What to Eat in Bucharest: A Local's Guide to 10 Must-Try Romanian Dishes

You've landed in Bucharest, you're hungry, and every restaurant list online starts to blur together. This guide goes through the ten dishes worth trying, what each one tastes like and how it is usually served.

Quick reference: 6 essential dishes at a glance

Short on time? Start with this table. It covers the six dishes most visitors should try first.

Now the full guide — 10 dishes, what they taste like, and how to eat each one.

1. Ciorbă — the soup Romanians are obsessed with

Ciorbă is a sour soup, and it opens almost every proper Romanian meal. Romanians don't just eat it — they argue about it. It is soured with borș (fermented wheat bran), or with vinegar, lemon, sauerkraut brine or sour cream, depending on the recipe and on which part of the country it comes from.

• Try first: ciorbă rădăuțeană (a gentle, garlicky chicken version) or ciorbă de perișoare (meatball soup).
• The famous one: ciorbă de burtă — a creamy tripe soup, and a true love-it-or-hate-it dish.
• At the table: add the hot pepper and the swirl of sour cream served on the side.

2. Sarmale — the festive classic

If you eat one thing in Romania, make it sarmale. It is minced pork rolled in soured cabbage leaves. Then it is slow-cooked for hours, until the rolls almost melt. Good sarmale cannot be rushed.

• Eat it with: a scoop of mămăligă, a dollop of sour cream, and a hot green pepper.
• Why it matters: it is the centrepiece of every holiday table and every grandmother's reputation.
• Local tip: the slow-cooked, homemade-style version tastes nothing like the frozen kind.

3. Mici (Mititei) — Romania's grill icon

Mici (say "meech") are skinless rolls of spiced, garlicky minced meat. They are grilled over open flame until smoky and charred. They are the taste of Romanian summer.

• Eat it with: a smear of mustard, fresh bread, and a cold beer. No fork required.
• Where they shine: the Obor market area is practically their spiritual home.
• Heads up: they are ordered by the piece. Two is a normal starter portion; four or five make a full plate.

4. Mămăligă — the polenta that's always there

Mămăligă is cornmeal cooked into a soft, golden polenta. On its own it is humble. Loaded up, it becomes comfort food at its purest.

• Best loaded with: brânză (salty sheep's cheese) and smântână (sour cream).
• Order it with: almost anything else on this list — it is the universal Romanian side.

5. Tochitură — pork stew that means business

Tochitură is cubes of pork, often with sausage, pan-fried until rich and glossy. It is piled over mămăligă. Then it is crowned with a fried egg and grated cheese.

• Order it when: you are properly hungry and want real Romanian home cooking.
• Expect: hearty, rustic, and unapologetically filling.

6. Pomana porcului — the pork feast

Pomana porcului comes from the traditional winter pig feast. It is a mixed platter of fried and grilled pork cuts and sausages. It arrives hot and generous.

• Best for: sharing, and taking your time.
• The vibe: exactly the kind of slow, sit-down meal traditional Romanian food is built around.

7. Beans, the Romanian way

Don't skip the beans. Iahnie de fasole is a thick bean stew. Fasole cu ciolan adds smoked pork knuckle. Both are deeply traditional.

• For bread: try fasole bătută, a creamy mashed-bean spread.
• Good to know: many bean dishes are naturally vegetarian, thanks to Romania's fasting (de post) tradition.

8. The cold starters — salată de boeuf & zacuscă

Before the mains come the aperitive. Salată de boeuf is a rich potato-and-vegetable salad. Zacuscă is a smoky roasted-vegetable spread.

• Also try: ouă umplute (stuffed eggs) with good bread.
• Take home: a jar of zacuscă — it travels well.

9. Papanași — the dessert everyone photographs

Save room for papanași. They are warm, fried cheese doughnuts — a big one topped with a little one. They come drowned in sour cream and sour-cherry jam. They are crisp outside and soft inside.

• The taste: sweet and sour, all at once.
• Fair warning: it is hard to finish one and not order a second.

10. To finish — cozonac, țuică & Romanian wine

A few more classics close the meal. Look for cozonac (sweet braided walnut bread) or clătite (Romanian crepes). And no traditional meal is complete without a drink.

• Before the meal: a glass of țuică (plum brandy) or stronger pălincă — yes, before, not after.
• With the food: ask for a local Fetească wine and you won't go wrong.

Where to find these dishes in Bucharest

Traditional Romanian food is served across the city, in the centre and in the residential districts, at very different prices and in very different settings. Most of the dishes above appear on the menus of restaurants that describe themselves as traditional; the wording on the menu is usually the quickest way to tell what a place actually cooks.

We run Restaurant Ceaun in the Tei–Obor area, in Sector 2. Several of the dishes discussed above are on our current menu, and the dining room shares the space with a small collection of Romanian folk objects.

• See our full English menu.
• For the dishes themselves, in more detail: our guide to traditional Romanian food.
• Staying in the city? We are a short ride from most central hotels.

Frequently Asked Questions