Note: Here’s another article I meant to post in 2019 but, as you can see, life interrupted and I’m posting it now. Better late than never, right? But please keep this in mind when you see the year referenced. This is pre-COVID, after all…

This year meant a lot to me. 2019. Next month will mark the thirtieth anniversary of the fall of Nicolae Ceaucescu, and his communist regime, in Romania. It may seem like a silly thing to want to celebrate (maybe honor is the more accurate word), but in researching for my Romanian-set novel, written exactly at that moment thirty years ago, I learned about and connected with this pivotal moment in Romania’s history. That’s why I wrangled together my husband and younger sister to join me on a trip—our first!—to visit the land our ancestors came from, and remember how far communism caused the country to fall, but how far they’ve come since then.

This past August, we traveled from Bucharest to Timisoara, and so many magical towns and villages in between. It’s a trip that’s not only affordable (the lei is pretty weak when compared to the US Dollar or Euro), but still remains a hidden gem of Europe. I can’t assure you that won’t be the case for long. In a few parts, I’ll be sharing our specific trip—one I highly recommend, even if you were to copy+paste it into your plans—and all the places we visited.

Part One: Bucharest

We flew into Bucharest on a Saturday and made it our temporary home base for two nights. From our time there, I recommend two or three nights max, as there are things to do and see, however, we felt like we circled one particular area of the city over, and over, and over again, so extending our stay beyond two or three nights would have felt repetitive and unnecessary.

I wanted our AirBNB (Authentic Romanian Flat in the Heart of Bucharest) to fully engulf us in the culture of Romania, so we splurged a little more on a larger place that had the perfect traditional touches, making it feel like you were in Romania without having to set foot outside.

I had to get a shot of the first window bakery we passed, though this wouldn’t be the last! If you can see, those prices are in RON. For that pastry on the top shelf, 2.5RON comes out to under 0.60USD (at the current exchange rate), so it’s safe to say we had a lot of pastries during our time in Romania.

Soon after we arrived and settled into our AirBNB, we needed caffeine. Fast. Thankfully, one of the best coffee shops in our area was just down the street from us: Klauss Coffee Shop. It was a great spot to get a delicious coffee and jolt of energy.

From there, we made our way to the Palace of Parliament, one of the main features of my novel, and a place I had to see in real life. Unfortunately, we arrived to the palace after it had closed, and remained closed the following day (Sunday), so while I wasn’t able to see the interior, the exterior was incredible on its own. The fountains lining the boulevard toward the palace were beautiful—I even found one named after Vlad Tepes!

We had some time before we had to pick up my sister from the airport (at midnight local time which, let me tell you, was rough dealing with the time difference), so we took to some wandering, which led us to what’s considered the Old Town of Bucharest, known by locals as Centru Vechi (the Old Center). Even with the name, it’s a rather new addition to the city.

Caru’ cu Bere

Strada Stavropoleos 5, București 030081, Romania

Other than the coffee, we hadn’t experienced a Romania meal (or beverage) since we landed, so it was important to rectify this oversight. That led us to Caru’ cu Bere, a restaurant/brewery recommended to us. Though we sat outside on their patio, the interior was a sight to behold; a gothic revival building designed by Austrian architect Siegfrid Kofczinsky, in 1899.

Back outside, we started with the most important food group: beer.

And not just beer. The largest beer I think I’ve ever ordered in my entire life. No, I wasn’t able to finish it. My husband took one for the team! Along with the beer, we ordered a pre-dinner meal of Salata de Vinete—my favorite!

Stavropoleos Church

Wandering through Old Town, we stumbled upon Stavropoleos Church and monastery. Soon after we entered through the gates, they closed and were no longer allowing visitors through (we’re not sure why). Built in 1724 by Greek monk Ioanikie Stratonikeas, it’s covered with illustrations painted directly onto its stones, and the courtyard behind it was filled with tombstones dating from the 18th century, many in the process of restoration.

Hanu’ lui Manuc

Str. Franceza, nr. 62-64 | 62-64, Bucharest 030106, Romania

Before we knew it, it was time for dinner! It would be hard to miss Hanu’ lui Manuc while walking through Old Town Bucharest as it’s pretty central and physically massive. Not to mention a quaint hot spot that was packed with diners.

Lacking a reservation, which meant we couldn’t be given a table on the main floor, we were taken to the balcony which, to be honest, seems like the better option in my opinion. And our first official dinner in Romania didn’t disappoint:

Though I don’t now recall the name of this dish (it has been over a year since we visited and I drafted this post) I can tell you it was a stew and it hit all the right spots.

