The best restaurants Romania

It's the restaurant of the hotel of the same name. Inside and outside, the atmosphere is friendly and soothing. Inside, a room with grey and white tones gives a lounge atmosphere. Outside, a beautiful and quiet terrace, perfect for long summer evenings, occupies an inner courtyard. The map is short and varies according to the seasons. You will find refined proposals, which mix Romanian traditions and international influences: trout fillet in almond crust, mushroom stew, baked camembert, lamb shank with saffron..

This is one of two restaurants in the Tempo guesthouse. Not far from the main square, this is an excellent address, with a warm and elegant rustic decor, featuring beautiful wood panelling and brick walls adorned with attractive ceramics... The large open-plan dining room is also very pleasant, all in wood and dotted with touches of greenery. It's one of the best places to enjoy quality Transylvanian cuisine, with a Hungarian accent: bean soup, goulash and more. And to make matters worse, the restaurant regularly hosts traditional music concerts.

This is Bucharest's must-visit address. Behind a neo-Gothic façade, the "beer cart" reveals a splendid décor, all carved wood. The stained-glass ceiling and ogee windows let in colored, subdued light. A warm and historic setting, frequented by writers and intellectuals in the days of "Petit Paris". Despite a certain decline in the quality of service and plate content in recent years, this place is still well worth a visit and remains a Bucharest must.

Undoubtedly one of the best establishments in Bucharest. Housed in an elegant villa, furnished in a classic and contemporary style, The Artist serves unpretentious and affordable gourmet cuisine of the highest standard. You will taste the beauty of the presentation, the mixture of flavours and the originality of the dishes, with Romanian and international influences. It is even possible to test them all, in miniature version, served in spoons! In summer, you will appreciate the pretty terrace and its garden of aromatic plants.

As its name suggests, "Au chaudron", the dishes are prepared in huge cast-iron cauldrons. You'll be served hearty traditional dishes, at very affordable prices. On the menu: polenta, goulash, stewed meats... The interior is very designer, all wood. The yellow and black chairs add a little pizzazz, and the straw-hat lampshades add a touch of originality. Great value for money. The brand has a second address, based on the same principles: you'll find it at 27 rue Michael Weiss.

Certainly one of the best Romanian restaurants in town, right in the center. The delicious and inventive Transylvanian specialties, served in a vaulted room with a successful traditional decor, attract locals and tourists alike. Prices are very reasonable for the quality of the service, which is impeccable and friendly, while live music livens up the evenings. Note that wine can be ordered by the pitcher or by the glass, which is convenient when you want to taste one or more Romanian wines. Don't miss the delicious local ţuica .

A great place to try local specialties, revisited with originality: delicious soups, Cluj cabbage, balmoș (mămăligă with cheeses), veal goulash, papanași... Accompanied by a good natural syrup or lemonade. The menu also features salads, pastas, grills and a whole host of à la carte breakfast proposals. What's more, prices are very reasonable. The warm, high-ceilinged dining room is a blend of vintage and industrial styles, with traditional Romanian touches.

An emblematic establishment steeped in history. This pretty ^18th-century traditional Moldavian house was the venue for numerous meetings and agape gatherings of members of the Junimea literary movement, such as the great poet Mihai Eminescu or his friend Ion Creangă. In those days, the place was nicknamed the "University of Wines". Today, traditional Moldavian and Romanian cuisine is served in a rustic setting, under the brick vaults of the basement or in the pleasant summer garden. Traditional musicians regularly perform here.

This central restaurant is a highly recommended address for its copious Romanian cuisine, as well as for its low prices. In this canteen with its minimalist decor, most of the customers are locals. If the service is sometimes long, all the interest is in the plate. There are many Romanian dishes on offer, but the house's great speciality remains cabbage (varză), which is available in many recipes, including of course the varză has Cluj, which has the same ingredients as sarmale, but cooked au gratin.

A must-visit address in Brașov. If you're looking for good, typically Transylvanian cuisine, this is the restaurant for you. The choice is wide and the dishes hearty: grilled meats, șnițel of chicken Saxon style, gulaș with dumplings, Angus beef stew... Here local specialties are perfectly executed and enhanced with a touch of originality. You're greeted in traditional dress, in a magnificent underground cellar with vaults sometimes whitewashed, sometimes of exposed brick. Service is meticulous.

