In 2023 we rediscovered the Romanian capital as a delightful place for a weekend getaway. And such a trip is directly linked to delicious food! I like the traditional local cuisine, with its huge portions, but apart from that, the city is full of flavors from all over the world. We were fascinated by the great brunch options and amazing sweet treats… Here are some suggestions for places to eat in Bucharest.
💡 The headings with the names of the places are a link leading to the exact location.
Curtea Berarilor
We start from my favorite – Curtea Berarilor. This beerhall is a real diamond in the heart of Bucharest! There is a large yard as well as a very spacious interior. We were able to get a seat without a reservation and they took into account that we were with two baby carriages, to find us a sufficiently spacious table. But you can still make one through their website – HERE. The interior is spectacularly complemented by the copper tanks filled with fresh unpasteurized beer Timisoreana la Tanc. They deliver it directly from the brewery on the 2nd day of production!
On the menu you can find some traditional dishes as well as interesting grill plates, which is what we chose. A huge portion of meats and sides that tasted great! Quite fittingly, we added a meter of beer. The whole concept of the restaurant revolves around beer, delicious food and good vibes, which is definitely to our taste. And if you love chocolate desserts, don’t miss to try their brownie…
Caru’ cu bere
Undoubtedly the most praised, advertised and visited establishment in Bucharest, I must admit, I was extremely excited about the idea of drinking a pint of cold beer at Caru’ cu bere. For this purpose, I reserved a table a few days earlier through the website – HERE. The place itself is a historical landmark, founded as a brewery back in 1879 and becoming a symbol of the city. The interior is impressive to say the least, rather majestic with its colorful stained glass windows, detailed carvings and beautiful vaulted ceilings!
But… the attitude of the staff and the food – mediocre. The prices are quite inflated and do not correspond to the quality offered (you can see the menu with current prices on the site). We tried one of the special dishes – roasted knuckle and comparing to other places around Romania, it was certainly not that good… It’s full with tourists, which makes the waiters nervous, slightly rude and only thinking about the tip… There is a program almost every night, and on our visit there were traditional Romanian dances.
Pickles
On one of the cold December evenings, we came home early to our apartment next to Piata Italiana and decided to eat there. The last few times we’ve been staying in the same place and the aromas from Pickles, located right next to the entrance of the building, made me stop in front of its orange door several times… But this happened on the few times that the restaurant was open because it was only open on Saturdays and Sundays! It’s cramped inside and doesn’t really look very cozy… I’d describe it as a hipster place.
Well, we finally decided to try it! The menu is only in Romanian, and it includes no more than a ten seasonal offers. We have successfully translated it and ended up ordering kimchi with beef, fried eggplant and cauliflower. The prices are reasonable, but the flavors are a bit strange, and the hotness turned out to be in abundance… It made us forget that it’s sub-zero temperatures outside…
Boutique du Pain
Breakfasts in the city have become our favorite pastime! Boutique du Pain is an establishment with a modern and relatively simple look that offers delicious food and good coffee at reasonable prices. Lucky for us, going in with two small children, we were pretty much alone and really felt at home. Its idea is to introduce visitors to French traditions, but to be honest… there is almost nothing French about the offerings. We tried eggs benedict and avocado toast, both of which we enjoyed.
HYGGE – Social Kitchen
Another brunch offer in Bucharest – HYGGE – Social Kitchen. It was with this focus that we visited, but it offers a variety of dining options throughout the day. We were there as early as opening at 10:00 and around 10:20… there were no more seats available (on a weekend)! Very pleasant atmosphere, with a modern look and interesting decorations. The coffee was great, one of the best we’ve had in town. The poached eggs with guacamole had an added sun-dried tomato salsa that added an interesting flavor to the breakfast.
Cartofisserie and St. Patrick
If you’re looking for a quick bite to eat while walking around downtown Bucharest, Cartofisserie’s potatoes are a good option. This chain is popular in the city and the surrounding area, we tried them for the first time in Brasov and we really liked them. They also have a huge variety of delicious sauces.
And then you will become easy prey for the multitude of shouters inviting you to sit at their establishment. Irish Bar St. Patrick would be a good choice to drink something, especially if you are a beer fan!
French Revolution
This French patisserie is unique… I actually have a hard time calling it a patisserie because they only do one thing… eclairs! The French Revolution boutique store can now be found in four locations in Bucharest, and we visited the one next to the concert hall (Ateneul Român). We queued up around the glass cases where the various flavors are arranged like works of art, and we started drooling until it was time to order…
In addition to familiar and popular flavors, you will find interesting combinations with grapefruit, lime and basil, mango, passion fruit, orange and ginger, cherry, coconut and others. We chose pistachio and caramel! The taste is perfect, and only high-quality and fresh products are used to achieve it.
Lingurițe dulci
It was too cold to go to our favorite eclairs, so we discovered the small patisserie in the center, Lingurițe dulci. We found out that this is a family business trying to add some more modern offerings to traditional Romanian sweets. The space is cozy, they offer coffee and have a few tables where you can possibly sit. We wanted to take home, so we received our sweets in a beautiful package. We chose pistachio cake and lemon tart.
