This place lists its cuisine as "Modern European", and although this is the first I've heard of such a term, I would have to say it's an apt description. Â The food here is easily between a four and a five, and they deliver, easily pushing into the coveted 5-star range.
On the most recent occasion, I had the Braised Short Rib Goulash, Pork Schnitzel, and House Salad. The first two came in rather large portions, but I honestly can't remember the House Salad, but who decides on where they're gonna eat (or even how they are going to rate) based on the House salad. Â The Braised Short Rib Goulash was delicious and obviously with the added benefit of being the first time I've eaten said combination. Â The Schnitzel was prepared with bacon and a horseradish spaetzle, and that was exactly as delicious as it sounds.
Very friendly establishment. Very good food. The saganaki was well flamed and not salty as some restaurants serve. The chicken schnitzel was great, as was the spaetzle that came with it. The tomato chutney stuff less so. Our co-diners raved about the duck and called it decadent. The chocolate cupcake was tasty.
We had no problem using the check-in with Yelp coupon even after our server rang up the whole bill.
This is not the only review to mention the fact that you feel as if you've taken a trip to Europe when you come here -- and that's a very good thing. Flavorful, hearty food fit for a snowy night on the tundra, very kind and energetic service, crazy Romanian wines (a touch offbeat but really tasty!), and a slightly campy but pleasing keyboard player doing 'Girl from Ipanema' and such. I liked the moderate (though not scant) portion sizes and loved our veg and meatball soup, the tangy tomato salad, the beautifully sauced, tender cabbage rolls, the schnitzel, the cinnamony apple strudel -- and the braised shortrib goulash made me very glad. The prices aren't the lowest, but the quality of the food is certainly right at the top for neighborhood ethnic places. We'll be back.
Review Source:Delicious Romanian food. We had the Flaming Cheese for an appetizer, a fresh roasted pepper salad, skirt steak (2 thumbs up) and very delicious homemade Stuffed cabbage. Â Had a great experience at Little Bucharest Bistro. The owner & waiter were very nice. Great service. Live music. Definitely will return to this place.
Review Source:This place is awesome! Booked a reservation for ten as a package deal. The deal came with a Limo that picked us up from our place and delivered us back home. The food is really good. We ordered delivery a few days later and that was also really good. Plenty of stuff for vegetarians and non vegetarians. I had the stuffed cabbage and it was great, salads and soups are great too. Check this place out, its really weird and really good.
Review Source:Just went here for the second time and it is becoming my new favorite restaurant in the neighborhood. This time I came with my whole family and the service was extremely warm and friendly, and the food was as excellent as the first time I ate here. The owner is so hands on - lighting saganaki on fire, clearing plates, and giving customers handshakes and hugs. And tonight there was live music to boot. It is such a great environment and we will definitely be back.
Review Source:There were some really positive aspects and some significant negative aspects of our dinner at the Little Bucharest Bistro.
Good: The food was hearty, delicious, and fitting for a cold, winter evening. A grandma might say it'll put some meat on your bones, and you'll definitely sleep well after the meal. Â We got the braised short rib goulash, the veal paprikash, and the mititei sausages. Â The paprikash was by far our favorite, with the thickly prepared polenta topped with paprika sour cream and a flavorful gravy veal sauce. The mititei sausages were a bit run of the mill and the goulash was a nice veggie-blend taste, but it wasn't as distinct as the paprikash dish. Â All of the food was satisfying and most of it was very distinctive.
Also good: our waiter was very friendly and he had a welcoming spiel on the house specialties and wine options. Our food came out quickly (things are very quiet here on Wednesday nights), and he checked in with us regularly.
Bad: The restaurant is apparently unaware of the existence of the yelp deal and they didn't know how to redeem it in non-paper form. Â As instructed on the yelp deal site, we had the deal voucher on our cell phone, but when we presented it to the staff, they were very hesitant to accept it without a printout. They also said they knew about groupon deals, but had not heard anything about yelp deals. Â There was an awkward but polite exchange where I showed them their restaurant's yelp page, then the link to their yelp deal, then I again showed them my deal voucher and redemption code in the top right corner. They remained hesitant to accept it but eventually called the manager by phone and had me print it out at their restaurant computer. It put a bit of a dent in the evening, and our meal still came out to nearly $100 (a bit high for 2 dinners and an appetizer in such a remote location).
