Hambara Sofia: A Hidden Candlelit Bar in Sofia
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Psst, hey you. Yeah you. Wanna hear a secret? Perhaps directions to the best secret bar Sofia has to offer? Well then, keep it to yourself, but you’ve come to the right place.
If you spend any amount of time sampling the Sofia nightlife, you’ll soon find that the locals in Bulgaria’s capital city tend to be both a friendly and a talkative bunch. Especially after a few beers.
If you then happen to ask those locals about the best bars in Sofia, you’ll find it won’t be long before you start to hear whispers about the famous Sofia hidden bars and about one place in particular, nestled, unseen, amid the bars and restaurants of Sofia's centre.
Soon enough, you’ll be told about an unmarked, clandestine drinking spot, that you can only get into by knocking. A place illuminated only by candlelight, where there is no electricity save for the charge and crackle of bohemian bonhomie and animated conversation.
Though it has numerous names, from ‘The Candle Bar Sofia’ to the direct translation ‘The Barn’, the place being discussed is best known as Hambara, a long time haunt of the Bulgarian intelligentsia.
Whilst we might not qualify as either Bulgarian or intelligentsia, we were lucky enough to be directed here by one of our newly made Bulgarian drinking buddies and can promise you that a visit to Hambara Sofia is definitely an unusual and atmospheric experience worth having.
But exactly where can you find this place? How do you gain access to a secret bar and what should you expect to find once you are permitted inside?
Read on and all will be revealed!
Quick Guide to Sofia
In a hurry? Here’s a handy guide to Sofia to help you make the most of your trip!
🏠 Where to Stay:
- 5 Vintage Guest House (exceptional value)
- Art Hotel 158 (excellent location)
- Grand Hotel Millennium Sofia (luxury hotel)
🌤️ When to Visit:
- Best weather is shoulder season (April–June, September–October).
- Summer (especially August) is sweltering but very quiet!
- Winters are cold 🥶, with snow and rain!
🙋 Things to Do:
- Visit Alexander Nevsky Cathedral
- Take a tour of Sofia's other hidden bars
- Go on a Communist Walking Tour
🌟 Don't Forget:
- Stay connected with an Airalo eSIM!
History of Hambara Sofia: What's So Special About This Bar?
For many years Hambara was the closest thing to a speakeasy Sofia intellectuals could hope for.
In 1944 Russia invaded Bulgaria and it's safe to say that in the subsequent three decades plus of Communist rule ‘speaking easily’ with or without a drink in hand, was not exactly a pastime looked upon favourably.
During this time it was apparently common for hidden underground drinking spots to pop up, in the hope of providing a safe space for frowned upon activities such as talking and thinking out of turn.
Of course, the operation and even existence of these hidden bars was necessarily kept a closely guarded secret.
Whilst Hambara Sofia’s unmarked entrance and exclusive reliance upon candlelight might nowadays seem like a hipster gimmick or aesthetic choice, it is in fact a throwback to a time when such guarded secrecy was a necessary precaution.
It turns out that Hambara used candles in place of electricity as a way to avoid being seen by the outside world.
In the past, Hamabara was frequented only by an exclusive elite, privileged enough to know of its existence and the unmarked door would only be opened if those knocking also knew the password.
No password, no entry, no matter how loud or often you knocked.
All of which makes sense when you consider what the punishments for such loose talk might have been.
Not to mention the fact that Hambara was rumoured to have been a place to not only ‘speak easy’ but ‘print easy’, being as it was home to a printing press that fired off anti-communist literature.
Not the kind of place you let just anyone into.
How to Find Hambara Bar Sofia and Get In
Luckily nowadays, Hambara is open to the public and with the right directions is a place you can experience for yourself.
Having said that, being unmarked, hidden and ‘secret’, it is still not the easiest place to find or even gain entry to.
The actual address of Hambara is No. 22, 6th September Street - you can find the location on Google Maps here. (If you can see Phine wine bar and Mont Parnassus Restaurant then you’re close).
Around half way down the street you come to a large and deserted graffiti tagged house.
Proceed down the alleyway into the yard on the left hand side of the building.
No, there will not be a sign or any lights around to guide you. Yes, you will probably feel awkward and weird like you are trespassing into someone's residence, but trust us, do it anyway.
By the way, if you go down the right hand side and knock on the door as we initially did, you’ll get no answer because you’re essentially knocking on the outside of where the toilet is situated.
Eventually, on this left hand side you will come to an innocuous and equally graffiti-scarred wooden door. Again there is no sign. This is the place to knock and it’s not a time to be shy.
Since you can’t simply stroll into the bar or open the door from the outside, you are relying on those inside to let you in, so be prepared to knock loud and hard.
You should also be prepared to wait a while and even try a few times as people enjoying a drink might not necessarily be in a rush to let you in.
