The best restaurants Romania

An excellent restaurant in the heart of the village. Behind a bright blue Saxon house (open for rental), you'll find a vast barn renovated in country style, with reupholstered wooden furniture and colorful embroidery. In fine weather, you can sit out in the pretty orchard at the back. The menu, which changes with the seasons, features family recipes and revisited Transylvanian specialties, concocted with carefully selected local produce.

This restaurant serving Greek specialties is located not far from the main street, in a neighborhood of beautiful old houses. It occupies one of them, easily recognizable with its Ionic temple-like entrance. The menu offers a wide choice of traditional Greek dishes: grilled meat or fish, moussaka, gyros sandwiches, stuffed peppers, kleftikos... Very good food, served in an authentic atmosphere, with curtains, dark wood furniture and bas-reliefs. In fine weather, the terrace is particularly pleasant.

We come here for the famous Rădăuţi soup(ciorbă rădăuţeană)! This culinary creation, famous throughout the country, is the work of Cornelia Dumitrescu, who is none other than the chef of this restaurant. It's a sort of cross between the much-loved ciorbă de burtă (tripe soup) and chicken soup. This is obviously the best place to try it: it's delicious and really cheap. The other dishes are equally tasty and homemade with local produce. Excellent value for money.

Certainly the best restaurant in town. Right in the center of town, Latino is, as its name suggests, a restaurant with Italian leanings, featuring on its menu the great classics of transalpine cuisine (pizzas, pastas, salads, risottos...), as well as more elaborate international dishes: pork filet mignon with prunes, duck breast with foie gras, osso bucco, lamb mouse, black angus T-bone steak, salmon with shrimp sauce... The setting is elegant, with dark woodwork and white tablecloths.

As the name suggests, this is a self-service restaurant offering a very wide choice of freshly prepared Romanian specialties at very low prices: stuffed peppers, sausages, sarmale, soups of all kinds, șaormă, mămăligă with cheese, baked mackerel, chicken and pork with all kinds of sauces... The ideal place for a quick, gourmet break! What's more, the location is quite central. It doesn't look like much from the outside, and the setting is very basic, but the quality of the food is excellent. You can also order food to go.

An excellent address serving Romanian and foreign specialties, with a tidy but pleasant service. Just off the center of town, you'll find a warm ambience and tasteful decor. The setting is romantic and delightfully old-fashioned, with period furniture, upholstered chairs, chandeliers, tablecloths covered with floral placemats and embroidered doilies. Some walls are covered with paintings. As for the menu (which changes regularly), the choice is vast and the dishes rather inexpensive.

The "Brown Bear" is an iconic restaurant in Rădăuți, specializing in Italian cuisine. So you'll find a whole host of pizza and pasta choices on the menu, but also focaccia, bruschetta and antipasti, as well as dishes such as chicken in gorgonzola sauce, fried calamari... Romanian specialities and burgers also feature on the menu. You can also enjoy breakfast (English, American, eggs...). The setting is warm and elegant, with wood panelling and red bricks, enamelled with paintings and books.

Beyond the porch, you'll find a lovely green courtyard, shaded by a large cherry tree. The wooden terrace is scattered with mismatched wooden and wrought-iron tables and chairs. A bucolic setting in the heart of the city! The interior is elegant too, a rustic-chic apartment with parquet flooring. The music is soft and the service pleasant. On the menu, tasty and original cuisine, blending Romanian and more exotic influences, as evidenced by the few Indian or Thai flavors on the menu.

A little corner of France in Romania! In this restaurant opened by French people, you will be able to taste for example foie gras or duck breast, but also a beef entrecote with Roquefort cheese, a sea bream in the oven or a fillet of perch meunière. The dishes are delicious and elegantly presented. The establishment, which also serves as a cocktail bar and regularly organizes concerts, is located in the heart of the city, in a beautiful 1935 building with a terrace. Inside, the decoration is resolutely contemporary. A safe bet at Bacău!

This centuries-old brand has changed its function over the years: from grocery store to tailor to farrier. But it has always kept its name: "Au cheval blanc" is today an elegant restaurant, which revisits in a contemporary sauce the traditional cuisine of Banat, crossed by Serbian, Italian, Austrian and Hungarian influences: duck legs with red cabbage, pork shank with beer, homemade tagliatelle with black truffles... It is delicious! The terrace allows you to enjoy the entertainment of the pedestrian centre.

