Bucharest is not very well known for it’s street food and that’s a pity as especially during the 90’s the city developed a strong expat community from countries such as Turkey, Lebanon or Syria. All this translates today in plenty of street food options.
The Otoman and Balkan influences had a lot to say around the local cuisine, plenty of dishes being inspired from those, but given a local, distinctive taste.
All those make Bucharest a great destination if you love street food. And it’s going to be cheap, tasty and make you feel like a local.
Here are few of the things you must try while in Bucharest:
Try a local shawarma in Bucharest
By far the most popular shawarma is the local favorite. Places that serve it are everywhere around the city and there are already businesses turned into chains and it’s one of the most delivered dishes around the city.
It’s easy to spot a place that serves it due to the meat cone that rotates vertically while roasting. Thin layers of meat are cut and added to a flatbread. There are plenty of ingredients that go into it and you will always be asked to add whatever you prefer from the selection. The flatbread is then rolled to make it easy to eat even while standing.
Locals prefer the chicken shawarma with a bit of everything inside (you can ask “cu de toate”). This means at least 2-3 sauces, fries and plenty of vegetables both fresh and pickled.
Local star of Bucharest: the pretzel
Street food means fast and cheap and we believe it couldn’t be faster and cheaper than those places serving pretzels.
You will find those at almost every street corner tin Bucharest, often with huge queues in front. Locals love the variety of pretzels served and if you’re into more than that, you will find delicious sandwiches and even sliced pizza.
It’s easy to spot one as most have local saint’s names such as: Luca, Petru or Matei.
The Greek Gyros has a place in Bucharest
This Greek response to the Ottoman Shawarma is also a very popular type of street food available in Bucharest.
It requires authentic ingredients, so there are not as many places that will serve it, but the ones that have Gyros are guaranteed to be great ones.
With a limited selection of ingredients it might sound lighter that the shawarma, but that will be up to you to decide.
The usual meat for this is pork (and the pork quality in Romania is very good as plenty is consumed) roasted on the same vertical spinning cone as the shawarma. The flatbread is very different and resembles rather a thin focaccia. Greek tzatziki and a creamy cheese go into it as well as plenty of onion and tomatoes. Fries are usually added in before rolling the flatbread to make it easier to eat.
The Famous local "Mici" as street food
Although you will find “mici” in most traditional restaurants, this is they type of food that was created to be serve a large number of people in a short time.
It’s a close relative to the Balkan cevapi or Ottoman adana, the main difference: it’s mainly made of pork.
Although it might resemble a sausage, it has no membrane and it’s way juicier. It’s always prepared on a barbecue and served with mustard, fries or bread.
There aren’t too many places that serve it street food style, so unless you end up at a local fair, it’s best to try those at Terasa Obor (the biggest producer marker in the city).
Check out our article dedicated to the best places to eat “mici” in Bucharest
Another Balkan gem - "merdenea"
It’s hard to describe the crunchiness and flavour of this very simple, but delicious cheese pastry served as street food since the beginning of the 20th century.
It’s a close relative to the Balkan burek, but got a very specific square shape and it’s filled with plenty of cheese. It’s a must to try it fresh out of the oven and although it might not be so easy to find as the pretzels, we do know the perfect place for an authentic recipe.
This small pastry shop around Piața Amzei serves one of the best “merdenea” in Bucharest.