That's the other negative about the Little Bucharest Bistro: it's significantly more expensive than comparable ethnic restaurants outside the city center. Unfortunately, with so many great ethnic food options in Chicago, you might as well go somewhere else and avoid these issues.
In sum, it was tasty food and nice service until the yelp deal came into play. The management needs to get its act together on the yelp deals, and they should reexamine their prices.
STAY AWAY!!!!!!!
It was my boyfriend and I's special Christmas dinner (on the 22nd) and with a new puppy, we couldn't go out, so I decided to order in something fancy.
At 20 dollars an entree, I thought this would be.
Nope.
The food arrived late, and cold. The portions were RIDICULOUSLY SMALL. Like, unreal. It looked like someone had already eaten 80% of it.
Food wasn't even good, wasn't what I expected either.
It came with a 'free' salad, which was soggy and dripping with a pool of dressing, like some kind of dressing soup. The dressing was delicious, but extremely overpowering.
The ''romanian buttercream cake' was pretty damn bad. Cold, bland, stale. Not what I expected from a seven dollar piece of cake.
All in all, this was a really terrible meal, just awful, and having spent 30 dollars + delivery and tip on it, I just want my freaking money back.
This place was awesome! Came here with a few friends on a whim a few days after New Year's. We only had five in our party, but they gave us the free limo pickup anyway (we were supposed to have six to get this service). Had a beer in a moving vehicle for the first time.
All of the food I tried was delicious. The borscht was a little different, more cabbage than beets, and the beets were shredded, but it still had a very nice flavor. For an appetizer we had to have the Saganaki Oppa! which was set on fire at the table. Very tasty.
My boyfriend ordered the stuffed cabbage and I got the duck thighs with rum sauce and mushrooms - both were amazing. It sounded like the others were also impressed with their food. With barely enough room for dessert, bf and I decided to split a chocolate ganache torte. Perhaps not a traditional Romanian dessert, but still - who could resist. Melt-in-your-mouth dark chocolate, raspberry sauce...yeah.
Speaking of things happening in mouths. Our party was treated to the (apparently infamous!) pouring of shots directly into our faces. I went first, and since I hadn't read anything about this place, I was pleasantly surprised! I wasn't sure what he was going to do to me if I closed my eyes. Free liquor is always appreciated, and this was strong stuff that really warms up your throat.
I think this place is definitely a great special occasion spot. It is not cheap, but you can really have a lot of fun for the price if you are willing to try some new things. And...did I mention the food?
I can't say enough about this place. YOU DO NOT FEEL LIKE YOU'RE IN CHICAGO once inside. The atmosphere is outstanding, Bronko and his staff couldn't be friendlier, the live music is great and the food is AWESOME!
The fresh bread is homemade and warm when brought to the table. The smoked salmon appetizer was a perfect mix of salmon and stuff (sorry, I'm not a food critic), the Romanian skirt steak I had was perfect and the apple strudel topped off the perfect evening. They were out of Romanian beer because they said they drank it all on New Years Eve, so I had the something like That Old No. 39 Stout; it was very good.
My wife had the Vegetarian Goulash; outstanding!
Oh and I'll be up for two days because of the very tasty Romanian coffee I tried. :)
And we used a Groupon; $30 for $15. They had no issues whatsoever with the Groupon. The staff was very attentive and Bronko the owner stopped by our table at least 3 times during dinner and then when we were getting up to help us with our coats and kiss my wife's hand (she really enjoyed that; a bit too much).
We actually just got home and I specifically signed up for Yelp just to review this place because I was so impressed; this is my first review.
Thank you Bronko; we will be back.
John & Anna
Came here on a Monday night because my friend had a Groupon and ordered a ton of catering. The food was delicious and our waitress was really knowledgeable.
It was my first time eating Romanian food and found it to be a mixture of Greek and Russian. They had saganaki as well as stuffed cabbage but the taste was different. Their borscht soup was spectacular! I grew up eating homecooked Russian food and I can say that their soup is right on par!
The owner came by and was super welcoming. He even went to the kitchen and made a special tomato sauce for us to take home!
Great experience. Will dine again to try the desserts!
Let me start out with the good. The food was absolutely delicious.... Now, ponder this for a second, because these 2 lines is all you are going to get.
