Best Bars & Restaurants in Ruse, Bulgaria

Ruse, Bulgaria, has a variety of bars and restaurants, some with outdoor seating that’s fantastic on a sunny day. Most serve Bulgarian cuisine, with a few international and riverside options too. Local beer is reasonably priced, and I’ve enjoyed half-litre bottles for under £1.50 in Ruse.

There were also options for places to sit and chill while sightseeing in Ruse. We found that some bars and restaurants in the city had dog-friendly gardens; however, indoor seating was limited.

Best Restaurants in Ruse, Bulgaria

These are the best restaurants that we dined at while staying in Ruse. Many served delicious Bulgarian cuisine and some fresh fish from the River Danube.

Happy Bar & Grill

A fantastic restaurant on the edge of Freedom Square is the Happy Bar & Grill. It has a modern interior and a comprehensive food menu. Their menu includes traditional Bulgarian cuisine and some international options.

They also have a comprehensive drinks menu with cocktails, non-alcoholic cocktails and beers. I enjoyed a Bulgarian beer, Kamenitsa, which was refreshing.

We enjoyed some local beer and raspberry lemonade during our visit to Happy Bar and Grill. Their food menu was delicious, and I enjoyed their soup and slow-cooked beef in a mushroom sauce. The service at Happy Bar & Grill was fantastic, and the staff spoke excellent English.

Restaurant Pontoon For Splendid Danube Views

For somewhere special to dine out in Ruse, try Restaurant Pontoon. Restaurant Pontoon is a restaurant on a boat on the River Danube. They are about a 15-minute walk from the centre.

They have a reasonably priced menu with plenty of river fish options and some tasty meat dishes. I enjoyed a few local beers on board, 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 chef’s 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. Their drinks menu includes coffee, soft drinks, and local beer, such as Apuaha, a nice, light beer. They serve mostly traditional Bulgarian food. The food was delicious, including a cheese board to share and pork kavarma, a traditional stew.

They cook kavarma in earthenware, and the ingredients are pork, onion, red peppers, green peppers, mushrooms and parsley. We dined out on Valentine’s Day and found the service much poorer than at other places we’ve eaten. 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 reason. They have a small dining room upstairs and also some outside seating. The decor here is quirky, and they seem to love the UK, with a red phone box for wine storage and lots of other British memorabilia.

They offer beer options, 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. It was tasty and nicely presented.

Bars, Cafes & Nightlife in Ruse

Кафе “Пепи”

A lovely place to sit out and enjoy the sunshine in Freedom Square is Кафе “Пепи”. They serve both coffee and beer and provide table service.

I enjoyed a few cheap Apuaha/Ariana beers on their terrace, which were new to me at the time and refreshing. We found their terrace to be dog-friendly and a perfect place to visit with Henry.

Café Balkanika

Café Balkanika is a lovely place overlooking Freedom Square at the courthouse. We enjoyed visiting for an afternoon drink, and their outdoor seating 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 nice-looking cakes; however, I don’t eat sugar anymore, so I didn’t try. However, my wife enjoyed hers.

Chinchila-Ivan Petkov

Chinchila-Ivan Petkov overlooks the River Danube in Ruse and is a nice place for a drink, especially at 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.

Play Club & Disco

Another cool bar in Ruse for drinks is Play Club & Disco. Play Club & Disco has a lovely venue that overlooks City Park. I visited in the daytime for a beer or two and found the seating comfy and the service good. 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 find it chilled.

Café-Bar Havana

Another dog-friendly place we found was Café-Bar Havana on the main road from the town centre to the railway station. They have a cool venue with nice indoor seating and a covered terrace. They had some nice beers and coffee. We visited with Henry to kill a few hours while we waited for the train.

Cheap Lunch & Bakeries in Ruse

Тирол: A Nice Bakery

Primarily a bakery, Тирол is a good 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 goods.

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.