Eat · Kiseleff & Herăstrău
Casa Doina
A long-running Romanian restaurant in a villa on Kiseleff, with a garden terrace in summer: traditional dishes — mici, sarmale, tochitură — at sit-down prices, a natural lunch stop after the Village Museum.
- Villa dining room and garden terrace
- Traditional Romanian menu
- Near the Village Museum
- Order: Mici, sarmale, tochitură in a villa garden
- Tables and stools
- Menu with prices on Voykit
Highlights come from Voykit's own data and desk notes, not from reviews. Hover a tag to see its source.
Rules in force · 11Non-EU visitors get 90 days in any rolling 180-day window…Mine-suspected land still exists in Bosnia and Herzegovin…The Palace of the Parliament is visited on a booked guide…Old Town streets are partly pedestrian and cobbled
- Europe ↗Non-EU visitors get 90 days in any rolling 180-day window, counted across all 29 Schengen states together — not per country; the Entry/Exit System now logs each crossing, so an overstay is detected automatically.
- Europe ↗On the first Schengen entry since EES began, non-EU travellers give four fingerprints and a face photo at the border instead of a passport stamp; there is nothing to apply for or pay in advance.
- Balkans ↗Mine-suspected land still exists in Bosnia and Herzegovina and in pockets of Croatia's former front line: outside towns keep to tarmac and waymarked paths, and treat red triangle signs and taped-off fields as absolute.
- Balkans ↗Serbia refuses onward entry to travellers who reached Kosovo from a third country and then try to cross straight into Serbia; route Kosovo–Serbia legs through North Macedonia or Montenegro, or start the loop in Serbia.
- Balkans ↗Hire cars need written permission from the rental company and valid insurance for every country on the line; Kosovo sells its own border insurance and some contracts exclude Albania, Kosovo or Bosnia outright.
- Romania ↗Romania is in the EU and the Schengen area; the EU Entry/Exit System applies to non-EU visitors. Check the official EU and Romanian sources for your passport.
- Romania ↗Drivers need an electronic road vignette (rovinieta) on national roads; rental cars normally include it, but check.
- Romania ↗Brown bears live in the Carpathians and sometimes enter towns and roadsides: never feed or approach them, and follow local warnings.
- Bucharest ↗The Palace of the Parliament is visited on a booked guided tour only: bring your passport or ID card and book ahead on the official site.
- Bucharest ↗Old Town streets are partly pedestrian and cobbled: large suitcases go from the car to the door, never on a walk.
- Bucharest ↗Use a ride-hailing app or a taxi booked by phone; unbooked airport and station taxis overcharge.
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Map & directions
Add your hotel to get directions from it. · stays in this browser; shared with the pocket card.
Plan
Open now, when you can walk in, what to order
Go now?
Open?
Hours not published
Reservations
Reservation advised
Per person
RON 70–1502026 estimate · check
Walk-in windows
A walk-in lunch is only planned as primary when your arrival lands outside the “impossible” window.
Not checked in the last 12 months (no check date on file).
On the ground
How to order, tip and pay, allergies, and booking
Tipping
Sit-down restaurants: about 10%, less than the 15–20% US norm.
Allergies and diets
- AskVegetarian · Ask staff to confirm no meat stock or lard in the base. · say: “Sunt vegetarian/vegetariană.”
- AskVegan · Dairy and egg are common even in vegetarian dishes; ask about both.
- AskHalal · Not certified; ask about pork and alcohol in the specific dish. · say: “Nu mănânc carne de porc.”
- AskGluten-free · Not confirmed; ask about wheat-based sauces, breading and noodles.
Paying
- Check the bread and bread-basket line on the bill — some Bucharest restaurants charge per piece taken.
Booking
- Booking
- Reservation advised
- Reservations
- Taken
- Note
- Recommended for dinner and for a garden table in summer; book by phone or the venue's site.
Not checked in the last 12 months (no check date on file).
Map and nearby
Where this place is, how to get there, and what is around it
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors
Add your hotel to get directions from it. · stays in this browser; shared with the pocket card.
Nearby places
Eat nearby
More detail
Everything else we know about this place
How to order here, in full
How to order here
The order of play at the counter or table, what to say, how much to order and how to pay.
No shared language? Point at the dish or a photo of it. For a printed menu, translate a photo of it.
