Ruse in Bulgaria has a variety of great bars restaurants and many of which have outside seating areas which are fantastic on a sunny day. They have many serving Bulgarian cuisine and some other interesting options too. Local beer is reasonably priced and I’ve enjoyed half litre bottles for under £1.50 in Ruse.
There were many options for places to sit and chill while sightseeing in Ruse. Many bars and restaurants in the city had dog friendly gardens, however inside was rather limited.
Best Bars & Restaurants in Ruse
These are the best bars, cafes and restaurants that we dined out at while staying in Ruse. Many served delicious Bulgarian cuisine and some fresh fish from the River Danube. Most of the bars had options for Bulgarian beer, which tends to be the cheaper option.
Happy Bar & Grill
A fantastic restaurant on the edge of Freedom Square is the Happy Bar & Grill. They have a lovely modern interior and a very comprehensive food menu. Their menu includes traditional Bulgarian cuisine and some international options.
They also have a great drinks menu with cocktails, non-alcoholic cocktails and beers. I enjoyed a Bulgarian beer, Kamenitsa, which was rather refreshing.
We enjoyed some local beer and a raspberry lemonade for drinks on our visit to Happy Bar and grill. Their food menu was delicious and enjoyed their soup and a slow cooked beef in a mushroom sauce. The service at Happy Bar & Grill was fantastic, and the staff spoke excellent English.
Кафе “Пепи” a Cool Bar
A lovely place to sit out and enjoy the sunshine in Freedom Square is Кафе “Пепи”. They serve both coffee and beer on their menu and provide at the table service.
I enjoyed a few Apuaha/Ariana beers on their terrace, which was a new beer to me and the time and rather refreshing. This was rather cheap and cost 3.19 BGN, which translates to £1.43, not bad for a beer with a view. We found their terrace to be dog friendly and a great place to visit with Henry.
Restaurant Pontoon For Splendid Danube Views
For somewhere special to dine out in Ruse is Restaurant Pontoon. Restaurant Pontoon is an eater on a boat on the River Danube. They are abut a 15-minute walk from the centre, however the dining experience is lovely.
They have a reasonably priced menu with lots of river fish options to choose from, as well as some tasty meat dishes. I enjoyed a few local beers onboard, followed by a meal for two. We tried their fish soup and Tarator, a Cold Cucumber Soup for the first course.
For main courses, we opted for the chefs’ special pork and catfish, both with salad. The service at Restaurant Pontoon was wonderful, and the staff spoke excellent English.
Kralska zakuska A Traditional Restaurant
Also in Freedom Square is Kralska zakuska, a restaurant with a heated terrace which is lovely at all times of the year. They had a great drinks menu, including coffee, soft drinks and local beer, including Apuaha, a nice light beer. They serve mostly traditional Bulgarian food. Their food was delicious, including a cheese board to share and pork kavarma, a traditional stew dish.
They cook kavarma in earthenware and the ingredients were, Pork, onion, red peppers, green peppers, mushrooms and parsley.. This was rather nice. We dined out on Valentine’s day and found the service to be very poor compared to every other place that we ate out at. Despite the poor service, the food was good, and the venue was nice.
Good Food Vintage Show Cooking
Good Food Vintage show cooking is an aptly named restaurant in Freedom square in Ruse. It took us a few attempts to get a table here, as they are very popular, for good reasons. They have a small dining room upstairs and also some outside seating. The decor here is rather quirky and they seem to love the UK with a red phone box for wine storage and lots of other British memorabilia.
They serve options for beers including local Bulgarian beers and some continental favourites. For starters, we enjoyed their river fish soup, and some peppers stuffed with a blend of cheese and yoghurt. Both were tasty.
For the main course, we both opted for their take on chicken kavarma, a traditional Bulgarian dish. This was fantastic, had great flavours and was presented nicely. Overall, Good Food Vintage show cooking lived up to their reputation and was a fantastic dining experience.
Restaurant Bongusta
In the youth park, next to Philharmonic Hall, is Restaurant Bongusta. Restaurant Bongusta is a lovely place to enjoy a drink, including some rather nice Bulgarian beers.
They have a terrace with benches outside and a pleasant inside seating area. They also serve coffee and have a lunch menu too.
Cafe Balkanika
A lovely place overlooking Freedom Square at the courthouse is Cafe Balkanika. Cafe Balkanika is a great place for a drink in the afternoon and their outside seating area gets brilliant sun. It’s also a good place for afternoon drinks with the dog. They have a range of beers, fruit soft drinks and coffees. They also have a dessert menu with some rather nice looking cakes, however I don’t eat sugar anymore so didn’t try. However, my wife enjoyed hers.
Chinchila-Ivan Petkov
Overlooking the River Danube in Ruse is Chinchila-Ivan Petkov, a nice place for a drink, especially during sunset. The views of the river and the late sun are fantastic here. Their servers were friendly and efficient and I enjoyed a few Bulgarian beers here. They also have a nice food menu, however I had already dined out that day.
Тирол A Nice Bakery
Primarily a bakery, Тирол is a great place to grab a cheap lunch in the centre of Ruse. They have a few tables overlooking the city’s main square. Тирол has a variety of soft drinks available to go with your baked good.
They serve sandwiches, pizza by the slice and some savoury pastries. The Тирол savoury pastries are delicious and either come with cheese or meat fillings.
Play Club & Disco
Another cool bar to visit for drinks in Ruse is Play Club & disco. Play Club & disco have a lovely venue that overlooks city park. I visited in the daytime for a beer or two and found the seating comfy and good service. At night, it’s apparently a bit more vibrant and the place to be for nightlife. I rate it highly as a daytime bar and found it to be chilled.
Cafe-Bar Havana
Another place we found to be dog friendly was Cafe Bar Havana on the main road from the town centre to the railway station. They have a cool venue with nice inside seating and a covered terrace. They had some nice beers and coffee to enjoy. We visited with Henry to kill a few hours while awaiting the train. Overall, a nice place for a drink out in quiet daytime bar.
Great selection of traditional bars and restaurants. The Kavarma looks and sounds lovely I learnt a bit of Bulgarian cuisine today