Eating and Drinking in Cluj

As well as having some interesting sights, Cluj also has something to offer your waist-line. Here are some of the places that we most enjoyed eating and drinking at in Cluj.

NB: We mainly had breakfast/brunch and dinner, generally missing out on lunch.

Breakfast

Roots: Bulevardul Eroilor 4, Cluj – Not only do they do fantastic coffee (in our opinion the best in Cluj), they also do a wide range of breakfast goodies. These are served in a trendy barrel ceilinged establishment, which has really friendly and attentive staff. Situated just off of the main square, this is super convenient for a takeaway brew, or to sit-in and take the weight off your feet.

TIP: – Roots is only a couple of doors away from Tourist Information, so grab some bumpf first, and read it whilst having a coffee!

Eggcetera: Stada Napoca 13, Cluj – Situated near the main square, this eatery is easy to walk by (we did whilst looking for it). Inside it has a chilled vibe, with pistachio colour walls, low wooden tables and stools. Service is prompt, knowledgable, and very friendly – we were even given a free amuse-bouche to cleanse our palettes (something I’ve never had before breakfast). Their signature breakfast ‘the Eggcetera’ was excellent at 24 Lei (£4.53/$5.62)- with two eggs served on toasted sourdough bread, with gorgeous mushrooms, sundried tomatoes, and mashed avocado. Equally good was the pea and salmon concoction on toast, at a similar price.

Dinner

Via: Strada Inocentiu Micu Klein, Cluj – One of our more up-market choices, this restaurant certainly lived up to that billing. Located in a quiet pedestrian area of the old town, Via has an assured charm and sophistication about it, but without being pretentious. We sat in a quiet courtyard on a balmy evening; where the food, ambience, and service were all exemplary. My starter of avocado with lime yoghurt with a grapefruit and tomato salad was light, bright, and full of summer flavours. Sarah opted for the salmon salad, which was packed with flavour. For the main course, I had the seabass fillets with pan-fried okra, whilst Sarah went for the pork tenderloin in an aubergine and artichoke sauce. Both were excellent, and we would highly recommend them.   

Zama: Strada Napoca 16, Cluj – This establishment was recommended by a local and has a strong reputation for serving food that your mother would make (assuming she’s a good cook). They are particularly famed for their soups – we had the potato, beans, and smoked bacon – which was excellent. As was the tomato, vegetables, marjoram, and minced veal. Their cabbage a la Cluj de (cabbage and mince) came in an earthenware dish and was fantastic at 23 Lei (£4.34/$5.38) – especially accompanied with a side of spinach, and grilled vegetables. The layered polenta with goats cheese and bellows cheese at 16 Lei (£3.02/$3.74) – was also good, but was quite heavy on the polenta.

Roata: Strada Alexandru Ciurea 6, Cluj – We came here on our first night, as we were advised it offered the true taste of Romania. What it did offer was certainly very tasty, and extremely filling. We went for the Roata hot sharing platter at 77 Lei for two people (£7.24/$9.02 each) of Romanian food. This was huge and included – sarmale (stuffed cabbage rolls), cabbage a la Cluj, homemade sausages, pork ribs, fried bacon, polenta with cheese, pork crackling, and country-style potatoes. After which we need a lie-down! This is certainly a great intro to the local cuisine and is a very popular place – albeit slightly out of the centre of town (but only by a short walk). Dinner was enhanced by complementary local schnapps, which was both tasty and potent!