Karen, you will certainly enjoy your stay at Queen’s Court hotel, do make time to enjoy their pool and spa facilities. Yes, the website gives additional perks which aren’t available on booking.com

I'd go with low expectations for the food in Romania, so maybe you will be pleasantly surprised. I didn't go to any of the places in the Mark Wiens video, though we thought about it:

Wow! Shelemm, thank you for sharing this! We watched Mark's video on Portugal when planning our trip there, and we did visit some of his suggestions and were happy. I will make a list of the places he suggests for Romania. I remember that you said the food was heavily meat centric and because the weather was hot, you couldn't eat a lot of the heavy meals. We will be there in September so hopefully it will be cooler and that will help.

While there are many advantages to the strategy shelemm recommends, namely going with low expectations, I would be remiss if I didn't note that I had some stellar meals in Romania. Granted, a few were humdrum, but none were disappointing. I guess it depends on one's palate and one's research and perhaps some luck or other factor.

Perhaps I missed it in my readings but in Budapest this restauant is worth a visit:

https://newyorkcafe.hu/en/

As you already know, in Greece you can eat well and not even step into a restaurant. Markets, pastry shops, dairy stores, nut roasters, and places that cater for meats, cheeses, olives,... I could go on. Do not expect anything like this in Romania. If you find a bakery, it is probably part of a chain and the pastries are likely pre-wrapped. I loved my travel in Romania, but it was in spite of the food.

I had one great food discovery in Romania: Every convenience store/ gas station carries chocolate bars flavored with rum. Nothing fancy. This seems to be a very Romanian thing. I had 3 different brands. I heartily approve. And I am sure it is a flavoring, no alcohol involved. At least that's what I told the cops....

https://eurofoodhub.com/products/rom...Z1ItFn8Mv3GX_t

@ shelemm: From what you've told us, you saw very little of Romania. Hardly a basis for generalizing about a large country with many different regions, each with it's own traditions.

I was there for seven nights. I had one terrific meal in Viscri, and then a lot of regrettable food. The breakfast spread at the Carpathia Hotel in Sinaia was excellent as well as really good raspberries purchased from the side of the road. Whether that is enough to judge, I can't say for sure. But I gave it my best shot. I say the same for Bulgaria. I had high hopes in both cases, but the problem is that I did not see any evidence of a larger food culture that could sustain a decent bakery or other markets. Produce was very uninteresting, unusual for summer. Not much evidence of good produce on the plate. Or variety. For now, I would lump the cuisines of Romania and Bulgaria along with Czechia and Slovakia as not being much of a draw.

I would contrast that with consistently excellent experiences in Poland where the food culture was more in evidence and showed off the great pride they took in their food.

We had an ultra-fabulous trip otherwise. it was indeed epic and we saw and did so many wonderful things that I will forever cherish. I'd consider returning and heartily encourage others to visit. But I am not going to sugarcoat the experience with the food. If the OP has a better experience than I did, I will be very happy to hear about it. I am preparing her for disappointment, and maybe she will enjoy it that much more when it turns out not to be true.

I appreciate everyone's opinions about the food and their restaurant recommendations. I prefer that people be honest about their opinions and experiences, whether it's the food, the culture, the sightseeing, or the people. We may or may not be disappointed in the food in Romania, but honestly, that would not ruin the trip for us. Shelemm's recommendation of Restaurant Cafe & Artisanal is on my list, and I have kja's recommendations of Toujours and Trufunda on my list, too.

Mendota, thank you so much for the New York Cafe recommendation!

Shelemm, thanks for the link to the chocolate bars! The cookies look good, too!

I hope KarenWoo and her husband have some delightful meals while in Romania! As I said above, some of my meals were humdrum, but some were stellar. Some additional restaurant recommendations:

• In Brasov:
  • Ograda (traditional)
  • Vino e Sapori (Italian)
• In Bucharest:
  • Aubergine (varied, including Moroccan)
  • Comenzi Bucaterasul (traditional)
  • Hanul lui Manuc (traditional)
• In Cluj: Via (upscale, creative)
• In Sibiu:
  • Jules Bistro (French influences; locally sourced)
  • Old Lisbon (Portuguese)
  • Pasaj (traditional)
• In Sighisoara: Joseph T Restaurant (Old World)

BTW, I found the market in Sibiu quite vibrant.

