We tried 3 different bakeries in Sofia

We are two Google Moderators who really love food crawls, and today we want to share with you some of the best bakeries to enjoy delicious coffee and brunch in Sofia, Bulgaria. Vasi (@VasT) is from Greece and Ina (@InaS) is from Albania.

Sometimes we wish we could have brunch the whole day. Breadsticks, tarts, pastries, cookies, cakes—it makes little difference. In Albania and Greece alike, we like to spend a lot of time enjoying a cup of coffee and brunch with friends and family. Generally, we have the same preferences, but while Vasi likes the smell of chocolate and hazelnut, Ina prefers cheese buns and savory muffins.

Last Sunday, we paid a visit to three bakeries in Sofia. Here’s what we tried and liked best about them.

1. Cafe Ma Baker

This was just the place to be. The interior of the bakery was quaint and welcoming, there were tables resembling chess boards, and chandeliers decorated with heart-shaped cookies. The whole atmosphere was enchanting and lovable.

From various cakes and pies on display, to shelves full of bread, and canisters filled with croissants and Vienna buns, this bakery offers a great assortment of tasty temptations to choose from. The staff were friendly and willing to help anyone with their choice.

Ina: This Sunday we chose to try the savory croissants, mozzarella buns, and olive bread. I could taste the fresh ingredients the moment I took a bite. We also had a cup of cappuccino, which went nicely with the savory snacks.

Vasi: I enjoyed the mozzarella buns, even though they wouldn’t be my first choice. Ina encouraged me to try them, and I was pleasantly surprised by the softness of the dough.

2. JoVan The Dutch Bakery

Is variety the most important thing to you when it comes to choosing a bakery? Do you want to try something new every time? If your answer is yes, then JoVan The Dutch Bakery is just for you! Variety is important to us, too, and we like to put our taste buds to the test.

The first time we found this bakery was while wandering around the city center. There were so many people gathered outside and inside. This Sunday as well, the place was crowded, but the service was very quick. The staff didn’t speak much English, but they were welcoming, polite, and with a great sense of humor.

Ina: The smell of freshly baked bread invited me to go in. I had my favorite thing—sunflower seeds covered grissini. They were crunchy, tasty and I needed just one to satisfy my appetite.

Vasi: The Danish puff topped with fresh plums made my day. The crust was crispy, while the cream had soft texture and light flavor.

We both agreed the only drawback to this bakery was that there were no tables and we couldn’t sit and enjoy a cup of coffee with our snacks.

3. Cakey Bakey

Cakey Bakey lured us in with the promise of a flavorful breadstick and a piece of nice chocolate cake.

At first glance, this place looked like any other bakery, but it was more than that. The decorations inside made it so different. There were all those small details, like fresh rose flowers on the tables, and black and white photos on the walls, which made us feel like we were in a small café in Paris. It was cozy, with seats to lounge inside and outside if the weather allowed it.

Vasi: I was firmly determined not to eat chocolate that day, but one glance at the display counter changed my mind immediately. I ordered a cup of espresso with a slice of Lindt cake.

Ina: There wasn’t a big variety of savory baked goods. The arrangement of all their products, however, was very compelling.

Vasi: Cakey Bakey was more appealing to me as I have a sweet tooth. All those cookies, brownies, and muffins were mouthwatering.

Ina: Even though this place is famous for its cakes, I could also choose to have a fresh salad, sandwich, or a warm soup. Their spelt bread was tasty, too! Cakey Bakey, wait for me, I’m coming back pretty soon!

Which is your favorite bakery? Tell us what you like most about it in the comments below!

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Mmm, @VasT . This post and the photos are making me hungry. Please put a mozzarella bun on the must-eat list for when I next visit!! :slight_smile:

Here are some of my NYC faves:

  • Ladybird Bakery has been a go-to when in Park Slope Brooklyn for delicious and gorgeous sweets to bring to someone’s house.
  • FayDa is my go-to chain for delicious pork buns (and more!).
  • Villabate Alba has killer Italian pastries and cake.
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Excellent and very mouth-watering post, @VasT ! I’ve got to side with ya, I’m more of a sweet tooth as well when it comes to bakeries and I’ve only recently started exploring savory options. That said, my favorite bakery from your crawl had to be Cakey Bakey - that chocolate cake/brownie looks so rich and appealing. I can imagine the smells and flavors!