A Mediterranean break in the heart of Romania. Below the university district, this restaurant offers a cuisine based on fish and seafood from the Danube and Black Sea: perch saramură , smoked Danube shad, grilled sturgeon or catfish, paella, grilled octopus with tzatziki sauce... A fine dining experience, in an oasis of tranquility. The setting is warm and inviting, with a chic, contemporary marine decor. Large windows open onto a lovely terrace planted with trees.

Beautiful terrace in summer and beautiful interior room. The choice in dishes is varied. Good local cuisine in a historic location.

If you're looking for something exotic during your stay in Romania, try Toujours: it's undoubtedly the best restaurant in town. The menu takes you to every continent, with French, Mediterranean, American, Mexican and Asian specialties, as well as Romanian. A cuisine of quality and freshness. We'll be happy to advise you on dishes and wine. The atmosphere is intimate and cozy, with a bohemian elegance. At the back, you'll find a pleasant terrace. A fine address.

This restaurant, tucked away in a central alleyway, is one of the city's best addresses. The cuisine is creative and freely inspired by tradition. Chef Oana Coantă has a long-standing commitment to slow food. The local, seasonal produce is of the highest quality, very tasty, and the dishes are delicious: lettuce soup, free-range chicken, pan-fried trout... The large, vaulted dining room often hosts jazz concerts and other cultural events. Beware, this is a popular venue, especially at weekends. Reservations are recommended.

It's probably the best address in town, recommended by the locals. This very cosy restaurant gives the impression of being in a friend's dining room, with its beautiful parquet floor, comfortable sofas and fireplace. The decoration, both modern and country, contributes a lot to make the place warm. You will taste well prepared Romanian specialties. The establishment also has a beautiful garden planted with trees at the back. The place is also a boarding house, with pleasant rooms tastefully decorated in light tones.

This is an excellent address for a culinary treat. The warm, spacious interior is reminiscent of a modern barn, with a wall of logs, a hanging tree and a wide view of the hills. The cuisine is fine and creative. Local products are featured on the menu (trout, beef, etc.). Prices are fairly high, but commensurate with the quality on the plate. You can opt for a salad or pasta dish, which are less expensive and just as tasty. The DOR salad, in particular, offers excellent trout. Competent, attentive service.

As the name suggests, you'll eat your meals in a decor dominated by the color black. The setting is modern and pleasant. The cuisine, meanwhile, is infused with Asian, French and Italian influences. Refined, elaborate and copious, the dishes are excellent and particularly well presented. Beef fillets with blueberry or chocolate sauce may be a little disconcerting at first, but the combination is ultimately delicious. Add to all this reasonable prices and attentive service. A very good, central address.

An excellent Italian restaurant not to be missed if you are passing through Piatra Neamţ. It serves, among other delicacies, the best pizzas in town. The establishment is hidden among the blocks of the Maratei district, at the foot of one of them. The interior has been beautifully arranged in a traditional style. In front, the terrace is embellished by the vine. In this small and friendly Italian bubble, you will enjoy specialities such as pork fillet with mushrooms, beef fillet with green pepper, sea risotto, fried squid..

The restaurant at the Hotel Sonnenhof on the outskirts of town is well worth a visit. On the menu are Italian dishes (pasta, risottos) and refined meat and fish dishes: chicken supreme with marsala sauce, golden calamari, pork belly glazed with honey and mustard, New Zealand lamb, American beef... The ever-present light wood panelling makes for a warm atmosphere, and the service is particularly attentive. In summer, you can dine in the superb summer garden at the rear of the establishment.

It's the good address in the area. "Le manoir sicule" is a charming hotel-restaurant, located in the village of Colțești, neighboring Rimetea. It's recently built but traditional in style, furnished with beautiful painted wooden furniture. The dining room is large and warm. Here you'll eat local, Romanian and Hungarian specialties, such as the highly acclaimed homemade goulash. There's also a large garden with children's playground equipment. Ask to climb the tower: it offers a superb 360-degree view, including of the Sicule Stone.

