Happy Bar & Grill — Restaurant in Plovdiv

Visiting Plovdiv for the day, my partner and I meandered through the city’s charming central parade of shops, soaking in the delightful blend of history and modernity. Plovdiv is the kind of place where ancient ruins casually coexist with H&M stores, and street musicians seem like they’ve been serenading passersby since Thracian times. And then, amidst the cobblestones and boutique windows, it appeared—Happy Bar & Grill, Bulgaria’s national treasure disguised as a restaurant chain.

Now, as a Londoner, I’d been to the Leicester Square Happy, where it sits among tourists, overpriced theater tickets, and existential dread. But this was my chance to experience the mothership, the OG, the Bulgarian Happy. How could I resist? It was like finding out your favorite chain has a hometown vibe, a spiritual headquarters, where they really mean it when they say “Happy.”

Walking in, I was hit with a wave of nostalgia and neon. If someone took TGI Fridays, gave it an Eastern European twist, and threw in a pinch of Hard Rock Café (hold the rock stars, add more cheer), you’d have this place. The decor screamed, “We care about your dining experience, but not enough to dim the lights.” It was bright, it was buzzy, it was everything you expect from a place that serves sushi, burgers, and Caesar salads with equal enthusiasm.

And oh, the menu. You know that feeling when you realize a place has everything, and suddenly you forget what you even wanted? That’s Happy. It’s like the culinary version of Netflix—you spend half an hour just trying to decide. Sushi? Sure, because nothing says “authentic Japanese” like a Bulgarian chain restaurant. A burger the size of my face? Why not. A salad so big it could double as a small flotation device? Absolutely.

Now, I’m not saying the food was Michelin-starred or anything, but there’s a certain charm to dishes that are unapologetically simple. My Caesar salad tasted like it had been assembled with ingredients directly from the frozen aisle of your local Lidl—and yet, I loved it. The croutons had the crunch of bread with no dreams, the dressing whispered, “I am shelf-stable,” and somehow it worked. It was hearty, unfussy, and exactly what I didn’t know I wanted.

The real magic, though, is in the service. Happy doesn’t just hire staff—they recruit an army of smiley, gorgeous twenty-somethings who glide through the restaurant with the efficiency of seasoned air traffic controllers. These people don’t just bring you food; they bring you optimism, charm, and the kind of energy that makes you wonder if they’re all running on a secret stash of Red Bull. Drinks appeared faster than I could say “Plovdiv,” and the food arrived with such speed, I briefly considered checking the kitchen for wizards.

But let’s not ignore the mastermind behind this operation: Orlin Popov. This man took a simple idea in 1994 and turned it into a Bulgarian empire of neon lights and portion sizes that could feed a small village. He’s the Steve Jobs of casual dining, except instead of reinventing phones, he’s perfected the art of making everyone feel like they’re at a family dinner—if your family served sushi alongside chicken wings.

Happy isn’t just a restaurant chain; it’s a mood, a vibe, a lifestyle. It’s the place you go when you want a meal that doesn’t overthink itself, served in a setting that feels like a hug from corporate Bulgaria. It’s the kind of place where you leave not just full, but fulfilled—because how can you not feel accomplished after finishing a salad the size of your torso?

By the end of our meal, we were, well, happy. And that’s the genius of this place. It doesn’t try to impress you with artistry or gimmicks. It just delivers food, fun, and a heaping dose of fluorescent joy. If you’re in Plovdiv and you’re not stopping by Happy, what are you even doing? Orlin Popov has built a temple to efficiency and comfort, and I, for one, am...

