COOKÓ Kitchen:Drinks — Restaurant in Sofia City

We ordered the crispy egg and the fatoush - both had the same salad base just one had a crispy egg on top which just tasted like an egg and the crispy exterior was falling off but ultimately the same salad. Which was a shame because I was very excited for the crispy egg salad. The fatoush was better just because it had a dressing as opposed to the crispy egg which didn’t have flavor. The Tarama was also ok as it wasn’t so flavorful probably more mayonnaise was used to make it than the eggs and could have used lemon because there was just no flavor. The burger was what really made the meal worth it as the sauce on the burger had flavor and the burger was cooked well. Kind of disappointed overall as was expecting more since the restaurant and hotel are beautiful. Service was good until the end where my boyfriend had to stand up to pay for the check and our plates weren’t collected until we asked for it - which was a good 30 minutes of empty plates on the table as we talked. Also another disappointing part was the burger came out as we were having our salad and Tarama which we weren’t ready to have and we didn’t eat warm. Service could have been better if they had more staff - the waiters were very nice but I don’t think the food taste made sense for 4 cooks in the kitchen. Maybe take one or two people out of the kitchen to work as service because I think those guys need...

The Cooko at the eclectic Juno Hotel is the go-to restaurant for my business colleagues and I on our monthly visits to Sofia. It is located just off of main drag Vitosha Boulevard in the most charming and historic part of the city.

The food, vibe, decor, ambiance, location and especially the staff are the reasons we keep returning and referring this upscale and trendy hot spot to our many friends and colleagues.

Manager Elena somehow found us a table on my first visit many months ago even though we had no reservation... I never forget personal touches like this and we are always happy to see her on our many excursions here.

Bartenders Vato and Lubo, waiter Alexander, chef Kalin and the rest of Elena's staff all make you feel right at home... and everyone speaks perfect English which works for gringos like us!

The elegant and modern decor and comfortable seating in this spotlessly clean, quiet and spacious restaurant make The Cooko perfect for business, casual dining or romance.

Ask for a tour of the basement wine cellar, get to know the staff, enjoy the restaurant and bar... and learn to love this place like the...

This is a good place. But it could be even better.

The Cookó is the kitchen-bar combo in the Junó Hotel. And to say it loud and clear: It is a very welcome addition to the Sofia gastro scene.

The interior is cozy, the room is not too small and not too big, the cocktail menu at the bar is perfectly in order and the bartender is friendly and competent.

I like the food. It is very well made - with love, knowledge, and craftsmanship. The menu, however, leaves the impression of basically consisting of bar-food plus. One or two elevated signature dishes would be appropriate for this place. And no, the steak is a cop-out and does not count. The same applies to the wine list which is great at the low and high end but is missing a bit of upper-medium offerings.

That said, I love the place and am very happy to invite friends and colleagues here. My small critique comes from a position of love as it could be even better.

Recommended. With caveats. I shall sure come back...