The service was really bad. This was our second visit to this restaurant. The first time around, I brought in a <a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2FRestaurant.com&s=0aab4cbd731f3d3b0d1453050d3abc56a8c80bd214e25469c7555b750dca8a51" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://Restaurant.com</a> coupon. The owner looked at the coupon and told me that he wasn't going to honor it. If that wasn't enough he was raising his voice and was rude to us. We left.
We came back last week, because this place was the only one open late. After buying a $15 for $30 coupon on Yelp, and ordering our food, I could not believe I was still sitting there... The owner used profanity at our table, ignored us for 5 minutes in the middle of taking our order, while talking to some people, and even went as far as "charging me" Â with "trying to order the minimum to fit into the $30 Yelp coupon", even thou we ordered for more. Is this the type of behavior you want to see from your waiter, let alone a restaurant owner?
I'm never coming back...
I was completely blown away by Little Bucharest. Â Everything from the friendliness of the staff, the cute little kitchen that is host to one woman who does everything, to the amazing food, i could not recommend this place enough. Â I went with a Groupon, but will be back many times over. Â My ONLY complaint is that it isn't all that close to me and thus, not all that east to get to. Â With that said, it is right of the expressway and the food alone is worth a visit.
For my complete review, please check out my blog post at: <a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Fyoungfoodies.com%2Frestaurant-reviewlittle-bucharest%2F&s=c770f45e7ece430270a55d11849a276e6e0138997778e91f38ce4b30be78724f" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://youngfoodies.com/…</a>
I loved this place so much that I had to bring my parents during their recent visit.
I am now convinced that the short rib goulash is one of the greatest dishes on earth. Â Blissful. Â Indescribable.
I also got to try the calamari (pretty standard but enhanced by the paprika aioli), the vinete eggplant spread (essentially Romanian baba ghannouj, very good), and the salata de varza (basically a kind of cole slaw, pretty good), as well as my mom's leftover stuffed chicken thigh (as great as I remembered, even two days later).
My entree decision will always begin and end with the goulash and chicken thigh, but if you want to see some additional options, ask for the Romanian menu. Â There is some overlap, but it features many items which the regular menu does not. Â My semi-vegetarian wife found some satisfying choices among the soups and salads on the Romanian menu.
Service was very good again, although Branko was not in the restaurant until later. Â The two servers attended to the entire restaurant with alacrity and good cheer, including a very large party of birthday-partying Romanians. Â Branko came in later and came right over to them as if he knows them (I assume that he does) but he still made time to greet our table twice within about five minutes. Â He shook our hands, introduced himself, and asked how our dinners had been. Â I'm glad that he came in before we left, so that my folks got a taste of what makes this place special--besides the incredible food, of course.
The food was pretty good!
We started with the saganaki, babaganoush, and salad. all were tasty. I had the romanian sausage with fried potatos. The sausage was good but it was too soft.
This place is perfect for dates.
The only things that I didnt like was our waitress wasnt attentive on refilling the water and this "suggestion" for 18% gratuity on groupons or other discounts. You cant make a suggestion when your staff clearly didnt earn it!
Fantastic experience. We took advantage of the free limo ride last night. Branko was very accommodating with our group. The food was ridiculously delish.
Best meal I've had out in a long time:
Pork Schnitzel - Lightly breaded served with horseradish spetzle, bacon, spinach, and red pepper coulis.
I live in the burbs, and I can't wait to come down and try some other things on the menu.
Branko's wife was very fun. talked with her at the kitchen window for a while. Very sweat and a hell of a chef.
I have to give Little Bucharest 5 stars because the owner, Branko, is an absolute class act. My wife and I were planning to dine here for our 3-year anniversary, but naturally we chose Tuesday for our date -- the one night each week when Little Bucharest is closed.
The restaurant was locked up when we stopped by. I peeked through the window and was ready to head back to the car when Branko opened the door and walked out onto the sidewalk. Before I could say anything, he shook my hand warmly and apologized for being closed. No big deal, I said. It was my mistake for not calling ahead or checking the website.
I mentioned that it was our anniversary, and Branko broke into a big smile. He insisted that we follow him inside and enjoy a glass of wine on the house.
We were both taken aback by his generous offer of hospitality. I looked through the doors and saw a laptop and a sheaf of papers at the bar -- he was clearly doing paperwork during the one non-busy day in his week. But again, he insisted.
