What To Eat in Bucharest, Romania
Wait, I can still eat as a vegetarian?
Ok, why aren’t there Romanian restaurants everywhere? I’m not a meat eater, but even I found some great food here. Sure, it was difficult to find food without hunks of meat, but it was possible. Some foods you have to try while in Romania are traditional cabbage rolls, polenta, mititei (traditional sausages), placinte (pies), frigarui (skewered kebabs), and, of course, papanasi!
Here are our recommendations for the best food in Bucharest depending on budget, although everything is SUPER REASONABLE! The most expensive place, Ceru Cu Bere, only cost us $50, and that was for 3 drinks, 3 appetizers, an entree, and dessert!
Low-cost: La Mama
Mid-cost: Hanu’ lui Manac
High-cost: Ceru Cu Bere (not only is it gorgeous and an Instagram hotspot, but they have performances of traditional and ballroom dancing in the centre of the restaurant!)
What if I’m a vegetarian?
My husband is a meat eater. He will eat his way through any kind of meat. Me, on the other hand, I cannot do that. I’m a casual vegetarian, which means I prefer to not eat meat, but I will eat meat on occasion. That was definitely a challenge in Bucharest. There was a lot of meat in the traditional Romanian restaurants, which were the places we wanted to visit. When reading and preparing for our trip, I kept reading blogs stating things like “good luck if you’re a vegetarian,” “you won’t find anything substantial in Romania to eat,” and, “95% of all menu items contains meat.” What a load of codswallop! Every menu had several options, such as cheesy polenta, grilled vegetable kebabs, potato dishes, bean soups, special Romanian salads, Romanian cheese boards, and countless types of bread in the bakeries (oh my gosh, the bread! I need to do a whole blog on Romanian bread… chef’s kiss).
Romanian desserts and drinks?
Well, as my husband has been constantly reminding me since our trip, Bucharest produced THE BEST THING HE EVER ATE IN EUROPE. The papanasi: a scrumptious Romanian donut topped with fresh blueberries and sour cream (don’t worry if you don’t like sour cream because my husband hates sour cream and this has completely changed his view on it). YOU CANNOT GO TO ROMANIA AND NOT HAVE PAPANASI. We personally found the papanasi at Ceru Cu Bere to be life-changing! Pair with some great Romanian beer and you’ll be happy for the next decade.
And, although pricy, we found Chocolat to have some exceptional pastries (right behind the Romanian Athenaeum). They have countless assortments, from mini cakes, eclairs, cream puffs, and more. Also, the staff there are super kind and friendly. Barely knowing them and we felt like we made friends instantly!
When it comes to alcoholic drinks, you will want to have 3 things: Romanian beer (we liked Ursus the most), vişinată (a sour cherry brandy), and rachiu (pear liquor). Be careful with the vişinată and rachiu - they are extremely strong drinks. Drink the vişinată slowly throughout your meal and drink rachiu after your meal to aid in digestion, or at least that is what the locals told us!
