Sofia has several elegant coffee houses. Aside from mushrooming chains like Onda and Starbucks, the Vienna Cafe on Maria Luisa and Cafe Bulgaria on Tsar Osvoboditel are particularly noteworthy for their old-style majestic elegance. The area around Iztok borough, definitely one of the capital’s more upmarket residential zones, is particularly well blessed with these sladkarnitsi (confectioner’s).

Iztok is crammed full of embassies and, consequently, closed condominiums and black cars with red diplomatic corps licence plates. It’s no surprise that there’s a conspicuous improvement in pavement quality throughout the area. Even the rubbish is less unsightly. Such a civilised ambience – for me at least – naturally lends itself to sitting in a pavement cafe and watching the world go by, perhaps momentarily forgetting Bulgaria and affecting the air of a Parisian voyeur.

But before you indulge yourself in the patisseries, it’s worth noting that the area is very pleasant for an invigorating walk – particularly the dense woodland area at the beginning of Borissova Gradina park. Take in the fresh air and you can even feel as though you’re outside Sofia. And as someone who lived in southern Portugal for some years – where only two seasons essentially prevail, a hot dry summer and a mild damp winter – I appreciate the marked change of the Bulgarian seasons, the thrill of kicking through piles of lush orange leaves, spotting the occasional black squirrel and settling down to watch some late-season tennis.

If you want to visit a sophisticated cafe a 10-minute stroll from the park, either before or after you delve into the woodland, then Tea (pronounced Teya) on Joliot Curie is ideal. You meet a better class of person here too. Beautiful women linger over an iced coffee on the outside terrace and smartly dressed children lounge around happily near their parents. The atmosphere is trendy but not stifling, and despite the cafe’s popularity you never feel rushed. On a weekend afternoon it’s ideal for families, without that ever so slightly threatening air of intoxication you find in some pubs that deters those with young children.

Decor in Tea is warm and inviting: Orange walls and lanterns, painted chandeliers, multi-coloured chairs, a giant fish tank, a birdhouse on the outside terrace and exquisitely wrapped baskets of biscuits and confectionery behind a vitrine make it particularly attractive for children. Tea has two outside areas – one is semi-open, separated from the street with glass. Comfortable sofas induce you to spend an hour or two chatting leisurely with friends and loved ones or even happily alone in the company of a good book.

All the snacks are well served. A shopska salad is about 12 leva but it’s mega-sized with a particularly generous helping of cheese. Another good choice is a Club Sandwich (in this case a large, fresh croissant) stuffed with ham, kashkaval cheese, tomatoes and lettuce. Tea’s speciality, however, is its cakes. A counter offers a fine range of delicacies: chocolate cake at 6.50 leva is mouthwatering – on a cool day they will warm it up for you – the lemon tart is cited in the Insider’s Guide as "divine" but there’s also a wide assortment of cheesecakes and biscuit-type desserts.

Hot drinks come with little biscuits. Tea does a particularly rich piping hot chocolate complete with what seems like real chocolate pieces (4.50 leva). Alternatively, the Vienna coffee with fluffy cream on top is also very satisfying.

Staff are pleasant and service is invariably attentive. Unfortunately, there’s no English menu and you may have trouble finding a seat on a weekend, even though there are 35 seats inside and 20 outside. It’s a popular hangout, after all, and understandably so.

Address:
10 Joliot Curie Str,
Iztok borough, Sofia
Tel:02 872 23 42
Open: 9am to 10pm