We followed him inside and he sat us down right by the window -- nevermind the headaches that might be caused by having the two of us drinking and laughing where passersby might see us and wonder if the place was open. Branko turned on the lights and fired up the music system and brought us out two glasses of white wine. Then he quietly returned to his paperwork, leaving us to enjoy our glass of wine.
He was the consummate host the entire time, and he firmly refused my attempt to pay for our wine on our way out (had to try, right?). His exact quote was: "Two free glasses of wine aren't going to make me poor." Of course, we resolved to come back on a non-Tuesday to actually dine at the restaurant. But as far as first impressions go, Little Bucharest was extraordinary.
I loved this restaurant. Â A group of friends and I make a point of trying new cuisines every few weeks, and picked this place based on customer reviews we'd read. Â The waitstaff was friendly, the courses were delicious, and even though I was stuffed I forced myself to try their amazing chocolate crepe dessert. Â As mentioned by other reviewers the owner is super friendly, which I thought only added to Little Bucharest's charm. Â He even offered to let us sample their "holy water"; I won't spoil the surprise but try it if you get the chance!
Review Source:I'm writing this review for basically just one dish that I keep ordering through GrubHub. Â I have never been to the Bistro in person. Â I'm one of those people who pick one dish and stick to it. Â I ordered their Veal Paprikash and it was sooooooooo delish. Â If you order delivery, they always send some bread too, which goes so well with the meat. Â I always feel bad and guilty about eating veal, but it's just so tasty. Â The meat is perfectly cooked. Â You don't even need a knife. Â The Polenta is very tasty, and the dash of sour cream adds to the richness of the tomato-y sauce. Â I definitely recommend it.
Review Source:A friend of mine from out of town loves the Romanian culture and he found this place. I couldn't be happier that we came here. The owner was interactive and friendly. I sat at their new bar and the owner gave me a shot of Palinka (Romanian Brandy) for free which is delicious by the way.
My friend and I wanted to try several of the meals so we split them. We got 4 appetizers and 4 full meals. All the food was delicious. From the smoked salmon, duck, beef stew, steak, stuffed cabbage and more. This was some of the best tasting food I've ever had. Good sized portions as well.
We tried some Romanian beer, liquor and wine. All was wonderful and they also carry an ecletic range of domestic and import spirits.
There are new servers, a new bar, and they are going to start bring in artists and performers on a weekly basis. I'll definitely be going again. Depending on the time of day you want to go here it caters to many crowds.
I also read that this place doesn't have a TV. Maybe it didn't used to but it does now. It's a nice HDTV in the bar area.
One of my favorite places to go in Chicago! The owner is funny, accomodating and very personable.
The staff are very friendly and very knowledgeable of the menu. A couple of our friends were not sure what to order and the staff did a great job with recommendations.
The owner came over several times to chat and joke around with us and at one point gave us all a free shot!
The 8 of us each ordered something different and shared it family style and there was not one complaint about the food. Everything was delicious!
It is definitely a restaurant to experience!
I haven't written a yelp review in a long time, but I had such a wonderful time at Little Bucharest Bistro last night, I had to write about. Â ...Except that everyone has already said all of the things that I really wanted to say, but I will reiterate.
I actually found the restaurant from a deal on <a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2FSavored.com&s=af77ae64c0b4a092c6b68f53397d883f7b32981181c3a9af10097e79e2b8b5a2" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://Savored.com</a>. Â Boyfriend and I weren't sure what to expect from Romanian cuisine, but we glanced at the menu before we left and then wikipedia'd a bunch of stuff about Romania on the car ride over. Â We're not picky eaters and love a new food adventure and we were not disappointed.
We ordered the roasted red pepper appetizer - I highly recommend this. Â It was simply devine. Â I used the bread that came with to soak up every last bit of seasoning.
Boyfriend ordered the chicken thighs and I got the goulash. Â The portions were plenty and the flavors were really great. Â Again, not being really familiar with Romanian cuisine, it felt like a perfect blend of Mediterranean and German - hearty but not heavy, simple but not bland.
When we arrived it was pretty empty, but there was an enthusiastic guitar and violin duo serenading the other table. The ambiance was just lovely, I felt like I was in a bygone era. Â This is what REALLY sold this place for me. Â The owner and entertainers were so genuinely enjoying themselves it was impossible to not share their enthusiasm. Â The musicians played some polka and another table got up to dance, when another table arrived we found out the woman in the group had a beautiful singing voice. Â I was laughing and clapping the whole night. Â I just haven't had such a wonderful experience in long time, it was really fun.