One of Cluj's most sought-after restaurants took up residence many years ago in a 180-year-old mansion that has seen the passing of illustrious families. While the magnificent garden is busy during the summer months, the upstairs dining room, designed by Cristian Corvin, welcomes you in a warm, bohemian chic setting. On the menu, Romanian specialties rub shoulders with elaborate international cuisine. Save room for the desserts, which live up to their reputation!

The latest Sara restaurant in Bucharest is located on the first floor of the Hotel Sarroglia, from which it takes its name. It follows the same concept that made Sara's Floreasca establishment such a success: a restaurant and a delicatessen selling Italian products under one roof. In a contemporary decor with clean lines, you'll be able to choose from pasta, gnocchi, risotto and pizza, dishes whose main ingredients are imported directly from Italy.

"Welcome home" could be the motto of Lente, which is much more than a restaurant. Whether you sit inside by the fireplace, piano and library, or outside in the shady courtyard, you'll feel right at home. In this cozy space, you can sip a coffee, savor well-executed Romanian dishes and even enjoy one of the many board games at your disposal. Lente regularly organizes cultural events and has a second, equally charming location on Strada Dionisie Lupu.

Whether you choose the small inner courtyard, the main dining room or the wine cellar of this imposing old building, which once housed the town's post office, you'll be sure to enjoy the restaurant's traditional cuisine. The menu reflects the history of the region, with a mix of Saxon, Hungarian and Romanian specialties. Portions are hearty, and service is simple but friendly. And if you're craving pizza, Gasthaus prepares some very good ones in its wood-fired oven.

The name of this restaurant, "Des larmes et des saints" in French, is taken from a work by the philosopher and writer Emil Cioran. This literary reference is not surprising given that the restaurant was founded by Mircea Dinescu, himself a poet and journalist. The meticulous decor, mainly made of recycled wood, reflects what is served: classics of Romanian cuisine revisited and elegantly served. Over the years, this restaurant has become a must in the old town center, and is a firm favorite with the locals.

This Italian restaurant, located in an off-center block, attracts customers from all over the city with its wood-fired pizzas, reputed to be among the best in Suceava. In addition to the classics, you'll find a good selection of specialties, all with buffalo milk mozzarella. There are also salads, bruschettas, sandwiches and homemade pastas. For dessert, you can end the day Italian-style, with a tiramisù or panna cotta, or opt for cheesecake. Breakfast is also available.

At the very end of a forest road, this rustically decorated hotel-restaurant is literally perched atop Mount Chirușca. It offers a magnificent panorama of the surrounding mountains. The food here is tasty, with plenty of home-grown produce from the estate's farm. The traditional menu includes invigorating mountain specialties. What's more, the welcome is friendly and the prices very reasonable. And while you're here, why not stay the night? A number of hiking trails leave from the hut, taking in the Ciucaș mountains.

Open since 1999 in the new town, it is one of the most famous addresses in Oradea. It offers an incredible setting of retro elegance, with rustic or baroque accents depending on the room. A busy decor, which will take you back in time. On the menu you will find a wide variety of traditional Romanian and especially Hungarian specialties: chicken broth, fillet of beef Budapest, stew, papricaș hake or somlói galuska for dessert. International dishes such as salads and pasta are also served.

Ideally located in the heart of the pedestrian street, in a pretty historic house with a wooden terrace, this pleasant, unpretentious restaurant serves excellent authentic Italian cuisine. Pizzas, pastas and fresh seafood are succulent, as are the truffle specialties. Most of the products are imported from Italy. The setting is warm, the atmosphere lively and the service friendly. The establishment also offers bright, modern rooms.

Part cultural venue, part restaurant, Acuarela is a fresh, colorful little corner of paradise. The terrace is a haven of peace, with its yellow van and multicolored umbrellas. The interior, with its quirky decor and multitude of frames on the walls, is just as charming. Here, you can let your creativity run wild with all kinds of manual activities, as well as enjoying the many cultural events on offer: photo exhibitions, theater, jazz concerts and more. The à la carte menu features simple, homemade dishes such as burgers and salads.

