The 10 Best Restaurants in Cluj-Napoca

Bujole is the place where you can eat great food in a comfortable home-like environment. Located in the very heart of the city, Bujole is a cosy French restaurant with a unique design and a friendly staff. The menu features onion soup, truffles and artichoke pasta, beef bourgignon, chicken with caramelised vegetables and desserts such as coffee cake and raspberry risotto. Whether you choose to have a great-quality coffee in the morning to start your day, enjoy a French meal for lunch or get together with friends for cocktails and homemade beer in the evening, you won’t go wrong.

How about eating your meal on a suspended terrace? Bricks (M)eating Point is the only terrace in Cluj where you can eat above the Somes River. The venue features a restaurant, terrace and a ‘Wine & Jazz Lounge’. Bricks’ dishes are made with fresh ingredients and are completed by a wide selection of wines. Moreover, in the Wine & Jazz Lounge, you can enjoy live music too. During the week, there is a daily menu for lunch at a reasonable price.

Roata is a traditional restaurant serving Romanian dishes, designed like a traditional house. At Roata, every meal starts with a small glass of plum brandy tuica, the traditional Romanian drink. Drink it just before you start eating and make sure you have a glass of water nearby, as it’s pretty potent! Then, taste the authentic local cuisine: cabbage rolls stuffed with meat (sarmale), polenta with cheese, goulash or cabbage à la Cluj. Leave some space for dessert, as the papanasi (fried pastry filled with cheese and jam) are a must.

One of the most popular terraces in the city during summer, Euphoria Biergarten offers a broad range of dishes influenced by international and Transylvanian cuisine. Perhaps you’d like to try a fancy dish such as duck duo with Porto sauce, or a more traditional one like barbeque pork ribs, you will love the food from the second you see it. And if you have a sweet tooth, try the delicious chocolate soufflé for dessert and order their fresh rose lemonade.

Hidden in one of the pedestrian streets of Cluj and surrounded by the old walls of the medieval citadel, VIA Restaurant has an exceptional location in a baroque palace. As the restaurant is highly appreciated for its exquisite dishes, reservations are advisable. Some of the plates that you can choose from include foie gras and tandoori prawns for starters, shrimp soup, braised ox cheek or duck breast for the main dish and crème brûlée or mojito mousse for dessert.

If there is a word that defines the Casa Maramureseana, that is traditional: traditional meals, traditional decorations and waiters wearing traditional clothing. It’s the perfect place to experience the cuisine from Maramures, one of the few regions of the country where modern technology hasn’t taken over old customs. If you want to follow the maramuresean way of eating, serve a soup before the main dish. Luckily, there are plenty of options, so you will find one that fits your taste. If you’re not sure what to try, just let yourself be surprised by Romanian cuisine!

A culinary paradise for vegetarians and vegans, Samsara FoodHouse offers only vegetarian and raw meals. Purple potatoes and broccoli, curry with lentils and spinach, gazpacho or sushi are just a few examples of what you can order here, which makes even the non-vegetarians want to have their meal at Samsara. Their unique dishes and warm atmosphere make Samsara FoodHouse one of the best restaurants in Cluj.

Located in the central park, Carrousel is a lovely terrace, perfect for enjoying a meal in a laid-back atmosphere. A mix between Romanian, French and Italian cuisine, the restaurant uses mainly local produce for the meals. The location is ideal if you want to have a dinner with friends or just fancy a good glass of wine in the evening. Choose from appetizers, salads, soups, pasta, pizza and meat dishes, and also vegetarian options and a variety of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks.

With a small restaurant and a lovely terrace, Colin’s GastroPub is the place where homemade and local are the two words that best define their cuisine. Located near the central park, the terrace hosts concerts during Jazz in the Park festival. At Colin’s, you can have a full English breakfast, salads made with local vegetables and great Italian food. But if there is something that you should definitely try, it’s their homemade burgers.