Finally, since we had a savored deal, which is relatively uncommon, it did take them a bit to figure out the schematics of the discount, but the owner was so kind and apologetic that we didn't mind sticking around a little bit longer because we felt his service was so good.
We went as a date, but I cannot wait to bring back a large group of friends to share in this wonderful experience!
The food here is just wonderful.
We started with the saganaki, which was both fun to watch and delicious. We ate it with the fresh, warm french bread at our table. Yum.
I had the kataifi wrapped shrimp. I asked what kataifi was before ordering, and it's basically like a super thin noodle of puff pastry. Whole grilled shrimp were wrapped in the stuff, and it had both a texture and flavor I'd never experienced before. It was really good, as was the garlic and spinach couscous served with it.
My husband had the sausage stuffed chicken thigh. I had a taste, and it was really good too. The portion size was generous (both were, actually), and the blend of the creamy polenta and sweet tomato sauce was delicious. I did think the chicken-sausage ratio was little off (much more chicken than sausage), but that was the only knock against the food all night.
We had a Blackboard Eats coupon code which gave us 30% off the bill. We had no issues with the discount itself, but how they added the 30% was a little odd. They totaled everything (meal and tax), Â added an 18% gratuity, then took 30% of that total amount.. A little weird, but it wasn't a deal breaker.
I would have given 5 stars, but the emptiness of the dining room was a little off-putting. For most of our meal (on a Friday evening), we were the only ones in the whole restaurant. Another couple arrived as our check was brought to us, but it was a little weird being the only ones there.
Also, I thought their prices were a bit steep. All things totaled, we paid about $45 for an appetizer, 2 entrees, and a beer. And that was after the 30% off. Definitely buy the yelp or some other deal before you head here.
They don't have a private parking lot or anything, but we had no trouble parking directly on Elston, and as a bonus, it was free to park (no annoying parking meters there). When we left, Elston was getting pretty full, but parking should still have been easy as the side streets don't require parking permits.
On our way out, we noticed a cute little outdoor eating area. They wisely chose to put it on the side street, rather than Elston. We weren't offered the outdoor area when we were seated, odd, since we were the only ones there, but with the Chicago humidity running high, I didn't miss it.
Used the yelp deal to go for dinner last night and had a great experience. Â It was a nice evening so most of their patrons were sitting outside, which made the inside rather empty. Â But, it made for a lot of individual attention and rather entertaining conversation with the very friendly and lively owner.
Our party of three started with saganaki, which was fantastic, and we ordered the sausage stuffed chicken thighs, stuffed cabbage, and short rib goulash. Â Each of us thoroughly enjoyed our meal. Â Meat was very tender and everything well seasoned.
We enjoy supporting local and family businesses. Â This one is definitely worth a visit!
We had a Groupon for this place and decided to use their on-line reservation system. Â I made a reservation but accidentally hit Monday the 11th and we couldn't make it then. Â I went back in to the system and found I couldn't change it. Â So, I made a reservation for Tuesday the 12th. Â I got a confirmation e-mail from the restaurant for Tuesday the 12th (This will be important to remember later on). Â I then went and contacted the restaurant through their e-mail and told them about the double booking and could they please cancel the Monday night reservation. Â I did not hear back from them so assumed all was well.
Tonight, we decided to make a nice night of it, got dressed, took a $14 cab ride over there, got out of the cab, paid the driver, he took off, walked over to the door to discover that they are closed on Tuesday nights. Â Even though their on-line reservation system accepts reservations on a Tuesday night and sends you an e-mail confirmation confirming your reservation on a Tuesday night, they are CLOSED on a Tuesday night. Â Not a way to run your business. Â Don't do on-line reservations if you can't do them properly. Â No point in us ever returning here again.
Thank God Chief O'Neils was down the street so we could still have a good dinner.
The owner of this restaurant was awesome!!! Â
The food was great!!!! It was hot and fast!!
I would recommend everything i ordered! which is the following...
*you get a complementary basket of french bread (its so good and soft)
Appetizers:
-Bruschetta (if you love tomato, you will get plenty!)
-Saganaki Oppa! (make sure to have your camera ready to take a Picture!)
-Mussels (i got the spice sauce with them, and it was a large quantity of mussels, totally worth the price!)
