Food memories from Romanian travel experiences often remain with visitors long after leaving. While there are plenty of beautiful sites in the country, its restaurants really make Romanian cuisine come to life.
Romania’s finest restaurants feature classic dishes updated with contemporary influences for an exciting dining experience. Check out these top 10 places for an unforgettable meal!
1. La Mama
Romania attracts many travelers due to its excellent restaurants. Not only can visitors enjoy delicious meals here, but these establishments play an integral role in shaping Romanian history and culture.
La Mama Restaurant in Romania has long been rated #1, and it’s easy to understand why. With cozy yet homey seating arrangements and friendly and knowledgeable staff members. In addition, La Mama boasts some of the city’s best value meals, making it the ideal destination for casual lunch or dinner experiences.
These restaurants serve an impressive array of dishes, from traditional Romanian fare to Italian and Mediterranean fare. Fan favorites include sour tripe soup, grilled minced meat rolls and the alms gift pig’s alms gift with polenta.
This restaurant, situated at the center of Bucharest, is known for serving traditional and authentic Romanian food, along with an impressive wine selection that includes some hard-to-find vintages.
As this restaurant is always packed, make sure to book in advance. Their menu offers classics like beef stew with polenta as well as more modern dishes such as lobster tails with parmesan and ginger sauce or foie gras with spicy-sweet orange jam.
Restaurant has several locations; I recommend visiting Sofia Street’s as it provides an elegant and historic ambiance with its beautiful dining room.
Location on Icoanei Street is also quite nice, featuring an even more ornate dining room complete with vaulted ceilings and intricately carved panels.
This restaurant should not be missed when visiting the capital city, with friendly and accommodating service and mouthwatering dishes!
Hanu’ lui Manuc, established in 1818 and owned by the same family since, should also be on your itinerary for a memorable experience of traditional Romanian food and music.
Zahanaua Zexe is one of Romania’s ritziest restaurants, serving delectable meals in an elegant and sophisticated environment. Their pastry laboratory boasts some of the best desserts in Romania.
2. Hanu’ lui Manuc
Hanu’ lui Manuc is a legendary restaurant in Bucharest, where visitors can indulge in traditional Romanian fare and wine while relaxing after an exhausting day of sightseeing or walking around the city.
The restaurant is housed in a building once owned by the royal court and boasts an illustrious past, providing an ideal meeting spot for tourists, locals, and foreigners interested in learning more about Romanian history.
Established by an Armenian merchant and diplomat known as Emanuel Marzaian (Manuc), the inn dates back nearly 200 years. With its distinct architecture, this inn quickly made a name for itself among other inns at that time.
Manuc, its owner, ran a successful innkeeping and diplomatic business at this inn which served as an essential gathering place for major political events taking place across Romania.
As one example, it was here where the Peace of Bucharest was signed – which put an end to Russia and Turkey’s conflict that began in 1806.
This inn changed hands several times during the 19th century before it was taken over by Vasilescu Lambru in 1874 and given its current name. Under his care and repair efforts, it flourished into an important commercial and cultural centre of Bucharest.
Hanu’ lui Manuc was a gathering place for both foreign travellers and local elite. Political meetings, such as those to rally support for WW1-1916, as well as many speeches made in favor of unifying Romania with Transylvania and Bukovina often took place there.
Hanu’lui Manuc’s beautiful interior courtyard makes a striking first impression and serves as an ideal venue for dining and drinking on rainy days. Part of City Grill group, Hanu’lui Manuc serves simple Romanian fare including some of the best mici (sheep, beef and pork cooked on a grill) in town as well as excellent pints of local beer.
Restaurant Bozar is an absolute must for visitors of the capital and are in search of delicious meals at an affordable price. Their extensive menu boasts popular Romanian dishes, Moldovan food and various pies as well as home-made sweets and confectionery for your enjoyment.
3. Zahanaua Zexe
Zahanaua Zexe is one of the premier dining spots in Romania, offering some of the finest cuisine and international specialities that will tempt you back again and again! Their menu offers traditional Romanian dishes as well as international specialities that will have you wanting more!
The restaurant features an attractive interior design to help you unwind, making sure that your experience here will be pleasant and stress-free. Plus, their staff are friendly and accommodating – guaranteeing they get your order correct the first time around!
This restaurant specializes in traditional Romanian fare as well as international favorites, like smoked duck breast or duck terrine with chives jam. They are even well-known for their delicious desserts such as macarons and tarts!
These Romanian restaurants may be more costly, but their quality and taste of their cuisine make up for it. Their menu boasts items like “Bulz” polenta cakes filled with cheese and topped with fried eggs for breakfast served with bacon sauce as well as delectable chocolate mousse and fruitcake!
They offer food as well as wine and beer selections, making this place perfect for people craving steak, terrine or duck without minding paying a bit extra. Plus they have good reviews on Facebook so expect an enjoyable dining experience here – choose indoor or outdoor seating, but I recommend outdoor as its decor makes for a better atmosphere!
4. The Art Deco Restaurant
Romania is an array of diverse landscapes, from pristine natural areas to bustling modern cities. Its blend of multicultural history, unruly wilderness, and passionate youth striving towards better tomorrow make Romania an especially memorable travel destination.
Romanian architects in the 1920s and 1930s took an interest in Art Deco architecture – one of the world’s most famous styles of modernism – which was seen as an expression of luxury and modernity during its peak during the Roaring Twenties. Art Deco styles could be found both in big houses owned by wealthy people as well as administrative buildings or small apartment blocks of several levels in Romania.
Romanian Art Deco was heavily influenced by Parisian versions, while also reflecting local cultural history and heritage. It’s an amalgam of French Art Deco with eclectic Romanian artist styles like Alexandru Orascu’s who reinterpreted traditional Romanian artwork through artistic fusion.
At the heart of this style lie its abundance of natural materials like wood, stone, marble and bronze – with decorative details like lightning rods and shell-shaped glass doors also becoming increasingly prevalent.
Romania’s two best architectural examples of this style are the Palace of Culture in Iasi and Cezar Librecht House in Bucharest. Once known as an opera house, both buildings now serve as cultural centers or museums – yet their lighting still makes for stunning images at night!
Though popular in France, Art Deco style was less so in Romania. While used extensively during the first part of the 20th century for administrative buildings, from 1930 it began becoming less so.
Today, Art Deco remains popular in Romania and some of its finest buildings – like the Palace of Culture in Iasi or Cismigiu Gardens in Brasov – remain breathtaking examples. They must be visited.
Interiors at this restaurant are breathtaking, featuring arched beige ceilings and red brick columns in its decor, giving it a contemporary edge while still managing to retain a classic charm and bohemian ambience. Chefs here take great pride in what they prepare, while their sommelier can walk you through some delicious wines of the region; additionally, its menu boasts traditional Romanian cuisine such as stuffed cabbage or tripe soup as well as international flavors as well as vegetarian offerings.