What You’ll Experience

We begin at the grand Athenee Palace Intercontinental, one of Bucharest’s historic landmarks, and set off on foot into the city’s culinary soul. Our first stop is a bustling local food market where Romanians have been buying their produce for generations. Here you will taste zacuscă — a smoky roasted vegetable spread that every grandmother makes differently — along with aged cheeses and cured cold meats from the Carpathian highlands.

From there, we dive into the flavors that define Romanian street food. You will try mici — the legendary grilled minced-meat rolls that Romanians are fiercely passionate about — and golden, sesame-crusted covrigi, the local pretzel that fuels every morning commute. We will sit down at a family-run restaurant to taste sarmale, the beloved stuffed cabbage rolls that anchor every Romanian celebration, and learn why this single dish carries centuries of Ottoman, Greek, and Slavic influence in every bite.

The journey continues through hidden courtyards and local neighborhoods to a traditional pastry shop, where flaky, cream-filled eclairs and syrupy cakes reveal Bucharest’s deep connection to French pâtisserie — a legacy of the city’s “Little Paris” era. Along the way, your guide will explain how Romania’s position at the crossroads of empires created a cuisine unlike any other in Europe.

No Romanian food tour would be complete without a proper drink. You will taste țuică — the fiery plum brandy that opens every family meal — or a glass of Romanian wine from one of the oldest wine-producing regions in the world. We pair each tasting with stories of how food connects to Romanian identity, from peasant traditions to the food shortages of the communist era to today’s vibrant restaurant renaissance.

Key Highlights

• 10 tastings across 4 carefully chosen venues — from market stalls to hidden restaurants
• Mici, sarmale, covrigi, zacuscă — Romania’s most iconic dishes, tasted where the locals eat
• Aged cheeses and cured meats from the Carpathian highlands
• French-influenced pastries — eclairs and traditional sweets from a local pâtisserie
• Țuică or wine tasting — Romania’s signature spirits
• Balkan, Ottoman, and French culinary stories told through every bite

Why Book With Us

“The food tour was absolutely incredible! Laura took us to places we would never have found on our own. Every tasting told a story. We left full and completely in love with Romanian food.” — TripAdvisor Review

With over 400 five-star reviews on TripAdvisor and Certificates of Excellence from 2021 to 2024, Bucharest Step by Step is Bucharest’s highest-rated private tour company. Every tour is personal, every guide is local, and every tasting is chosen with love.