Captain Cook Restaurant

Well, here is one really appropriate opening line for this review: 'Captain Cook is, hands down, the most unique fish restaurant in Bulgaria.' Now, perhaps some of you are wondering why we would claim anything like that. Hmmm, let's just say that this is the only restaurant we have ever been to that looks more like a genuine 18th-century British Royal Navy vessel than a regular eating house. The place is truly amazing... so hop aboard, matey!

Captain Cook Fish Restaurant is located in the classy five-star Kempinski Hotel Zografski in Lozenets Housing Estate - one of Sofia's most attractive and tranquil districts. As we already pointed out, the thing that makes this place so very special is its ingenious interior design which is set to resemble the dining area of a classic ship. It demonstrates all the stylistic elements and techniques used by the great ship builders of the past and also adds a fine touch of modernity. The big chandeliers, massive tables, richly ornate chairs, wooden wall panels and stunningly beautiful white grand piano mix perfectly with the large detailed ship models scattered around the dining saloon, the enormous fish tanks full of lobsters and exotic fish and all the paintings and interesting pictures hanging on the walls.

This sophisticated restaurant sprawls on two floors connected by a nice marble staircase and can hold up to 180 people. It also boasts two private dining rooms and a sunny botanical garden. The Copper Room is decorated with traditional wood and copper ornaments, can seat up to 40 people and is suitable for big birthday parties and corporate events, while the luxury VIP Onyx Room is only designed for 12 people and, quite naturally, abounds in onyx-covered decorative elements. In summer, Captain Cook's quiet botanical garden is definitely the place to be. There you can enjoy the peaceful murmuring song of the natural spring and the cute little pond and the gentle scent of the delicate flowers. This part of the restaurant has a capacity of 120 people and is great for romantic dinners and sun-soaked lunches.

However, the interior is not the only feature of Captain Cook Fish Restaurant that is worth discussing here. Its menu is equally impressive. The variety of delicious vegetarian and fish meals, seafood and meat specialties and original sushi dishes is stunning and the quality of the food is simply extraordinary. In fact, it is so good that it can easily compete with the meals served at the best fish restaurants in the world. This stems from the restaurant's policy to use only fresh Black Sea products as well as fresh fish directly delivered from Greece twice a week. Of course, the wine list shouldn't be ignored either. It offers a wide array of specially selected Bulgarian and international wines for customers to taste and enjoy.