It (belatedly) occurs to me that my comment in post # 47 could be misread. To clarify: I am not questioning shelemm’s experience (and trust he is not questioning mine). I wholeheartedly agree that honesty is important when sharing opinions and experiences – and I’m glad he has shared his observations. That said, from my perspective, opinions are most useful when they acknowledge the limits of one’s experience. My point was that a 7-night trip covering a small portion of a large country is unlikely to provide a solid basis for any conclusions about the country as a whole, particularly when that country has several markedly different regions (as Romania does). In his 7 nights, he did not see evidence of a food culture; in my 22 nights, I did experience a vibrant food culture in some parts of the country, particularly in Iasi, Cluj, Timisoara, and Sibiu. But even with 22 nights, I would not hazard generalizations about the country as a whole – IMO, my experience was too limited for that. I had some humdrum meals, I had some stellar ones. That’s not sugarcoating: That’s an honest statement about the quality of the meals I had while there. But as already agreed, low expectations might serve any traveler well.

All of this hand-wringing about the food is based on my one comment: "I''d go with low expectations for the food in Romania, so maybe you will be pleasantly surprised."

I stand by that comment.

Because I thought I might have unintentionally given offense.

Karen,
Greetings from your cousin, Harry. I also just replied to your Italy post. We have been to Hungary 3 times in the past 2 years because we use Vienna as our entry airport to the EU. 1. Use Uber, particularly from the train station, as taxis at the station overcharge. 2. Get tickets to visit Parliament. 3. Visit the Secret Police museum. Restaurants are very good, reasonably priced, but heavily meat oriented. Wine is very good
Some of our favorite restaurants: Var Varju, Kasca Etterum, Getto Gulyas (very busy), Kadarka Wine Bar (only for wine and snack plates, which are huge)
harry

Harry, thank you for the helpful advice especially your restaurant recommendations. Will definitely make reservations to see the Parliament building, and will visit the Secret Police museum.
Karen

Be sure to visit Peleş Castle (Castelul Peleş) in Sinaia.

It is one of the most beautiful castles in Europe, built in the Neo-Renaissance style between 1873 and 1914, during a period when Romania was under the significant influence of the Austro-Hungarian Empire (and even before Romania gained full independence, its first king, Carol I, was of German origin). The castle served as the summer residence of the Romanian royal family.

What makes it memorable is its wood carvings:

Rich woodwork: The interiors of Peles Castle are known for their incredibly intricate and abundant wood carvings. The famous Austrian master Bernard Ludwig, whose school-workshop was one of the best at the time, was invited to decorate the palace.

Variety of styles: The castle has more than 160 rooms, many of which are decorated in different styles, but skilful woodwork is found everywhere. For example, the walls are often covered with richly ornamented walnut panels.

This is my most unforgettable impression of Romania.

Hi Karen,
In Bucharest two attractions stand out for me:

-Palace of Parliament : world's largest administrative building and most expensive
-The Ceausescu Mansion: untouched private residence of the former dictator Nicolae Ceausescu.

BTW I enjoy Romanian food: Sarmale, Mici, great soups, Papanasi (desert)


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Croatia_Guides, thank you for your descriptions of Peles Castle. It is definitely on our sightseeing list.

mendota98, thank you for recommending the Palace of Parliament and the Ceausescu Mansion. And I especially appreciate your food suggestions.

Hi Karen,

I also recommend staying in Pest. I was there 10 years ago. Budapest is one of my favorite cities. I loved going across the river, opposite parliament and watching it as the sun went down. Parliament is beautiful in the different light levels. If you can, schedule a tour of parliament.

For a fun dessert break: https://ruszwurm.hu/en/home/

I haven’t made it to to Romania yet, but researched it a bit thinking I would go in 2020. Peles Castle can have peculiar operating hours so you’ll want to check to make sure it’s open the days you’ll be there. It looks really neat.

I used to work with a Romanian guy and he said the Tranfagarasan highway is a must do!

I will look forward to reading your report. You have a great itinerary!