-90 minutes
Every Wednesday, Kring serves only gluten-free options. The restaurant is small and cozy. Among the specialties of the restaurant is the Armenian pizza - vegan pizza with a lavash bread base, as well as balls from sprouted lentils. The weekly menu is published on the restaurant's website.
Location: 72 Tsar Simeon str.
Working hours: Mon-Sat: 11:30 - 19:00
Delivery options: takeaway.com, call +359 886 111 976 and take your food from the restaurant in 30 minutes
Have you enjoyed our gastronomic tour so far? Explore more healthy, vegan, and vegetarian restaurants in our next article. Stay tuned!
