SINATRA PIANO BAR
5 Arsenalski Blvd, Sofia
Tel: 088/ 610 10 78
Open:
10pm till the morning

If you feel like having a glamorous evening drink, the piano bar named after Frank Sinatra provides a suitably relaxing atmosphere. Slam bang in the centre of Sofia, behind NDK (National Palace of Culture), it's also open all night long.

Legend has it that Sinatra had mafia connections. When he decided he wanted to record his first song, Sinatra approached a producer and gave him a tape. The producer laughed, saying there was a long queue waiting on the record line and Sinatra should go home. Next day the producer's studio was set on fire, while Sinatra was already recording his first album. But perhaps this is just an apocryphal tale among Bulgarian musicians.

Sinatra Piano Bar in Sofia welcomes you with a typical nocturnal ambience. Its ceiling, above a huge piano, is decorated with muted red lights. You can relax and place your drink on the piano itself or the section above it transformed into a bar. A long wooden bar with comfortable chairs and backrests provides all kinds of pleasant for seven leva. However, the speciality appeared to be whisky; 40ml of the precious yellow liquor varies in price from 4.50 leva to a whopping 126 leva. The choice is yours.

The club also offers several private booths for about five to 10 people, each equipped with comfortable furniture and low tables where you can sit and enjoy the background music. Each night, live performances by various bands start at 10pm. The two bands on my past visit each included a piano player, guitarist and singer but these vary. One of Sinatra's highlights, however, is the "waiters' break" (as clients call it) when employees down tools and start singing. This usually happens twice a night after midnight. The waitstaff, bedecked in obligatory red blouses of different cuts, seemed particularly conspicuous at Sinatra. I guessed they would perform and my hunch turned out to be right.

Music ranges from oldies to evergreen songs by various talented young singers. The chanteuse at the piano on my last visit appeared to be a former waitress who'd got her chance to flaunt her talents in a band after several years serving.

Sinatra Piano Bar is also suitable for company parties because it accommodates about 200 people. Tables and seats occupy different height levels, so making the place quite diverse.

Bear in mind that there is no menu, as such could be called, but there is a "card" (typical for Bulgarian bars, apparently). As we entered and sat at the bar, I asked the bartender to give me the menu but he said they didn't have one and left. I thought, "Well okay, he'll probably tell me what's available." Then he appeared again, handed me the menu card and corrected me with a grumpy look: "We have a card!"

The other bartender was friendlier, like most of the staff carousing around the club awaiting midnight and their chance to perform. Just like a story of several Cinderellas in red blouses!