What to eat in Bucharest
Sarmale and mici anchor almost every menu, papanași close the meal, and tripe soup is what gets ordered when the day calls for something heavy.
- Cabbage and meat
- Sarmale €6.65–7.40
- Off the grill
- Mici, 3 pieces, €9.90 (3 pcs)
- Dessert
- Papanași €6.65–7.40
Romanian food in Bucharest sticks to a handful of constants: sarmale (cabbage rolls with minced meat) as the heavier dish, mici off the grill as the quicker option, papanași as the near-obligatory dessert, and tripe soup for days that call for something thick. All four turn up on almost every menu in Lipscani, priced per portion below.
Sarmale and mici — the two constants
Sarmale (€6.65–7.40) are cabbage leaves wrapped around minced meat and rice, cooked slowly, usually served with polenta. Mici (€9.90 (3 pcs)) are skinless grilled rolls of minced meat, sold three to a portion.
Papanași — the dessert you don't skip
Papanași (€6.65–7.40) are fried curd-cheese dumplings served with sour cream and jam, usually sour cherry. They're ordered after the main course, rarely as a snack — the portion is too much for two people to split lightly.
Tripe soup
Tripe soup (ciorbă de burtă), €4.75–5.90, is a thick soup of beef tripe with garlic and sour cream — the Romanian answer to a day that needs something heavy, not a light starter.
Mornings and quick bites
- Street food — a shaorma from a kiosk, €5.30–5.70 (shaorma), quick and no sitting down.
- Set lunch — €5.70–7.40, the usual workday-lunch price around Lipscani.
- Restaurant, main course — €9.90 (3 mici) (three mici), no drinks, for sitting down with a menu.
Before you go
Short answers to what people ask most before setting out.
What to try first in Bucharest?
Sarmale (€6.65–7.40) or mici (€9.90 (3 pcs)) — both are on almost every menu.
How many pieces of mici come in a portion?
Three; €9.90 (3 mici) is the price for all three, not for one.
Who might want to skip tripe soup?
It's thick and garlicky — anyone who isn't keen on offal is better off with sarmale or mici.
Ready for Bucharest?
Where to next
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