Coffee Fellows — Restaurant in Sofia City

Review of Coffee Fellows, Sofia – Where Neurology Meets Norman Lear

There are coffee shops, and then there is Coffee Fellows in Sofia—an oasis of warmth, wit, and watermelon smoothies on a chilly Saturday that feels like it was written and directed by Norman Lear himself.

Stepping inside from the brisk air felt like walking through the beaded curtain into Archie Bunker’s living room—if it had been redecorated by a Bulgarian design student with a thing for clean Scandinavian lines and excellent espresso. The vibe? Pure Good Times meets Maude—a little chaotic, a little righteous, and deeply satisfying.

I grabbed a smoothie that tasted like Thelma Evans’ sass in liquid form—fruity, bold, and unexpectedly healing. Seating was ample inside (no one dared brave the cold for the drinkout signing station), and the entire place buzzed like the Jeffersons’ apartment the day they finally “moved on up.” Students—clearly future neurosurgeons or possibly undercover Diff’rent Strokes writers—hunched over thick books and laptops, their brows furrowed like George Jefferson trying to decode Lionel’s poetry.

From my perch, I watched the beautiful people pass by through the fogged-up windows. The people-watching here is All in the Family and then some. You’ve got your Ediths with their nervous sips, your Floras doling out side-eyes, and the occasional Mr. Drummond type trying way too hard to connect with the youth (“Is that a Frappuccino, my good man?”).

The chalkboard menu, if you really looked, might as well have said “Sitcom multiverse convergence ahead.” There’s something in the air here—caffeine and destiny perhaps—that makes you feel like you’re part of a very special episode.

So if you’re in Sofia on a cold afternoon and you need a drink that tastes like social commentary with a splash of guava, Coffee Fellows is your stop. Five out of five harmonized theme songs. Would sip again, especially if reruns...

This place is ridiculous. Every time I passed it I noticed a lot of people working on laptops so I assumed this was Starbucks-like place where people can drink coffee and work.

We came with a group of 5 for a quick "work and eat" session. "Free wi-fi" sign proudly displayed on the door - perfect, exactly what we need.

Before ordering, I double-checked that wi-fi is free because we needed it for our work session.

We ordered sandwiches, cakes and drinks, sat down and - surprize! - you need your receipt to get online.

We don't have our receipt anymore because, of course, nobody told us we had to keep it, so we go back and wait in line to ask for one.

Turns out you cannot get one until someone buys something and does not want their receipt. I wait. I finally get a receipt and connect to wi-fi.

My colleagues try the same but - surprize! - it's one receipt per device. I go back, stand in line. After 15 minutes of waiting for someone to gift me their receipt.

I decide to buy everyone in our group ANOTHER (we already bought those) bottle of water. BGN2.70 for 0.5 liters in case you are wondering.

I get my water and my receipts, we sit down and try connecting. No luck - wi-fi is not working. Eventually we managed to connect, but the connection drops every 10 minutes, and we keep losing the work. We eat our sandwiches, drink our coffee, and leave. To add to the insult, food/drinks...

Yes, it is a franchise coffee shop, but it's a really nice one! Besides the 1A location which offers a constant insight in the busy life of Sofia's main shopping and meetup street, it is a quiet island for productivity and concetration. 100%of the visitors were students and young professionals studying, working, quite an amazing athmosphere. And the interior is definitely inviting for those activities. However, even the standars of an international franchise. Cannot "beat" the "standards" of restrooms in Bulgaria! I am really ready ti bet again myself if I will ever have the chance to visit a bulgarian cafe/bar/restaurant with a clean toilet. With nothing missing, no stains on the seat, and toilet paper available, this cafe missed on this chance. Even more: there is only one toilet for this relatively large cafe in the busiest street in sofia, with dmaged lock so you cannot lock yourself inside and the usual: no toilet paper, no...