Address : 45 Vitosha Blvd
Tel : 986 48 09
Website: www.ugo.hit.bg
Open daily:24 hours, delivery option available
Credit Cards: Not accepted

Being new here, I first noticed Pizzeria Ugo on one of my many disoriented walks through the city. I often spot an inviting restaurant on a morning walk, and then cannot locate it again once the evening (and my hunger) arrives. Not so with Pizzeria Ugo, with its bright, easily identifiable red signs, lively atmosphere and busy location nestled on the corner of Vitosha Boulevard and William Gladstone Street.

With three distinct areas, the restaurant offers a varied selection of dining experiences. Downstairs, there are several longer tables with benches situated against a khaki wall, accented with dark wood and soft lighting. The music, however, is loud and somewhat obtrusive, essentially prohibiting conversation. Those desiring a quieter area can sit indoors on the ground level, where the music is lower, almost non-existent, the tables smaller, and the effortless decor more intimate. Outside in the grotto area, the substantial tables beckon large groups on a warm, summer day.

We first visited for a late-night dinner. The weather was warm enough to sit outside in the grotto, though we quickly discovered this was not ideal for service, as nobody came over or even looked in our direction for more than 20 minutes. Once we moved indoors, however, the service was prompt and attentive.

We ordered a bottle of red wine (eight leva) to sip while we read the bilingual Bulgarian-English menu, a pseudo-book boasting a full range of options, from salads to pizzas, pastas and potatoes. While our waiter could not speak much English, he seemed to understand well, as we had no problem communicating with him.

We finally settled on two salads, the African (three leva) and the Hemingway (two leva). The African salad arrived as a generous portion of tomatoes, corn, beans and parsley, topped with a somewhat spicy dressing. Though it was called African, it seemed closer to the Mexican flavouring you might find in Southern California, albeit much milder. The Hemingway salad proved to be a typical Bulgarian potato salad, served cold, in a light, lemon-buttery sauce and topped with dill. Both salads were fresh, delicious and promptly served.

Just minutes after we finished our salads, our main dishes arrived. We ordered the Tagliatelle Pasta with Chicken (five leva) and an Ugo Potato baked in foil (four leva). The tagliatelle came served in a deep bowl, full of pasta, grilled chicken breast pieces, mushrooms and a light, alcohol-based sauce to create a tasty blend of flavours. The potato arrived steaming hot in a foil tin, baked with cheese and bacon. Once it cooled off a bit, it was a rich and filling meal. Too full for dessert, we paid our bill, and were on our way.

Since we knew the service here was fast, we decided to visit again for a quick, business lunch. This time, we ordered a Snow White salad, a Chicken with Bleu Cheese salad, and a Prosciutto pizza to share. The Snow White salad was your basic shezhanka - yogurt, chopped cucumber and dill, topped with crushed walnuts. It came slightly warm, and probably would have tasted better had it been more chilled. The Chicken with Bleu Cheese had chicken grilled in spices placed on a bed of lettuce and chopped tomatoes, with olives and tortilla chips around the edges. Whereas the dressing said bleu cheese, it was more like an oil-based dressing with miniscule pieces of bleu cheese interspersed. The chicken had a nice, grilled flavour to it, though quite bland if compared to the buffalo wings to which it seemingly aspired and resembled, and we did not care for the taste combined with the oily dressing.

The pizza, however, was simple and delightful - a welcome change from most of the pizzas we have had in Bulgaria thus far. Our prior experiences have included sparse tomato sauce, odd toppings like eggs and peas, and very strong cheese. But this pizza was different. A paper-thin layer of crust topped with ample marinara sauce, cheese, chunks of ham and fresh peppers, it more closely approximated the pizza we know from California.

Though the food came out in random order (the pizza sandwiched between the two salads), we appreciated the attentive service. Our waitress was friendly, communicative in her limited in English (and our extremely limited Bulgarian), and fast. The total bill with a couple of sodas was 18 leva for two people.

This Pizzeria Ugo provides an ideal location for rushed business lunchers as well as large groups of diners. The minimalist Asian-inspired interior sets the tone for the experience - casual, contemporary and uncomplicated.