Raketa Rakia Bar
A tongue-in-cheek Communist-era themed bar serving 250 kinds of rakia — Bulgaria's national spirit — with hearty Bulgarian food.
Retro Communist-era interior of Raketa Rakia Bar
What to expect at Raketa Rakia Bar
Raketa Rakia Bar opened in 2012 on Yanko Sakazov Boulevard, decked out in unironic Communist-era memorabilia — old radios, socialist-realist posters, a huge Soviet space-race mural (the name means Rocket) — and stocked with over 250 varieties of Bulgarian rakia, the fruit brandy that is drunk with every Bulgarian meal. Rakia is the point: plum, grape, apricot, quince, mulberry, walnut, aged in oak, distilled in copper, made in villages that appear on no map. Shots start at $2 and go up to $8 for aged premium bottles.
The food is proper Bulgarian: Shopska salad ($4), kavarma clay-pot stews ($8-10), grilled meats, bean soup, tarator (cold cucumber-yoghurt soup), and their signature dish of pork with prunes cooked in rakia ($11). Portions are large, prices honest, and the crowd a mix of local twenty-somethings, expat regulars and curious tourists. Live traditional music on Friday and Saturday from about 21:00 — usually a two-piece with accordion and clarinet playing Balkan wedding standards.
Book on a Friday or Saturday — it fills. Weekday lunches are the cheapest window; the daily lunch special is $6 for main and soup. Order a rakia flight — the waiter will bring three small glasses of contrasting styles for $8, an excellent introduction. Do not mix rakia with anything except a Shopska salad; ice is optional but locals drink it neat and cold. The bar is a 10-minute walk from Alexander Nevsky and 15 minutes from central Sofia.
Questions about Raketa Rakia Bar
$12-18 per person including one rakia and a main course.
Not applicable — no cover charge, but drinks and food are paid.
1-2 hours for a proper meal with rakia.
Open every day.
Recommended Fri/Sat, walk-in easy on weekdays. Book on their website or call.
Serdika (M1/M2) or Sofia University (M1), both 7-8 minutes walk.
Hotels near Raketa Rakia Bar
Every hotel we cover in Sredets
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- Grand Hotel Sofia 5★ · 4.6/5 · 5288 km away
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