Restaurants to Try in Bucharest, Romania

The exchange between the American dollar and the Romanian Leu is advantageous to tourists, and makes eating delicious, high quality foods at restaurants more affordable than what comparable dishes in the United States. Also, according to Romanians I talked to, the tip amount is only 10%, so you pay less on tip when eating out here as well. Here are some of the restaurants I enjoyed during my four day visit in Bucharest, Romania:

Caru cu Bere-

Great prices, generous portions, delicious food and gorgeous views. We went around 11 and there was no line, but I’ve heard it can get packed and generally you need a reservation. I ordered Mamaliga, a Romanian polenta dish with sour cream, fried egg and cheese. The desserts here looked delicious and very tempting, but I didn’t end up ordering it because the portions were huge.

 

Caju by Joseph Hadad

I was recommended Joseph Hadad’s restaurant Joseph by the concierge at my hotel in Bucharest and a few Israelis that I had met in Bucharest. I was not able to get a reservation the first night of my stay, so I ended up in his more casual restaurant Caju (which I still found fancy).

I ordered the Salmon Carpaccio, which is soaked for 20 hours and the Mediterranean Sea Bream Fillet. Both were some of the best dishes I had ever eaten in my life.

Chocolat in Bucharest

The baked goods, gelato, and even savory dishes at this delicious cafe are incredible. I enjoyed Macarone Gelato (gelato with colorful Macaron bits) and the L’ Apothéose Mousse (ciocolată neagră belgiană Grand Cru 64% cacao, macaron, crème brûlée à l’orange, crocant praliné Grand Cru 64% cocoa Belgian dark chocolate mousse, macaron, crème brûlée à l’orange, crunchy praliné). Each bite was pure heaven.

La Mama (Old Town)-

Something I loved about this coffee shop in Romania (and really all coffee shops in Bucharest) is that they are full of books for you to read. I came all the way here because of researching the best place to get papanasi- a Romanian cheese donut topped with sour cream and jam. La Mama serves them freshly made and the donut comes out warm. I’m not a big donut person, and I licked my plate clean. I ordered the small version and it came out as a normal sized donut (based on donut sizes I am used to from the US).

Taj–

I was recommended this restaurant by a Bucharest native, and thought it might be interesting to get Indian in such an international European city.  I ended up eating here with a cute Indian couple from the US who was also on my free walking tour around the city of Bucharest. As soon as we got to the restaurant, we were told by the waiter that our food would take an hour to prepare. The Indian couple informed me that this was a sign of an authentic Indian restaurant, as they make your dishes fresh to order, rather than having pre-prepared food they reheat and serve you. I had the Vegetarian Kofta Curry balls and loved them. We also shared a samosa plate as a group, which was delicious. The naan was nothing special, but I still enjoyed the restaurant overall. 

 

Thank you for reading! If you are planning on visiting Romania soon, check out this list I made of Romanian Foods You Need to Try