Back at home, one of my favorite bakeries is actually an authentic French bakery called Cafe Creme - aside from a relatively deep brunch and lunch menu (and amazing happy hour), they feature a ton of sweet pastries, my favorite being their house-made chocolate croissants.

Thanks for sharing your discoveries! :slight_smile:

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Oh wow @VasT , I’m so hungry right now! I can see you and @InaS had a great time trying delicious food!

There are a lot of bakeries in my city, but there usually aren’t tables or a place to sit. I would say almost all of them are only take-away.

I specially recall La Bella Italia because my mother always took me there since I was a child, and I still buy some delicious pastries there nowadays.

I recently discovered Feliza, one of the few bakeries I know where you can have a good time and drinking a milshake while having something delicious.

Here’s a photo I took of a breakfast I had there with @santiagoirale :

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Many thanks for sharing your favorite ones @TraciC . As for the mozzarella buns, it’s @InaS favorite. We can arrange a big tour for your next visit!

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Hi @SP31 ,

Thank you for sharing your favorite bakery, it looks super cozy. I love chocolate croissants as well. From your posts I was pretty confident that you’ll team up with me :).

By the way, maybe this photo will change your mind about your favorite bakery!

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Hi @ValeriaA ,

You are right we had a great time. The most important is that we had this food crawl in a good company. In the end, @AngieYC joined us to try more delicious treats.

Actually, half of the bakeries that I know have seats and the other half no.

I am sharing more pictures from this day.

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In bangladesh local area as like this @VasT

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@InaS oh wow!

I can’t believe I’m seeing so many photos of food! Thanks for sharing them, now I’m inspired to go and visit a nice bakery and drink a big cup of coffee while enjoying a croissant :yum:

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I really love your photos @VasT & @InaS and bakeries! It’s always a must when I go to a new city.

One of my favorite treats are the French macarons from 100 Grams of Sweets and especially the chocolate and coffee flavors. Do you have a favorite macaron?

Amsterdam surprised me with one of the most delicious pancakes I’ve ever tasted. De Vier Pilaren is specialized only in pancakes and you get so many different tastes. Definitely worth the visit if you also like pancakes :slight_smile:

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@DanniS Let’s Exchange you give me macaron i give you Motichur Laddu / মতিচূর লাড্ডু

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I am a food lover, and I have planned the tour in my mind @TraciC . I’ve heard that you love ice cream, maybe we can go and try a few spots.

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@MahabubMunna I would love to try Laddu, it looks delicious!

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@InaS @VasT @DanniS for all of you dessert :slight_smile: My dessert food photography

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@MahabubMunna thank you for sharing your photos. I would like to ask you what’s the name of the sweet of 3rd picture? Do you usually drink tea or coffee?

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@VasT red one that is called plane cake , And Tea coffee both , general people drink tea with milk . you maybe happy to know that when British roiling there they made so may tea garden . till British royal family bring tea from there . one garden control by British Govt

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@VasT you’re right, haha - those tarts look incredible, hazelnut is one of my favorites!

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@VasT i love bakery too, and here in my city we have a lot, the last I went was this in picture, it is a traditional bakery but very good, I eat chocolate and I pay by weight.

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@ValeriaA , we tried many goodies, took a lot of photos and enjoyed our time together. All in all, we had a great time and we wanted to share our experience with the community! Also, we had already reviewed the bakeries on Google Maps but we added some new photos :). By the way, Feliza looks like a really cool place to lounge.

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Thank you for your reply @MahabubMunna . It’s very interesting to hear about the green tea. It must be one of the best! I read the My dessert food photography article and I liked it a lot. I have tried the lokum in Istanbul and it was delicious. I am sure @InaS knows much more about Istanbul as she spent a long time there!

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