Casanova
Since I started following the RSD IC group on Facebook, I noticed there are quite a lot of groups of foreign guys, who are keen to explore our capital city and its natural beauties, taking advantage of the low-cost flights and generally good value for money in comparison with the majority of the countries in Western Europe (and even close neighbors such as Greece or Turkey f.e.). As I know that local knowledge is paramount to success when looking to meet some cute girls during a short-term trip in a foreign city, I took the time to compile a list of some of the best locations to go to, depending on personal preferences, budget and type of experience sought. After a couple of years out of the country, when I got back I didn’t have a large social circle of females, which is the primary way to get laid in a more conservative society like ours, so I’ve relied mainly on night game pick up to find women that satisfy my desires. As a result, I have been very active in the Sofia night life scene over the last year, going out on an average of 3-4 times a week (most times – actively gaming either solo or with a wing), so I believe the info below should be quite a useful read. Actually, you might as well just do yourself a favor and go ahead and read it as gospel. Anyway, getting down to business:
I Top High-End Venues
Unsurprisingly, those are usually the type of venues where you could meet both some of the most stunning looking chicks in the country, as well as some of the most snobby and bitchy attitudes. As a country that was practically bankrupt 20 years ago, financial means and luxury are highly regarded and sought after in Bulgaria. This has several implications:
– chicks who want to be “chic” and “in” tend to frequent mainly places, who have impressive interior designs, something loosely translated as “gangsta-barok” in Bulgarian – the majority of the high-end venues listed here can be described as rather pompous than stylish. Drink prices are subsequently also more expensive for the standard of the city (around 5 EUR for 40 ml spirit drink with a chaser), cocktails are around the same price, beers are usually half of that amount.
– you can see a lot of really hot girls gravitating around older, flabby dudes, who are obviously well off financially.
– a larger part of the women who frequent these type of venues are also likely to just be attention-whoring, rather than actually looking to meet somebody, compared to the more casual places. Though this contradicts the whole idea behind the social aspect of nightclubbing, which boils down to getting females lubricated enough with alcohol, in order for them to overcome some of their barriers to being penetrated by a motivated stranger, it’s a real thing and regardless if you are the Sultan of Brunei or an international player, you will get snubbed till you learn how to scout (and a lot after, but less frequently).
Even taking all of the above into account, these are still the best type of venues to meet hot girls and my preferred choice for a night out, despite the fact that it’s extremely difficult to engage into conversations with the loud music on and most playlists rarely offers chances to get really physical. If you scout properly though, there are always chicks with wandering eyes, who may be open to a ONS or at least a venue-switch if you play your cards right.
1.1 PM
I’ve put PM right on top of the list, as IMO it’s the best club in town. There is a huge rectangular bar at the center which is a must to get a booking at, if you are rolling solo or with a wing. Otherwise, there’s plenty of standing tables and couches nearby, but if you are just in all-male company, I’d consider them a cockblock, as you’ll be placed mainly between mixed companies (guys and girls, who are not necessarily couples, but close enough to reduce your chances substantially), which will most certainly not work in your favor, unless you are exceptionally good looking and have strong game. There is almost no dance-floor as well, so it’s not like you can escalate by bringing the Moves like Jagger into place. What I like to do the most is observe from my spot at the bar for about 30-40 mins, find a few marks and then approach consequently, depending on interest shown. All dates and lays I got from PM have always been after 2 AM, when drinks have started to kick in, but on a Thursday night I wouldn’t wait much longer than that. Also, due to the layout it’s quite possible to work several girls at the same time, especially if you can sport the “open-minded foreigner” vibe naturally.
When to go? Thursday Night there is a Hip-Hop party with one of the best DJ’s in the country (resident), so if you dig black vibes and younger chicks – it doesn’t get much better than that. Friday and Saturday there is club house music and the crowd is a bit older and more reserved, till they powder their noses and hit more than a few drinks (all Bulgarians are notoriously heavy drinkers and girls are no exception), so you gotta prepare yourself for a late night on the weekends. There is always a 10 lv cover charge (5 EUR) to be considered as well. During the summer their open-air garden is a great place to both bring girls for drinks and get to know new ones without having to spit on their earlobes. It’s the type of place where athletes, actors and local celebrities go though, so be ready for your A-game and some serious snubbing, unless you got what to bring at the table.