Once the door opens and you see the candles inside you’ll know you’re in the right place. No password required.
If the door opens and instead of candles you find an angry looking Bulgarian man in his underpants then clearly you’re in the wrong place and something has gone terribly wrong.
Hopefully, if you follow the instructions above this shouldn’t happen but we accept no responsibility if it does.
The Hambara Experience: What to Expect
So, of course the question immediately arises, is this bar really worth the effort? The answer is yes.
Once inside you’ll find Hambara to be a beautifully atmospheric place to drink, talk and mix with both artsy locals and other committed tourists.
The venue itself is on two levels. The majority of the seating is on the ground floor, with dark wood tables and stools packed close enough that conversation can flow freely and making new friends becomes both easy and sometimes necessary.
Upstairs there are a few more tables with low chairs in cosy proximity to each other. The stairs are made of broad stone with no banister - a candle placed strategically on the edge of each step lights the way like something from a gothic horror movie.
As promised, the entire place is lit by hundreds of candles which provide an undeniably cool effect.
The overlapping shadows throw every conversation into the kind of chiaroscuro contrast that would make Caravaggio jealous whilst behind the bar, lines of bottled spirits shimmer and glint as they reflect the multitude of candles and their gently flickering flames.
Yes, it is indeed as picturesque as it sounds and whilst in theory photography is discouraged, in practise taking a few snaps is permissible as long as you're not obnoxious about it.
The bar itself is an angled affair in dark wood at which there is some limited seating.
The walls, surfaces and an upright piano are lined with an eclectic mix of artworks, bric-a-brac and sculpture that run the gamut from wholly traditional to the more notably eccentric.
Drinks range from craft beers and local spirits to cocktails and special concoctions whipped up by the bar staff.
One insider tip is to ensure that you have cash to pay for those drinks. Whilst we have heard that some people were able to pay by card we were told both beforehand and at the venue that the bar was strictly cash only.
It might also be worth taking some change with you, as certain bar staff here do have a reputation for taking an inordinately long time to give back change and indeed for forgetting to return it entirely.
On the topic of bar staff, opinions and reviews of service vary wildly.
Some are full of praise for the staff’s creativity and manner, whilst others are quick to criticise specific workers for being deliberately and consciously rude and standoffish.
Our experiences here have been mixed and our advice would be to take as you find. If you do happen to get a prick, well, you’re not really there for the service anyway.
FAQs About Hambara Bar
How do I get to Hambara and how do I get in?
See the section above for details of how to find and enter Hambara Sofia.
When is Hambara open?
Hambara opens around 9pm and closes around 3am.
As far as we know it is open every day, but of course, information about the opening times and days is somewhat sketchy so if you definitely want to go maybe give yourself more than one opportunity, just in case.
What if nobody answers the door?
First check you are in the right spot. Then knock again. If you wait long enough, the door will either open because someone is leaving or other people will come to join you and make your wait less lonely.
If it really doesn't look like it’s opening after a while then try another night.
Can we make reservations?
In theory, yes. In practice, we have no idea.
When we were there some seats did seem to have been reserved, but bearing in mind that there is no website and no phone number it seems likely that these reservations are made directly at the bar or are organised by special arrangement for frequent customers.
Who goes to Hambara?
Hambara is frequented by a wide mix of people. On any given night you are as likely to find local artists and students as you are to find expats and tourists. Our advice is to go with an open mind and a willingness to mix.
Is there music?
Yes. There is music at the venue and at times the bar hosts live music and other suitably arty events.
Isn’t it quite smokey with all those candles?
Yes, not to mention the cigarettes.
If you’re coming to Hambara you will unfortunately need to accept that your clothes and hair are going to stink the next day and if you have breathing difficulties of any kind it might be best to give this one a miss or only plan to stay briefly. (Sasha used her asthma inhaler quite liberally!)
I have heard mixed reviews about the service. Is it good or bad?
This seems to be a sort of luck of the draw situation. Could be good, could be bad, depending on who you get and when you go. Maybe consider it part of the adventure?
One local we spoke to did warn us that one member of the bar staff literally takes pride in their bad reputation. Oh dear.
In our experience though, the service, whilst somewhat indifferent to our presence or custom, was in no way bad enough to put us off from returning.
Can I pay by card?
Though some people say that they have paid by card, we were told that the bar was strictly cash only, so our advice would be to take that paper with you.
And that's a wrap!
So there you have it. Instructions on how to find and get in to one of Sofia’s best ‘hidden’ bars. Be sure to make friends, soak up the atmosphere and if anyone asks how you got there, direct them back here!
And if you’ve been to Hambara bar, or any other hidden bars in Sofia, let us know in the comments below!
More Useful Resources For Your Sofia Trip
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