Okay interior, cool wall art. Really wanted to love this place since all my Bulgarian friends have been raving about Happy but I was a bit underwhelmed. As in not quite "Happy". Menu is humongous. Hundreds of items from enterees (like fried cheese you can get from the frozen food section at Walmart), steaks, pizza, burgers even sushi. If you haven't been there before you need half an hour to decide. Overwhelming for first timers. It wasn't my first time so I was quick. I wanted to order the Beef burger but the waitress dissuaded me as it will take 15 min she said. I realised it's close to closing so I quickly picked the next in line to make it easy for her. Initially everything seemed fine, food looked nice and came quick: black risotto was very tasty, tchorbadjiiski peppers entree also quite tasty, however the main item - Paradise Burger was a bit of a disappointment (and I'm being nice here). Burger was tiny but fairly tasty, not great, pork content was miniscule, cheese was nothing special, bun was very tasty but soggy and disintegrated in your hands (literally 2 bites and it was gone both in structure and content). French fries that came with the burger were okay but minimal quantity as if we're living through the Great Depression or they ran out of McDonalds style frozen fries. Service was corporate friendly, robotic and uninspired (I was interrupted twice during my struggle with the disintegrating burger in my hands and full mouth with silly questions (plus she was standing there as if demanding an answer) first if everything was okay and then once again if I want to order something else, I mean I asked the girl in a muffled voice with full mouth (both times) first uh-huh and then whether she wants me to put down the crumbling burger, spit whatever's in my mouth and shuffle through the menu with greasy hands and give her an answer (even though the menu wasn't even present) I said I'll do it if her life depends on it to which thankfully she went her way. Very inconsidering. Quickly ordered the check and left. Disappointing. In fact after ordering 3 items on the menu I left hungry and got a burger at a street food joint a few blocks away at twice the size and 1/3rd of the cost of the Paradise burger and curiously was extremely satisfied with the size, taste and construction.

If you're really hungry be prepared to order many different items or you will simply leave hungry. Service is good, not great (very scripted and robotic), premises nice, clean and fairly contemporary but cheesy (too American but missing the mark "bigly"). It's a mashup of Applebee's and Burger King but with small portions. My guess re its popularity is that it's a fine place to meet-up friends at a central location, food-wise it's a hit or miss. (Since it is not my first time at a Happy restaurant, mostly a miss). Price-wise (if you're a Westerner) it is okay but compared to other places it seems overpriced as in for the money you can do...

Happy Bar & Grill is a Bulgarian chain restaurant with an incredibly huge menu composed of stylized pictures of their dishes. The actual food doesn’t look quite as good as the photos, but I’d like to say that it’s close! The menu has influences from many different cuisines, but the one thing that sticks out is.. sushi! Not authentic sushi, but creative, crazy-looking rolls filled with everything from fish to chicken to Philadelphia cream cheese. For example, the Burj al Arab was a stack of maki roll pieces stuffed with cream cheese with crispy chicken or raw salmon, topped with mayo, unagi sauce, and edible gold powder. Another unique roll was the Golden Peak, made with a red skin and a filling of crispy shrimp and cucumbers, topped with cream cheese, mayo, unagi sauce, and gold powder. The sushi rolls were certainly creative and over-the-top, but the quality wasn’t particularly outstanding.

My favorite dish was the Corsica Salad, made of chopped cucumbers, tomatoes, chickpeas, avocado, onions, and olives, along with a smear of hummus, and all the components were fresh and flavorful. Going along with the Mediterranean theme, we also had the Falafel appetizer, which came with five flat, herbaceous fritters with whole chickpeas, served with a salad of spinach, beets, and carrots, and a yogurt sauce for dipping. The Quinoa with Seafood Salad was made of lettuce, tomatoes, avocado, and quinoa, topped with calamari and shrimp, all tossed in an acidic dressing. Finally, the Happy Meatballs were perfectly grilled, juicy, caramelized Greek-style meatballs (seasoned with oregano), served with a Greek salad made of chopped cucumbers, tomatoes, olives, and crumbled feta. We also had the cheese bread on the side, a ciabatta roll stuffed with two types of cheese. Overall, the food here was diverse and creative, though nothing too spectacular. Nevertheless, the casual atmosphere and friendly service made this a fun...