What to say
| In English | Say or show | Sounds like |
|---|---|---|
| Good day | Bună ziua | BOO-na ZEE-wa |
| How much is it? | Cât costă? | kuht KOHS-tuh |
| The bill, please | Nota, vă rog | NOH-ta vuh rohg |
| Thank you | Mulțumesc | mool-tsoo-MESK |
| Delicious | Delicios | deh-lee-CHOHS |
| Excuse me | Scuzați-mă | skoo-ZAHTS-uh-muh |
| Goodbye | La revedere | la reh-veh-DEH-reh |
Paying and tipping
Sit-down restaurants: about 10%, less than the 15–20% US norm.
- Check the bread and bread-basket line on the bill — some Bucharest restaurants charge per piece taken.
- Tipping: Round up or leave about 10% in restaurants if service is not included; not expected at cafés for a coffee.
At the table
- Ask for the bread-basket price before eating it: some Old Town restaurants charge per piece.
- Prices are on the menu; there is no street-food haggling culture like a market.
Paying, diet and allergies
Diet and allergies
Yes means there is something for you; ask means possible with care; no means go elsewhere.
- Vegetarianask
Ask staff to confirm no meat stock or lard in the base.
Show: Sunt vegetarian/vegetariană.
- Veganask
Dairy and egg are common even in vegetarian dishes; ask about both.
- Halalask
Not certified; ask about pork and alcohol in the specific dish.
Show: Nu mănânc carne de porc.
- Gluten-freeask
Not confirmed; ask about wheat-based sauces, breading and noodles.
What is in the dishes
- Mici (grilled minced-meat rolls)wheat
- Sarmale (cabbage rolls with pork and rice)dairy · pork
- Tochitură (pork stew with polenta and a fried egg)egg · pork
Read from the menu names and notes; recipes vary and cross-contact is not tested. Check with the kitchen.
Who it suits, booking and the kitchen
Who it suits, booking, closures
- Dress code
- Smart-casual; no strict dress code.
Show the kitchen
Tap a need to get a large screen you can hold up to staff. The wording is the guide’s; a helper who reads the language should confirm it if your allergy is serious.
Comfort, facts and cons
Hygiene and comfort
- Restrooms
- Restroom on site · accessible restroom: check
- Seating
- Tables and stools
- Kids
- kids' menu: unknown · stroller: ok · The garden terrace gives kids room to move; ask about a children's portion
- Access
- step-free: partial · Ground-floor dining room; the garden is flat
Facts
- Reservations
- Taken — Recommended for dinner and for a garden table in summer; book by phone or the venue's site.
- Capabilities
- food · seated_rest · toilet
- Getting there
- Șoseaua Kiseleff, near the Village Museum and Arcul de Triumf · ~6 min walk
Cons
- Tour groups and set menus at peak lunch; the garden fills fast in good weather.
- Some dishes lean heavy and salty — pace yourself if eating a full three courses.
Dish glossary
| On the menu | What it is | Order it how |
|---|---|---|
| Mici | Grilled rolls of minced beef, pork and lamb with garlic and spices, no casing. | Order by the piece, usually in fives; mustard is the classic side. |
| Sarmale | Cabbage or vine leaves stuffed with minced pork and rice, simmered slowly. | Comes with polenta and sour cream; a full meal on its own. |
| Mămăligă | Polenta, the standard starch side for stews and sarmale. | Usually included with the main; ask if you want extra. |
| Țuică | Plum brandy, served as a shot before or with the meal. | Optional; ask for the house version if unsure of strength. |
Price check
- locals pay
- A full sit-down meal with a starter, main and a drink runs about RON 90–150 (2026 estimate).
- tourist price
- Prices are posted on the menu; no bargaining culture in restaurants.
- rule
- Check the bread and bread-basket line on the bill — some Bucharest restaurants charge per piece taken.
Deep dive
Questions, alternatives, and where our facts come from
Questions and answers
Questions and answers
Is it good for a first Romanian meal?
Yes — a wide traditional menu with English translations and a garden in summer.
Checked 2026-09-28 · Voykit desk
Do I need to book?
Recommended for dinner and for garden seating; lunch on a weekday is usually walk-in.
Checked 2026-09-28 · Voykit desk
Is it far from the centre?
About 15–20 minutes by car or metro from the Old Town; easiest paired with a Herăstrău or Village Museum morning.
If it is closed or full
All places to eat in Bucharest, with filters →
Used as a seated rest node in Bucharest in 4 days.
Sources
- officialRomania Tourism (official)
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Source: Price per person
Draft
Written from desk research. Not yet compared with the official source.
Prices are 2026 estimates from the menu or the price line on file. Check on the day.
Source: Opening hours
Source: Best time
Draft
Written from desk research. Not yet compared with the official source.
No official source is recorded for this figure.
The easiest walk-in window or the quietest hour in this guide. Crowd levels are desk estimates, not counts.