Other places in Bucharest

Nothing spectacular in a while, so this is just a gathering of some places we’ve discovered and are worth mentioning.

1. Mexican restaurants:

- El Torito, in the Mosilor area: the waiters are really slow (if you go downstairs in the non-smoking area), the food is OK (except for the guacamole dish, that barely had any avocado in it), the prices are pretty high, but if you’re going once in a while I guess it’s fine.
Over all I would give a 7.5 to El Torito (I would have given an 8 if they would have shown anything else on the plasma TV than B1’s repetitive Powerpoint slides).

- Don Taco, in the Piata Victoriei area: it’s a mix of Mexican and Romanian cuisine, more towards the Romanian part. The service was a little bit better and the prices were a little smaller than at El Torito. I thought the food was not that great, Victor seemed to like it better here. Again, the disappointing guacamole dish that didn’t even resemble the Mexican recipe. But at least the corn chips were tastier (although not free of charge like in the other restaurant). All given, I think I’m going to rate El Taco at a 7 / 10.

2. Karaoke club: Friend’s Pub, in the Piata Muncii area.
A very nice club, pretty large but cozy, situated behind the old Cinema Gloria (without this mark point it is really hard to find).
Fridays are karaoke nights here but even though they are advertised to start at 9pm, expect people starting singing around 10.30 or 11pm. The choice of songs is pretty big (if you don’t mind the same piece written 5-6 times, once with caps, once without, once misspelled, once remixed etc). The good part is that you don’t have to go on the stage to sing, there are wireless mics that you can take at your table if you are shy (or drunk).
The cocktails are yummy and the prices are those from any club (around 15-20 RON). For bigger groups it’s always best to call ahead and reserve a table.
My rating for Friend’s Pub: 8.5 / 10.

3. Lebanese restaurant: Naser, in the Piata Domenii area.


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A small, unpretentious joint with good food and fast serving. Depending on what you’re ordering you’ll find some delicacies or plain dishes (the lentil soup wasn’t that great but the rest of our order was delicious). The best part is that the prices are low, so you can afford to try different stuff until you’ve found your favorite. Going inside you’ll have to pass by their store and I strongly recommend taking some dessert home, the traditional baklava is the best). The cleanliness is not their strong point but it is at a bearable level, no obvious signs of health hazards :)
I am going to rate Naser 9 out of 10, since it’s one of the places I’m sure I’m going to return soon.