Here you'll taste the best of traditional Hungarian cuisine, as well as a few French specialties. This restaurant is housed in the cellars of the former local administration, a large yellow building dating from 1832 and now occupied by the județ library. The setting is chic and uncluttered, under light brick vaults interspersed with wooden screens. There's also a terrace dotted with greenery, in the inner courtyard. On the menu: catfish papricaș, pork șnițel, venison or veal gulaș, as well as tournedos and T-bone steak.

Located in the heart of the city, this refined restaurant belongs to the hotel of the same name. Like the hotel, it is decorated in a colorful, contemporary baroque style, with chandeliers and velvet upholstered banquettes. The atmosphere is calm and the dishes are exquisitely presented. You'll be spoilt for choice, from traditional Romanian dishes to international cuisine. The establishment also boasts an elegant terrace, set in a beautiful ornamental garden, where it's a pleasure to dine.

An address created by the talented young chef Alex Petricean: this former fencing champion successfully converted to self-taught gastronomy, after a stint on "Masterchef" (where he finished third!). He has become one of the champions of the "new Romanian cuisine", which aims to bring local flavors up to date. The menus change frequently, and the dishes are refined and inventive, using carefully selected seasonal local produce. All this in an attractive vintage decor with Romanian touches.

The "Âtre de la nation" is located just north of the city, beyond Otopeni airport, in the village of Balotești, on the road to Brașov. A restaurant well worth a visit, as much for its refined gastronomy as for its setting, which immerses you in the historic atmosphere of the Romanian Principalities, with vaulted walls, solid wood furniture and candle chandeliers. This is one of the best restaurants for traditional cuisine. Dishes are prepared according to Romanian tradition and in a modern interpretation.

Perched on the ^36th floor of a modern tower, 136 meters above the ground, this is the city's highest restaurant. The extraordinary view over the meandering Lake Floreasca will take your breath away, but certainly not your appetite! The dishes, of Romanian, French and other inspiration, are refined: duck confit, Argentine beef fillet, grilled sea bass... The varied breakfasts are a good option for those who want to enjoy this exceptional setting at a slightly lower cost.

Listed as a historical monument, this sumptuous neo-Romanian-style residence, built at the end of the 19th century by the famous architect Ion Mincu, was at the time a popular restaurant for the local aristocracy. Today, Casa Doina still serves a sophisticated Romanian cuisine, rhythmed by the seasons and high in flavor, as well as a wide variety of international dishes or specialties based on fresh fish. The establishment, with its elegant and authentic atmosphere, also has a beautiful garden full of flowers and trees.

This family-run restaurant enjoys a quiet, prestigious location among the embassies and grand mansions of a chic neighborhood. Open since 1996, it's a small institution of its kind. The menu covers all the great classics of German cuisine, from pork knuckles to sauerkraut, sausages and apple strudel... The dishes are hearty and the beers, German of course, are excellent. The decor is typical and the garden is particularly pleasant in summer. Make sure you book in advance, as the dining room is very small.

This elegantly old-fashioned restaurant aims to "put Romanian gastronomy back on the map of Europe". Both the decor and the menu take you back to the days between the two world wars, before communism took its toll on the country's gastronomy. Here, you'll enjoy classic Romanian dishes such as sarmale, but also rarer, even forgotten dishes from old recipe books. There's another Zexe in Bucharest, in Regele Mihai 1 Park (ex Herăstrău).

Just a stone's throw from bustling Calea Victoriei, this bistro offers an oasis of tranquillity in the heart of the city. On sunny days, you can sit in the large paved courtyard under the trees. The garlands hanging from the branches and the mismatched furniture give it the air of an urban guinguette. The interior, too, is full of charm: it's one of Bucharest's beautiful middle-class residences, rearranged in a stripped-down vintage style that preserves the soul of the place. On the menu: dishes with a French accent, using fresh, seasonal local produce.

A trendy bar-restaurant with a vintage design, where quality is the order of the day. On the menu, you'll find tapas, gourmet burgers and original salads, as well as some inventive dishes: beef fillet with potatoes and mushroom-truffle sauce, salmon teriyaki, South African curry... It's also a good place for a drink: the cocktails are excellent and plentiful. There's also a wide choice of local craft beers, whiskies, gins, softs and wines (mainly Romanian). Service is impeccable.

