Salată de vinete is Romanian eggplant salad: eggplants roasted over flame or embers, peeled and chopped, dressed with oil or mayonnaise and onion.
Where to eat it: 5 restaurants across 1 city.
Romanian recipes roast the eggplants over an open flame or in the oven until the skin blackens, then peel them right away. The classic dressing is a mayonnaise of egg yolk, mustard and oil with finely chopped onion, and the salad is served cold on toasted bread or beside garden tomatoes; it is made when eggplants are plentiful in the markets. On menus here Vatra serves it with tomatoes and red onion, Mahala roasts the eggplants over embers, and Caru' cu bere serves it with tomatoes and flatbread croutons.
Common allergens: Egg (in mayonnaise version)
Tip from the editors. Real char is the difference between a smoky salad and a bland one. If you don't have a gas flame or charcoal, oven-grill at maximum heat with the door cracked until the skin blackens.
Caru' cu bere is a traditional Romanian restaurant at Strada Stavropoleos 5 in the Old Town, serving beer made to an original recipe from 1879.
OrderMititei, the grilled minced meat rolls.
TipReservations can be made online or by phone, at least 24 hours ahead.
Vatra is a Romanian restaurant at Strada Ion Brezoianu 19, neighbouring Cismigiu Park, where Romanian cuisine meets Transylvanian interior decorations.
OrderSarmale with mămăliguță, and the Romanian cheese plate of sheep and cow telemea with burduf.
TipExpect traditional music with the meal; Vatra is near Cismigiu Park and takes table bookings on its own site.
Hanu' Berarilor Casa Oprea Soare is a Romanian restaurant at Strada Poenaru Bordea 2, one of three Hanu' Berarilor gastronomic breweries in Bucharest.
SignatureMici, Sarmale, Roast pork knuckle
TipThe group pairs its meat products with its strongest and most aromatic beers.
TrySarmale in cabbage leaves with mămăligă
TipEvery day, 30 minutes before closing, La Mama restaurants offer 50% off food that is for takeaway only.
Mahala is a Modern Romanian restaurant at Calea Rahovei 147-153, the very own restaurant of chef Petru Sorin Cucu, with a contemporary design.
SignatureCiorbă de burtă cu trufe, Turbot, Quail dumplings
TipReserve by phone on 0729 003 002; the restaurant is a stone's throw away from downtown Bucharest.
More cities are in research. Want salată de vinete covered somewhere specific? Tell us where you want to eat.