Dinner was a fantastic preview to our meals in Romania, as was the cat who decided to hang out with us, no doubt hoping for us to drop a bit of food for it to sneak away with.

Bodega “La Mahala”

Strada Covaci 8, București 030167, Romania

Day two, with my sister in tow, we returned to Old Town to wander the streets and make many-a frequent stops for a quick bite or a relaxing beverage. We lucked out when we found this hidden gem in the middle of Old Town. Its covered patio was beautiful and cozy and also protected us from the unexpected mid-day rain shower.

In almost every meal instance, we ordered a round of beer. On this stop, we had our first taste of one of my favorite Romanian street foods: Mici.

Mici can’t be beat, but what made the experience even better were the roving cats that came by to say buna! (A trend you’ll notice throughout our entire trip!)

Fabrica CLUB

11 Iunie 50, București 040172, Romania

Wanting to see a little bit more of what Bucharest had to offer besides just Old Town, we ventured out to find a little place called Fabrica CLUB. It was a bit of a walk away from both Old Town and our AirBNB, but it was a fun adventure to wander the streets of Bucharest and find this little haven marked with grafitti, a bar and a few shops. Being Sunday, much of it was closed, but we were still able to sit for a few drinks and peruse the shops that were open. I can only imagine what it’s like on a Saturday or weekday when Fabrica CLUB is hopping!

Lacrimi si Sfinti

Strada Șepcari, București 030167, Romania

Eventually, it was time for dinner, so we walked back to Old Town where we had a reservation at Lacrimi si Sfinti, which means Tears and Saints (it was right across from Stavropoleos Church we visited the day before). To say we indulged in this meal would be a gross understatement. Hey—after all, we had walked all the way to Fabrica CLUB. We totally earned it.

Even before food arrived, we had to have a little bit of palinka! Honestly, how much I actually liked palinka and Țuică was a big surprise for me! Maybe it’s just my mom’s uncle’s backyard moonshine that doesn’t sit well with me—ha!

To start things off, we ordered a massive bowl of Zacusca, our first of the trip! (But certainly not the last!) It hit all the right notes, smokey red pepper with a dash of eggplant and a hearty dash of salt. We would have licked the bowl if it were culturally appropriate. (We did not.)

We paired it with Jumări, which happened to be made both of pork and duck bits. Usually when I’d eat jumări, it’d be by itself, but the addition of mustard cut the heaviness of the fat in the jumări, working really well together!

These guys were called Pious Croquettes, zucchini, cabbage and onion mixed with egg and fried to golden perfection! I don’t know if these are traditional in any way, but they certainly were tasty!

Through our travels, I had a list on my phone of desserts we had to try before the end of the trip. These bad boys? None other than Gomboti / Găluște cu Prune, otherwise known as plums wrapped in a potato dumpling and covered with sugar and breadcrumbs. To die for! If you haven’t experienced anything like it before, I’d highly recommend trying out my recipe!

Nomad Sky Bar

Etaj 2, Strada Smârdan 30, București 030167, Romania

Our first after-dinner stop took us up, to the Nomad bar above the streets, with strong drinks, plenty of people watching, and the best company…

I highly recommend this bar. Not only is it in a happening part of Old Town if you’re into a little bit of night life, but the drinks were delicious and the ambiance was beautiful! Their menu featured beverages from across the globe, so if you were in the mood for something different, they gave you plenty of options.

Mojo Music Club

Strada Gabroveni 14, București 030088, Romania

It wouldn’t be an overseas trip with me if we didn’t make a quick stop into the local karaoke bar. In our case, a quick stop because a multi-hour stop filled with singing, meeting locals and—of course—a little bit, or a lot a bit, of Ţuică. Don’t ask me what I sang. I couldn’t tell you now, and I probably couldn’t have told you moments after we left. It was a fun night, to say the least.

We ended our night searching for KFC (it was one of the few food-serving places open at 4 AM, but stumbled upon Efendi Donor and made the best decision ever to stop there, instead. Before our trip, my sister kept raving about this sandwich you can only get in Europe: a doner. It’s similar to the gyro you’ll find in America but somehow made 100x better. It was—without a doubt—the best way to end our stay in Bucharest.

Next stop: Brasov… with a few pit stops along the way!

Stay tuned for Part 2: Brasov, posting soon (promise).

And, in the meantime, if you have any Bucharest-specific questions please ask them in the comments!

♥ La Revedere