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Bucharest Restaurant
Category: Restaurants Modern European Modern European [Edit]
43-45 40th StSunnyside, NY 11104
Neighborhood: Sunnyside
(718) 389-2300
- Nearest Transit:
-
40 St (7)
- Attire:
- Casual
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Wi-Fi:
- Free
- Noise Level:
- Very Loud
- Has TV:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
9 reviews for Bucharest Restaurant
9 reviews in English
-
Review from Stephanie G.
New York, NY
12/31/2011
This place is awesome!
I'd been wanting to check it out for years, but always just walked past. Yesterday I finally took the plunge with my favorite dining companion. We were expecting an authentic experience with sub-par food, compensated for by the music and atmosphere. In reality, there was no music (there WAS a panel lecture, though, that lasted hours!! - but it was all in Romanian) and the food turned out to be delicious.
We started with an appetizer plate of cheese, sausage, cucumber, etc. It was very Mediterranean in flavor and was simple but yummy. Imagine our culture-shock surprise when the waitress (who had tried to speak to us in Romanian already several times, to no avail) silently gave us a plate with a jalapeno (a WHOLE jalapeno...) and a little container of sour cream on it. We were seriously stumped by this one, so we did a little bit of discreet phone research and realized we were supposed to chop it up and mix it with the sour cream into the polenta that would come with the main course.
Sure enough, both main courses came with a side of creamy but bland polenta, just asking for the jalapeno (though it was good and buttery by itself). The stuffed cabbage I got was really nicely seasoned (not bland at all), and so was the "Transylvania Meat" (some kind of pork with lots of paprika... kind of like gyro meat but better).
House wine is $6/glass. Unfortunately, you can't have any Romanian vodka because it appears this place doesn't have a liquor license.
Dessert: I forget the name of what we ordered, but it's described on the menu as cheese-filled pastries with jelly (or something like that). And let me tell you... this was divine. It consisted of 2 jelly-donut-like things with jelly and sweet cheese filling. On top, the pastries were drizzled with something that tasted like a combination of melted cheesecake and Fage Greek yogurt.
Yum. Plus, for a non-Romanian like myself, being in this place felt like leaving New York and entering a new cultural realm (pretty much everyone in there was Romanian, and of course the lecture was in their language). My mind and my taste buds really enjoyed this place. -
Review from Regina S.
KEW GARDEN HL, NY
4/27/2012
The food is decent. I like the sarmale, chicken liver and mititei. The spread platter is decent as well. The few times we've been here, they only seem to have one staff working. So naturally, the service will be slow. But sometimes it's painfully slow that we can't even track the waiter down. The menu is always the same. I wish they'd offer specials once in a while. We tasted the Tuica and you can tell that it is store bought - too bad. They also have live music but it is obnoxiously loud that we are yelling to each other to have a conversation. My husband even pointed out that they are not singing romanian songs. And they never seem to have clatite (crepes) but it is always on the menu.
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Review from V F.
Forest Hills, NY
4/14/2012
Excellent food....greatly recommend the meat plate. And the staff is super nice!
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Review from Chad T.
10/24/2011
We brought 20 people here for a birthday celebration, half of whom came from Moldova. Those of us who know nothing of Romanian culture had a great time, enjoyed the food, the music, and the dancing, but we'll have to take them on their word that this restaurant is authentic. All of them talked about how similar it was to the restaurants back home, and they knew all the words to the songs.
For the quality of the food and the entertainment, you can't beat the value. I think it was roughly $30 per person for the food, plus a $10 corkage fee for wine and $15 for liquor. I highly recommend trying this place sometime if you want an authentic old-world experience. -
Review from Anna A.
Manhattan, NY
5/14/2011
The restaurant is nice, the service is ok. The music is traditional Romanian ( a variation of 70s- to present).
The ambiance and the deco is nice.
The food is very good but I make it better myself at home!! :P ( I am half Romanian).
I recommend it and I give it 4 stars out of 5 stars.
Tip: Try to get info from the waiter about the food before order and be specific when ordering meat plates or etc. ( the way you want you meat cooked; rare, medium, well or well done and etc.).
Romanian cuisine doesn't use much spices or salt ( in some dishes). -
Review from Lanth Y.
Austin, TX
9/3/2011
This is arguably the best restaurant with Romanian profile I've been to in the U.S. Note the comparison is relative to Romanian cuisine.
The food is authentic and the selection is wide. I would have given them five stars if it wasn't for the setting, which is dated, and the background music. -
Review from Min W.
New York, NY
10/10/2009
This was my first time eating Romanian food. I chose this restaurant after a recommendation from my Romanian supervisor. It was delicious. My friend and I shared a Romanian salad, Skinless Romanian Sausage, and Transylvania Meat Dish. All were delicious.
The restaurant has a semi-romantic ambiance with candle lit tables. I did not like the live singer because, at times, it was hard to have a conversation. However, it was homey and cute and the staff was warm and friendly. More importantly, the food was awesomely hearty so I will return. -
Review from Shawn A.
Astoria, NY
5/16/2009
Do you have any Romanian in you?
Would you like to?
If the answer to either of those questions was a yes, than Bucharest is the place for you. And if you found yourself chuckling at that horribly corny old pickup line, then this place is DEFINITELY for you... because believe me, a healthy since of bizarre humor well crank up your enjoyment of the place a hundredfold.
The menu serves a wide array of Romanian specialties (bet you didn't even know there WAS such a thing). Try the Mititei, which are the skinless Romanian sausages. They're delish. Also, indulge that good 'ol sense of humor, and get yourself some Dracula's Blood wine. You'll be surprised how good it actually is. At least compared to the name.
Then there's the entertainment. A 90 something year old (and I think I'm being generous) Romanian singer took the stage and rocked the house. Halfway through her set, my mother turns to me and informs me that they just realized who she is, and that she apparently dated my great uncle way back when. Hilarious.
This place is a real unique spot in New York, and you owe it to yourself to drop on in to take in the insanity. Just be prepared to get stared at, as the clientele is pretty much exclusively Romanian.
I've already got some Romanian in me... but if you want some yourself, Bucharest Restaurant is the place to go.Listed in: First Dibs
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Review from Norman S.
New York, NY
11/18/2010
i wonder if this place is run by the romanian mob. lots of clean cut suited men sitting in the patio out front. look kinda mobbish. they dont bother you though.
food is pretty good. the vegetable appetizer platter is very tasty. all so homey and hearty tasting purees. meats selections are decent. palinca is great but drink it slow.