Entree:
-Chicken Schnitzel
I RATE THIS RESTAURANT A 5 STAR! THE OWNER WAS JUST SO NICE AND WELCOMING! MADE ME FEEL LIKE WE WERE FAMILY!!! OR LIKE HE KNEW ME!
I JUST HAD TO LOVE THE OWNER!
The only problem was the waitress; she wasn't welcoming or didn't even give me one smile throughout the whole time i was there. But like i said the OWNER i give him a 5 STAR, every time he came around and asked how we were doing, he made me forget about the waitress.
I would totally recommend this Restaurant! Try it! Its something different and unique!
I loved this place!!! Had dinner here with my sister earlier today and felt in love.
-What I mainly loved was the service the owner provided. I have never connected in such level with the owner of the restaurant like I did with him. He made us feel as we were his nieces and family. He blessed us (with a shot of european liquor) and hugged us goodbye.
-The food was well portioned and good. For appetizers we had the Saganaki Oppa! (make sure you have your camera ready to capture the flame), Bruschetta, and the Mussels; and for entree we had the Chicken Schnitzel, all was delicious. We received everything in a fast manner.
-There was live music, soft jazz.
- :( The only negative I have to say is the waitress was horrible. The owner was more attentive and precise than the waitress. Needless to say she did not receive a tip from us.
-The service (aside from the waitress), the food and the atmosphere was amazing. We'll be coming back :)
The owner of this restaurant was awesome!!! Â
The food was great!!!! It was hot and fast!!
I would recommend everything i ordered! which is the following...
*you get a complementary basket of french bread (its so good and soft)
Appetizers:
-Bruschetta (if you love tomato, you will get plenty!)
-Saganaki Oppa! (make sure to have your camera ready to take a Picture!)
-Mussels (i got the spice sauce with them, and it was a large quantity of mussels, totally worth the price!)
Entree:
-Chicken Schnitzel
I RATE THIS RESTAURANT A 5 STAR! THE OWNER WAS JUST SO NICE AND WELCOMING! MADE ME FEEL LIKE WE WERE FAMILY!!! OR LIKE HE KNEW ME!
I JUST HAD TO LOVE THE OWNER!
The only problem was the waitress; she wasn't welcoming or didn't even give me one smile throughout the whole time i was there. But like i said the OWNER i give him a 5 STAR, every time he came around and asked how we were doing, he made me forget about the waitress.
I would totally recommend this Restaurant! Try it! Its something different and unique!
Things I loved about Little Bucharest:
- The atmosphere was welcoming and warm.
- Absolutely, hands down, the most delicious borscht I've ever had. Â It was tangy and sweet at the same time, and little bread crumbs on top made it a filling soup.
- The sausage appetizer with fried polenta was excellent.
Not so great:
- Wine and drink pours were pretty teeny. Â I don't think I got a full 5 oz of the house red in my glass.
- The entrees were overpriced. Â Thank God we had the Groupon because three drinks, an appetizer, a soup and one shared entree ended up costing us $80!
- Â The restaurant automatically charged the tip, which seems to be a trend with Groupon users. Â I'm not loving that. Â I almost always add at 20% tip for service anyway, because I know how much work it is, but I don't like it being forced on me with a dinner for two.
- The stuffed chicken thigh, which was "required ordering" since they won a Time Out award for it a few years back, did not wow me. Â I found the chicken and polenta to be too mushy, and the tomato sauce to taste generic, almost like Pace Picante salsa! Â It was a little disappointing.
I loved this place so much, that I went there twice in one day! Â HA... just coincidence really. Â But my friend was performing here and so my boyfriend and I went to check out the food. Â Unfortunately she was late and we had another performance to attend at a nearby theater. Â After we saw the show we came back for more martinis! Â We ended up drinking them out of vermouth so in the interum of them getting more they gave us this crazy liqueur on the house.
In all the madness that ensued, my boyfriend and I had delectable food with incredible mood lighting and FLAMING CHEESE! Â There's a free spirit and warmth to this place that makes everything incredibly tasty, fresh and the owner is by far one of my favorites in the city. Â Here's that yelp review I promised you almost a year ago! Â 5 stars for a restaurant that thrives on service and deliciousness.
