Eat · Calea Victoriei & Revolution Square
Lacrimi și Sfinți
A modern Romanian bistro near Cișmigiu, reworking village dishes (polenta, offal, pickles) into a small-plates dinner menu: book ahead for dinner, a good change from the Old Town beer-hall style.
- Modern take on village dishes
- Small-plates format
- Near Cișmigiu
- Order: Modern small plates on traditional ingredients
- Table seating
- Book ahead
- 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
Reserve ahead
Per person
RON 100–2002026 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.
- AskGluten-free · Not confirmed; ask about wheat-based sauces, breading and noodles.
Paying
- Ask the server how many plates per person is typical before over-ordering.
Booking
- Booking
- Reserve ahead
- Reservations
- Taken
- Note
- Book ahead for dinner, especially weekends; lunch is more often walk-in.
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.
- Ask the server how many plates per person is typical before over-ordering.
- 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.
- Gluten-freeask
Not confirmed; ask about wheat-based sauces, breading and noodles.
What is in the dishes
- Polenta with cheese and sour creamdairy
- Slow-cooked pork mainpork
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.
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
- Chairs at tables
- Kids
- kids' menu: no · stroller: caution · Better suited to an adult dinner than a family meal with young children
- Access
- step-free: partial · Small dining room; confirm step-free access when booking
Facts
- Reservations
- Taken — Book ahead for dinner, especially weekends; lunch is more often walk-in.
- Capabilities
- food · seated_rest · toilet
- Getting there
- Near Cișmigiu Gardens, off Calea Victoriei · ~5 min walk
Cons
- Small-plates format means the bill adds up faster than it looks.
- Some dishes (offal, strong pickles) are an acquired taste for first-time visitors to Romanian food.
Dish glossary
| On the menu | What it is | Order it how |
|---|---|---|
| Murături | Pickled vegetables, a standard starter or side. | Order a plate to share; expect cabbage, cucumber and peppers. |
| Mămăligă | Polenta, reworked here as a small plate with cheese. | A vegetarian-friendly order if plain. |
Price check
- locals pay
- A shared small-plates dinner for two with wine runs about RON 250–400 (2026 estimate).
- tourist price
- Menu prices are posted; no separate tourist pricing identified.
- rule
- Ask the server how many plates per person is typical before over-ordering.
Deep dive
Questions, alternatives, and where our facts come from
Questions and answers
Questions and answers
Is this traditional Romanian food?
It is built on traditional ingredients and dishes, reworked into a modern small-plates menu rather than served as at a classic beer hall.
Checked 2026-09-28 · Voykit desk
Should I book?
Yes for dinner, especially weekends; lunch has a better chance as a walk-in.
Checked 2026-09-28 · Voykit desk
Is it good for a special dinner?
Yes, it is priced and styled as an evening-out restaurant rather than a quick lunch stop.
If it is closed or full
Nearby alternatives
If it is closed or the line is too long
Places without an authored walk are ranked by straight-line distance × 1.3 at 5 km/h (3 mph)3 mph (5 km/h).
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.