One of the best perks of our expat life in Europe is the opportunity to try local cuisines from all across the continent without having to get on a long-haul flight.
We weren’t sure what to expect food-wise when we visited Bucharest in April for Easter. Compared to other Eastern European cuisines, Romanian food is not as widely known outside of the country.
I’m pleased to report that the food was quite delicious: from satisfying snacks to hearty dinner platters to decadent desserts, we definitely did not go hungry. Here are 16 food experiences that we enjoyed during our visit to Bucharest.
1. Papanași
I have a raging sweet tooth so papanași were certainly one of the most memorable dishes from our trip. Papanași is a doughnut made with soft cheese, covered in cream and jam with the doughnut hole added back on top.
A single portion typically consists of two papanași although I could barely eat one. They are super dense.
2. Covrigi
Covrigi are the Romanian version of pretzels. Hot from the oven and covered with various kinds of seeds, covrigi are the perfect affordable snack on the go. They range in price from 1–3 lei (about 0.25–0.75 USD at the time of writing).
3. Mămăligă
Mămăligă is a filling corn polenta often served with a hot pepper on top so you can regulate the heat to your taste. It can be served as a main or side dish and is a mainstay on the menu at traditional Romanian restaurants.
4. Eggplant Dip
Romania is also known for a robust eggplant dip frequently served with kaiser rolls. It makes for a nice appetizer with a glass of wine before dinner.
5. Beer Wagon
Caru’ cu Bere (aka the Beer Wagon) is one of the more popular restaurants in Bucharest. The restaurant is renowned for its Art Nouveau architecture as well as for hearty cuisine.
Strains of traditional music rise above the talking diners. If you’re lucky, you can also catch some traditional dancing by the main bar.
We smiled as buskers walked past hawking photo ops with elaborate costumes and live birds. Caru’ cu Bere makes for an entertaining evening.
6. Eat Like a Peasant
The Museum of the Romanian Peasant features a modest café serving up traditional Romanian specialties. We sampled chunky vegetable soup, fried zucchini, and chicken served in a deep-fried bowl. This turned out to be one of the best meals we had in Bucharest.
7. Soup in a Bread bowl
Hot soup and delicious bread go perfectly together. We ate at a restaurant in the countryside en route to the tourist sites in Transylvania and were served this filling creation for lunch.
8. The Pork Plate
Pork features prominently on the menu at most Romanian restaurants. We sampled a pork plate for lunch at a restaurant in the Transylvanian countryside.
9. Lollies for Trivia
The Bucharest Walkabout City Tour was one of the highlights of our trip to Bucharest. Our guide gave out Romanian lollipops when we answered his questions correctly.
I’m a naturally competitive person, and I love to win prizes no matter how small so this definitely ranks on my list of top ‘food’ experiences in Romania!
10. Cake Squares
We discovered homemade cake squares in a variety of bakeries but decided to indulge at the Easter holiday craft market at the Museum of the Romanian Peasant. The rich, decadent chocolate treats definitely sated my sweet tooth.
11. Purakia
We love visiting bakeries when we travel to sample local sweets. We were perusing the display case at a bakery in Bucharest when I spied purakia.
It was hard to tell exactly what they were as the bottom half was rolled up in foil. The thick chocolate peeking out of the top was intriguing enough to give them a try.
It turns out that purakia are chocolate tubes filled with chocolate frosting. This treat was so indulgent!
12. Romanian Cherry Strudel
We spotted plates of fresh strudel at an open-air market on the square in Brasov. We decided to buy strudel cu vișine (sour cherry strudel) to enjoy on the bus ride back to Bucharest.
The strudel is sold by weight and we mimed how much we wanted with our hands. The crust was delicate and the inside was jam packed with tart fruit. Delicious!
13. Hipster Coffee
It turns out that in addition to doing traditional cuisine well, Bucharest also has some fantastic hipster coffee places like Origo and The Coffee Shop. We spent a fair amount of time soaking in the atmosphere and refueling before continuing our explorations.
14. Kebab – Would You Like Some Veg with That?
Lipscani is the nightlife neighborhood in Bucharest. Of course, this means there are a lot of late-night places to grab a bite.
Fortunately for us, some of them were open in the afternoon and early evening too. We sampled juicy kebabs at Calif. We were particularly impressed by the fact that Calif jams rows of carrots into their shaved meats. This place is definitely worth a stop.
15. Romanian Wine
Romanian wine was a surprising treat. We enjoyed a light and fruity Pinot Noir from Cocosul Dintre VII with our meal at La Mama restaurant.
16. Plum Liquor
La Mama also gave us an unexpected treat, a shot of plum liquor (Ţuică). The drink served as a bracing end to the evening and was the perfect toast to all the great food experiences we encountered during our time in Bucharest.
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