Don't be fooled by its old-fashioned façade and décor: the Grand Plaza offers excellent Romanian cuisine at ridiculously low prices. Moreover, this restaurant in the lower town, which looks like a canteen and has the name of a palace, is popular with the locals. On the menu you will find a good variety of dishes: omelettes, soups, salads, platters of cold meats and cheeses and a whole host of meat preparations. Perfect for a quick lunch on the go or a dinner without fuss. You can also order take-away food.

This restaurant, much appreciated by local gourmets, is housed in a 600-year-old house that has been tastefully restored down to the finest detail. On the menu, Italian specialties (with a wide selection of pastas) rub shoulders with more local meat and fish specialties, featuring seasonal produce. Prepare yourself for a true gastronomic experience and let yourself be tempted by surprising dishes such as spicy shrimps with mango. The menu offers a wide choice of desserts, so gourmets won't be outdone.

A good address, serving original cuisine. Part of the menu is inspired by old Transylvanian recipes, brought up to date, such as rabbit stew with caramelized fruit and mămăligă. We particularly recommend the slow-cooked pork with beer sauce. The meat is of excellent quality and well prepared. You'll also find more exotic specialties: Argentine beef entrecôte, chili con carne, etc. The setting is modern and warm, all wood, in a Nordic style imbued with traditional local reminiscences.

Reflecting its name, the Hotel Select restaurant offers refined cuisine and service. On the menu, the emphasis is on Italian cuisine (pasta and risottos), while traditional Romanian dishes are revisited by the chef with a wide choice of soups, meats and fish. The setting is very pleasant, in a contemporary style with different atmospheres, such as this corner reminiscent of Gaudí's mosaics. The terrace is also very welcoming. Another of the restaurant's assets: very reasonable prices.

Located a 15-minute walk from the National Theater, in the pretty bourgeois neighborhood of Andrei Mureşanu, the Gook artisan bakery-café is popular with locals for its atmosphere, specialty coffees, bread (the best in Cluj) and for its garden. Here, all breads are made from 100% natural ingredients, and you can try out original creations such as beet bread or turmeric bread. There are also a number of pastries, such as the delicious lemon-poppy seed cake. A lovely, quiet place to take a break.

To enter this restaurant, you have to pass under the porch of an old merchant's house: it's a nod to history when you know that Ograda cooks mainly with local produce from the Brașov region. The menu therefore gives pride of place to traditional dishes, which are beautifully served and no less tasty. Before leaving the restaurant, you can fill up your basket, as Ograda is also a delicatessen, allowing you to take a little piece of the terroir home with you. Last but not least, the service is efficient and friendly.

Originally from the Danube delta, Olympic canoeing champion Ivan Patzaichin has opened a fish and seafood restaurant in the capital, acting as an ambassador for the culinary traditions of his native region. Housed in a beautifully restored brick building, the establishment is a little off-center, opposite the flower market. The setting, all light blue and wood, immerses you in the atmosphere of the Danube. As for the food, it's simply delicious!

A young woman with a passion for gastronomy, Beca decided to set up her own restaurant, where she serves creative, healthy and tasty home cooking. The menu features market produce, fish and vegetarian specialties. The cozy little establishment, all woodwork and light tones, is a stone's throw from Piața Romană. You'll feel right at home here, especially as the owner, who is also a food blogger, is happy to come and tell you all about her dishes, to make your mouth water. A real breath of fresh air in Bucharest!

This beautiful Greek terrace, shaded by vines, is renowned for the quality of its fish, freshly grilled before your very eyes: scallops, sea bream, shrimps... For the rest, the menu is short, consisting of various mezzes (marinated olives, delicious homemade hummus...) and one or two courses (salads, carpaccios...). The setting is simple and friendly, with white tables covered with pink-checkered tablecloths. Please note that the terrace is only open in fine weather, in the evening: it closes when the thermometer falls into the negative.

This typical little wooden house houses a restaurant as simple as it is cute: a single menu (starter/soup, main course, dessert) that changes daily, a small room decorated in traditional style and a pleasant walled garden at the front, where a few tables are set up, in canteen mode. You'll enjoy good home cooking, using local farm produce. What's more, you'll be greeted with a warm welcome. For the record, the restaurant was created by Andreea, a young woman who decided to bring up her children in the countryside.