A small street food stall that can be found all over the capital, but also in other cities around the country. There's something for every taste: sandwiches, ștrudel and some of the best covrigi in town: you'll find the classic savory ones, with sesame or poppy seeds, but also sweet ones, with cherry or chocolate, and filled rolls (with sausage, ham, mozzarella, olives...). The pizzas are also pretty good. Simple, fast, tasty and inexpensive.

In a quiet street north of Calea Victoriei, this restaurant occupies a superb boyar house in oriental style. Inside, the warm and elegant wood paneled interior recreates an atmosphere of the inter-war period. You will eat a very good Romanian cuisine, but also specialities from the European gastronomy, such as coq au vin, mussels or, for dessert, savarins. The service is fast and attentive. The establishment has a beautiful terrace, which unfolds at the front of the house.

This restaurant occupies an old bourgeois house in the Icoanei district, decorated with revisited folk motifs. It takes its name from the venerable tree that occupies the center of the vast terrace in the courtyard. Here you'll find Romanian cuisine staples (mămăligă with cheese and cream, homemade zacuscă, etc.), soups, a wide selection of salads and all kinds of meats prepared in all sorts of ways. The food is good, the prices reasonable and the portions generous. Traditional musicians perform regularly.

Bistro chairs, dark woodwork, antiques and oil paintings: on the main square, on the other side of the theater, this café-restaurant recreates a warm vintage atmosphere. The menu mixes Romanian specialties and world dishes: vegetable ciorba and gulaș rub shoulders with a choice of burgers, salads, pastas and meats. There's even a sushi bar. On Thursdays and Fridays, the menu expands to include more refined fish dishes. The establishment, with its attractive front terrace, also prepares delicious breakfasts.

Just a stone's throw from Piața Avram Iancu, this restaurant is an Italian family affair born in the 1990s, and now run by the second generation. Don't be fooled by the unlikely building that houses it and its "Clubul CFR" sign (named after the local soccer club, CFR Cluj): the designer interior is quite chic and the garden at the back is magnificent. We recommend the authentic Neapolitan pizza (with different dough options), but the homemade pasta is delicious too.

If you're looking for a taste of traditional Hungarian cuisine, you've come to the right place! This historic building once belonged to the illustrious Rhédey family and now houses the restaurant of the same name. While soups and goulash are the stars of the menu, the other dishes are not lacking in interest. Portions are generous and service impeccable. The establishment has a loyal following among Cluj's Hungarian community, a sign of authentic cuisine. In fine weather, a pleasant terrace overlooks Piața Unirii and the Catholic Cathedral.

Nuka Bistro boasts an attractive mix of brick, stone and wood walls. Calm and serenity are the watchwords here. The menu is small and efficient, with simple dishes such as homemade pasta, bruschettas, hamburgers, salads, paella and slow-cooked lamb. A special mention goes to the mature cheese platter for sharing. As for drinks, the wine list is exhaustive and the variety of beverages, hot or cold, with or without alcohol, makes it a good place to relax, whatever the time of day.

The name of this pension-restaurant owes much, of course, to the setting. Situated near the centre of Cluj, at the top of the citadel hill, you will be able to contemplate the whole city and the surrounding hills. At an altitude of just over 400 m, the view from the terrace of the establishment is truly exceptional. On the plate side, you will enjoy good Transylvanian cuisine, with many snacks, a lot of soups, fish and meat dishes, as well as vegetarian dishes and homemade desserts.

Via is at the crossroads of an ^18th-century mansion and a contemporary, minimalist design, with two dining rooms and a vaulted, stone-walled cellar where you can watch the cooks at work. Located in Cluj's historic district, the restaurant is considered one of the city's finest gastronomic addresses. The menu features international cuisine with Romanian touches, including soups, fish and meat, as well as local products such as cheese from Colțești, a village south of Cluj.

Maimuţa Plângătoare, or "The Weeping Monkey" in French, is a 90-year-old restaurant serving excellent Romanian cuisine, both traditional and refined. This ranges from breakfast, available from 9am to 12pm, to meals with grilled meat, fish, but also salads, pasta and soups, in a wide range of prices and generally inexpensive. A fine wine list is also available. Finally, especially at weekends, traditional Romanian bands perform here.