Last visit with friends in October 2017.

Rating by the 5D Sensograph of placescases.com: 3.4 out of 5.

Seen                        

Felt                          

Heard                     

Smelled                  

Tasted                     

See …

… Amusing interior, full of memories from the socialist regime – an old radio, plates with ridiculous captions, 5 edge stars, wooden chairs, as in old classrooms, photos of old Bulgarian films;

… A sofa mattress with stains– could be a deliberate effect to remind of the misery in old times, but I was uncomfortable;

… A lot of people, even on Tuesday night and obviously not only from the neighbourhood.

Feel ….

… A pub full of people, we had to wait for our table, although we had a reservation;

… Some of the dishes come fast, others are delayed, although they should be  ready in advance, or maybe just the orders were forgotten;

… The friendly attitude of the waiters – those people give their best to deal with this crowd.

Hear …

… Old Bulgarian hits- both pop and rock from 70’s, 80 ‘s and 90’ – it’s nice, if you can hear anything at all;

… Quite noisy, there are a lot of people in a small space and you hear a constant hum – again, maybe it’s intended, to remind of the old days.

Rakia Raketa Bar Interior

Smell …

… Unpleasant smell from pork neck fillet– if there is  fat in the meat, I know right away whether it is slightly old, however, others liked the starter, it’s a question of taste;

… The flavour of rakia – the quality of the rakia offered here is fantastic, more over, they have their own brand Raketa rakia, single barrel.

Taste … 

…. Tripe soup – worth a try, if you are a fan;

… Don’t try the beans with mushrooms –so tasteless, stale and on top, that the waiters delayed it too much;

… I do not recommend battered lamb brain – tasteless, mostly batter;

… Chicken hearts are very much preferred by my friends – as opposed to other restaurants, here the hearts are not so tough and stiff, maybe because they cook them cut;

… A good revane – it is a syrupy pastry dessert, which was very popular in socialism.

Raketa Rakia Food

It is not my first visit in Rakia Raketa, but I’m not a frequent guest there. The idea of the restaurant is to remind of Socialist restaurants in old times in Bulgaria, not only with the interior, but also with the cuisine. Not bad, but not quite as tasty. If I want meat balls, I’ll go elsewhere. If I want cream caramel- well they do not offer it. If you want a nice tripe soup, I know other places where it’s much better. In a nutshell, there’s nothing special in their menu that attracts me to this place. The only characteristic and very worthy is the rakia. However, if you want only rakia, you can have it in bar Sputnik, brother and neighbor of Rakia Raketa.

In a nutshell, interior and rakia only are not incentives for me to visit the place.

I would come back again, though, since I am a fan of  Rakia workshop, which is organized here  every month. This is an event that is literally celebrating that wonderful Balkan drink. One learns there how to consume rakia with pleasure and understanding, not getting drunk. You can read about it in my review RAKIA WORKSHOP IN RAKIA RAKETA BAR, SOFIA, BULGARIA. Interestingly, the bites served at the workshop are much more delicious than the meals in the restaurant, although prepared by the same Chef. Apparently, this guy should be given the freedom to change the menu of Rakia Raketa as per his own imagination.

I shall visit again Rakia Raketa, since I am a regular attendee at the rakia workshop. I hope to run into something tasty out there and I’d love to share it with you.

How to get there?

Just use the Google map.

Address: Sofia,  15-17 Yanko sakazov str.

Tel: + 359 2 444 6111

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