Originally a fish shop, has expanded to become a popular restaurant in the centre of Prague’s old town, which owner Eva Boels says offers “the biggest variety of fish not only in Prague but in the entire Czech Republic”.

Speaking to Prague Morning, Eva was keen to dismiss the idea that Prague is not an ideal location for seafood. “We are really best located in Europe,” she said, “because we are in the middle of Europe, we have access to fish left and right.”

The restaurant buys from sellers in the Netherlands, France, Italy, Spain, Greece and Croatia. “Within 24 hours of a catch, you’ve got that fish on your plate,” she said.

Due to its location amongst Prague’s tourist hotspots, “for a long time it was mostly tourists,” who ate at Blue Fjord,” she explained. But more recently, “the Czechs have started to understand [seafood[ a bit more.”

“Czechs are thinking more about health, they want to be healthy and are not afraid to spend money for good stuff,” she said. 

Locals “are coming more and more”, she added, “and now more Czechs are even aware of the different types of fish we have.”

In general, “customers always tell me that they like our concept because they get to see what they eat before it’s prepared.” Explaining the concept, Eva said that “customers choose a fish from our counter and then the chef cooks the food while they sit at the table drinking wine or whatever they might want”.

“They can even discuss with us how they’d like their meal to be prepared,” she added.

Like many Czechs, seafood was not something she grew up with. When her husband originally suggested she help out his business by selling the fish he imported, she “thought he was crazy” – “I didn’t know anything about fish,” she said.

“I started alone, I didn’t have any employees, so I really had to swim. I had to learn about all of the fish myself, I had to learn how to clean them. I even learnt how to prepare and how to cook fish,” she said.

Blue Fjord’s lunch menu includes a fish of the day where Eva chooses a special offer based on the most interesting products available each week. Also on offer is a classic fish and chips as well as seafood including mussels, shrimp and 20 varieties of oysters. 

The restaurant is open for reservations and can be contacted through their Facebook page and website. Customers can also order via Bolt, Wolt, or Blue Fjord’s online shop.