1.2 Bedroom
Bedroom is a similar high-end club that covers the same segment of people as PM. Their big week night is on Wednesday (Hip-Hop party), but due to the layout, the place can get pretty packed, so you either have to book in advance or shell out some cash for getting access to the VIP area. There are always gorgeous girls hanging around there, but do bear in mind some of them may be on payroll by the club to attract guys like you to pay for the VIPJ. Again, almost no dance-floor, apart from a tiny space in front of the DJ, where it’s usually a sausage Battle Royal for scrapes. My favorite spot there is at the tables between the columns in front of the bar, as they give you natural access to both girls behind, in front of and next to you. 10 lv cover charge as well, similar music to PM on weekends – house vibes.
1.3 Planet Club
The place to be if you are looking for a high end venue party on Tuesday (yes, you guessed it right – it’s Hip-HopJ). Everything I mentioned about PM & Bedroom applies here as well and once you become a regular there, you’ll notice that usually pretty much the same people can be seen over and over again. What I like in Planet is that the place is huge (probably twice as big as the other venues) and generally the female to male ratio always seems to be better. I’m yet to bang a chick I met there though, but it’s also the venue I go the least to and stay the earliest in. Hang out around the bars and move around to the dance floor when an opportunity presents itself, you’ll be rewarded.
Apart from those, there are few more clubs such as Mascara, Karusel and Tiffany’s worth mentioning. I don’t go there often as I consider them second-tier clubs for sorta the same budget, but different experiences may vary. I’ve actually asked some of the guys from the RSD IC to post their comments and perspective as well, so you may get some more insider tips.
II Top Casual Venues
1. Once Upon a Time (Biblioteka) – located right next to the University of Sofia main building, the place is usually full of 1st & 2nd year students. The atmosphere is a bit more like in a western club and the ratio is usually around 60:40, which isn’t bad for a casual place. Despite not being my main type of venue, I often tend to pass by it to check out the talent and do a few approaches. Some of my friends claim that along with the next listing (Jim Beam), this is the most gamed night-club in Sofia, so that may have to be considered as well. Success ratio is also slightly higher if you are an experienced player, due to the fact that the crowd there is generally looking to have fun and not show off as much. If you are a beginner, then it’s also a good venue to rack up some approach numbers in a high energy, yet low pressure environment. The music is usually a mix of pop-hits, disco, house and everything else under the sun and there is enough space for dancing, so if you are a good dancer, you’d likely do well as most of my compatriots aren’t and consider dancing quite queer. Cover charge is 5 BGN (2.50 EUR), drinks are about 30% less than the higher end venues.
2. Jim Beam
I’m not a big fan of this place myself, as I haven’t seen way too many attractive girls there and the few ones I’ve met have also been accompanied by hideous female friends, so if you choose to go there, you may need a very altruistic wing. The crowd is again slightly on the younger side, as cover and drinks are more affordable, so this brings success rate at the level of Biblioteka. My best approaches there have either been at the bar inside (rectangular at the bottom) or during a smoke break outside of the venue (as it’s among the few places from the mentioned here, where smoking is allowed only later at night). An added value of going outside is that the club is right on the main pedestrian street in the center (Vitosha str), so it’s also a good place to approach some passing group of girls and get them to join you inside. Prices and music are similar to Once Upon a Time.
3. Raffy
Situated right across the street from Jim Beam, the place combines a 24/7 bar & dinner and a club on the second floor. I mostly use it as a pre-drink venue, but I believe it has some good potential after 1:30 – 2 AM as well. The layout is less favorable for natural approaches, as the tables are a bit segregated, but there is always a steady influx of hotties moving around, so if you choose a table close to the restrooms, you’ll have plenty of choice, without losing status or playing the “flower girl” as we call it locally. Drinks are slightly more expensive than the other 2 places above, music is the same, but quality of girls tends to be higher, as this has become one of the trendy places over the last couple of years. Also, lots of chicks tend to have girl night outs in the bar on the first level and then decide to get freaky upstairs, so there is a good bit of turnover as well.