Last week after trying to go to Vino and Tapas for dinner and finding the restaurant closed, I ended up with friends at <a href="http://www.joya.bg/" target="_blank">Joya Cafe</a> on Dondunkov (#19 to be exact).

I'd seen the restaurant a number of times but it never surfaced as an option when my friends and I were making dinner plans. I'd always thought the restaurant looked cute, that the menu was interesting and that the space was hip without trying too hard.
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7481045158/" title="Joya Cafe by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8161/7481045158_4d3fc22670_z.jpg" width="640" height="480" alt="Joya Cafe"></a>
We sat outside. It was a beautiful evening and the thought of sitting inside was too depressing after learning that Vino and Tapas was closed. I am happy to report that we great service outside. Sometimes outside seating seems like an afterthought but not in this case.

While a far cry from tapas, the food was really good the night we went. There's a wide range of salads from classics like Shopska to less traditional ones like the Joya Salad with lettuce, citrus fruit and blue cheese. There's pasta, pizza and even a number of baked dishes.
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7481051980/" title="Joya Cafe salad by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7135/7481051980_a0d03a0658_z.jpg" width="640" height="480" alt="Joya Cafe salad"></a>
I had the goat cheese salad, a beer and a homemade roll. The goat cheese salad was perfect--not too much dressing, a small round of goat cheese and pine nuts. In fact, I'd forgotten how much I like pine nuts until I had this salad. On a hot summer night, this salad really hit the spot was just just enough but I also suffered from some food envy.

My friends ordered really great things. The salmon salad was a hit as were the mussels. One of my friends P. paired up a salad and the mussels which are billed as a hot appetizer for what looked a very satisfying meal. The homemade pasta with chicken was raved about. I was curious to see what the chicken wings were going to look like and when they came out they were beautiful. I think they must have been good because A. ate every single one.  S. ordered her standard Shopska salad and french fries and by the end of the night she was already discussing coming back to the restaurant.
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7481056866/" title="Joya Cafe napkins by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7258/7481056866_04c65db18c_z.jpg" width="640" height="480" alt="Joya Cafe napkins"></a>
At the end of the night we had a good laugh about these napkins. Then we called it a night.