Typical Bulgarian Cuisine!
The Riverside Brewery Sofia has the appearance of a North American mountain lodge. We dropped by for a quick lunch out of curiosity mostly, after a visit to Vitosha. Riverside Brewery Sofia is in the National Park and there is running water rushing past the building, but also indoors. We climbed up the external stairs and entered the main lounge of the restaurant which was fairly large but a bit dim because of the dark in colour pieces of furniture.
At the far end of the room and opposite the bar we pass two vessels of the brewery. It is such a beautiful sunny day that we go straight outside. A few couples are already there giving their orders.
The food of the Riverside restaurant is typical Bulgarian fare and it is quite popular as a spot. Further up the mountain is the Dragalevtsi Monastery but there is also a playground for kids.
Riverside Brewery Sofia
The waiter at the Riverside Brewery Sofia was friendly, he could speak some English and we did not take long to be served. For starters, we had a Green Salad that was sprinkled with flakes of cheese and the Pan-fried Courgettes. For the main, we had the Grilled Chicken. Well, the first impression was that portions were big and we were wondering whether the food would be good as well.
The nice freshly-cut hearty Salad was perfectly tasty and we compared it with the one we had at the Lebed restaurant the day before.
Minutes later the waiter comes with the Pan-fried Courgettes. Wow! Golden and Crunchy they were sided with a Yogurt dip with herbs. A super yummy choice! As for the Chicken, well the restaurant did not disappoint us at all.
The Grilled Chicken was nicely displayed on the platter, the portion was hearty as well, and the meat was flavoursome, cooked to perfection.
Anyone would expect that we accompany our meal with beer. Well, not in this case. We did not feel like having any so we had soft drinks instead.
We promised to be back when I retrn to Sofia again in winter. I am dying to come here with the snow outside and enjoy a couple of beers in the warm and cozy ambience of the interior.
More photos
Prefer to come here by taxi than taking the bus. It isn’t a very long drive from most parts of Sofia, and thankfully taxis are inexpensive if you are from Western Europe or the USA.
Verdict
The place itself is lovely, a good-sized wooden lodge set away in the woods. The food is reasonably priced and good. Given that there are so few brewpubs/microbreweries in Bulgaria now if you are a Beer geek and you happen to be passing through Sofia this place is basically a must-visit. Well worth the journey and highly recommended!
Have you been to Riverside? How did you like it?