I actually quite enjoyed the food at Little Bucharest Bistro recently but it was a bit more pricey than i thought its worth so I dinged it for a star for that
my fiance and i shared the saganaki and borscht soup for appetizers and they were both good (bread on the other hand was only ok)
for entrees, i had the veal paprikash and he had the short rib goulash and we both agreed mine was better
we were so stuffed that we didn't get any dessert
although we were one of the only customers there that evening, the server made us feel very much at home
if i am in the neighborhood again i probably will go back but probably not going to make a special trip out of it
I've wavered back an forth on this review for awhile - for me Little Bucharest is between three and four stars. Â I finally settled on three; I'd definitely go back to Little Bucharest, but I have some definite hesitations.
I first went to LBB a few months ago for dinner with a girlfriend. (Free) parking was a snap, which is always  awesome.  This was a weeknight so the restaurant was fairly empty and quiet.  We started with the eggplant spread which is absolutely delicious - I highly recommend.  For a main I had the chicken schnitzel even though I realize it's not Romanian.  The spaetzle that is served with it was awesome, but the schnitzel itself was pretty pedestrian.  I thought that at $18 the dish was overpriced.  We also tried a dessert (can't remember which, helpful, I know) that my friend and I agreed was great.  Overall we were both of the same opinion that our appetizers and dessert were far more impressive than our main dishes.  We had some sort of Groupon, but even with that I thought the meal expensive.
Flash forward to a recent Friday night and a large group of my friends and I find ourselves at LBB for dinner. Â Parking was again easy but there were far more patrons and the owner (he of the shot in the mouth pouring fame) was there. Â We started with the mititei sausages (meh - very skippable) and saganaki (great, but when is it not?). Â I also ordered a caipirinha cocktail which was delicious. The owner stopped by my table to ask how the drink was and then tasted my drink (using a different straw) to be sure he put alcohol in it (he had). Â He then asked if I wanted more booze in it. Â Um...yes? Â So far so good! Â For a main this time I ordered the veal paprikash. Â This was immeasurably better than the schnitzel. Â I would return to LBB for this dish alone. Â I will say, though, that at the end of this meal (again with coupons) I still felt LBB was a little overpriced. Â
Then came the time for after dinner shots. Â The owner came around pouring shots in people's mouths. Â In theory, awesome. Â In practice...uncomfortable. Â As he was pouring he was making sexual jokes with all of us and was being very hands on. Â I don't love strangers touching me and I just found the whole exchange unpleasant. Â Lest you all think I'm some kind of up tight prude, note my review for burlesque lessons. Â I'm all for fun, but this was just kind of icky. Â It also set me on edge - I was actively looking over my shoulder waiting for him to reappear (he did - and was able to physically push my chair from my table before I was able to tell him I had to drive and didn't want to drink anymore). Â
I think my friends actually really enjoyed the owner so this is definitely a your mileage may vary, personal preference sort of thing. Â Overall, LBB has good food (and great veal) but the price point is high (hence the constant coupons/deals) and the owner may not be to everyone's taste.
Started with probably the best bread I've ever had...Warm, fresh-baked and fluffy. Â It was memorable (to say the least.) Â The waitress was cheerful and on-the-ball. The decor is fun and kitschy / touristy -- feels like you're in a remodeled restaurant in Europe. Â
Unfortunately the rest left something to be desired. The specialty chicken stuffed with sausage was truly average, and I could live without it for the rest of my life. It tasted like stale chicken from Jewel. Â It was traumatically 'blah'. Â And the place isn't cheap. (Even with the yelp deal.)
Keep in mind, Romanian wine in general isn't very memorable, either. So I'd go for beer.
Hugh?? Â There's only one baby chair for the whole restaurant? Â Well we just happen to have a spare in the car so we were able to eat here but that's pretty lame for a family restaurant. Â Note to management: Â this is a stupid way to lose customers in a bad economy.
The wine was just terrible. Â We started with some Romanian varieties and had to send them back. Â They tasted corked. Â Then we tried the Argentina Malbec (I think?) and it was very watery and sweet. Â Kind of tasted like grape juice. Â Finally the French Merlot was indistinguishable from the Romanian. Â I had to question the waiter to see if he didn't make a mistake. Â Do yourself a favor and stick to the wonderful eastern European beers on the menu. Â
The food and service were excellent. Â I had the veal paprikash which had the most tender veal I've ever had with a very nice paprika brown gravy and some tasty polenta. Â My wife had the sausage stuffed chicken and that was also excellent.
I would definitely go back to try some more of their delicacies. I will just not bother with their awful wine choices next time.
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