Pan-baked thin pastry filled with fresh brânză cheese and dill: Moldova's street snack, weekend household ritual and bakery counter staple, sold by the slice everywhere.

The word plăcinte comes from the Latin placenta, a flat cake, and traces back to Roman Dacia. From the 10th to the 12th century the Greek influence on Moldavian cuisine introduced fine puff and pulled-pastry techniques, which the Moldovan kitchen folded into a thin pan-fried pastry with seasonal fillings: brânză with dill in spring, sour cherries in summer, pumpkin in autumn, salted cabbage in winter. Each Moldovan region has its own plăcintă shape and crimp, and the chain La Plăcinte turned the home recipe into a sit-down restaurant category in the 2000s.

Where to eat Plăcinte cu brânză in Chișinău

4 editor picks for Plăcinte cu brânză in Chișinău, ranked by editorial score. All Chișinău signature dishes · Plăcinte cu brânză across every city.

  • La Plăcinte (Ștefan cel Mare 3)

    Order A mixed plate of plăcinte: cheese, cabbage and pumpkin slices, with smântână.

    La Plăcinte on Ștefan cel Mare 3 is the central Chișinău branch of the Moldovan chain that turned the street plăcintă into a sit-down restaurant.

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  • Granier

    Order Plăcintă with cottage cheese and cherries

    Granier in Chișinău is the all-day bakery chain on Ștefan cel Mare and beyond, baking honey cake, plăcinte and almond rings that sell out by closing.

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  • La Plăcinte (Hâncești 58)

    Order Plăcinte with cabbage and cheese, mămăligă with brânză and smântână on the side.

    La Plăcinte on Șoseaua Hâncești 58 is the Botanica-side branch of Moldova's plăcinte chain, with the largest dine-in room and a kids' play area attached.

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  • La Mamuca

    Order Plăcintă with cottage cheese

    La Mămuca in Chișinău is the takeaway-only Moldovan bakery chain on Pușkin 22, where the plăcinte tray turns over hourly and the chebureks are house-fried.

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Make it at home

Serves 82 hrIntermediate

Ingredients

  • 500g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
  • 300 ml warm water
  • 1 tsp fine sea salt
  • 3 tbsp sunflower oil, plus more for the work surface
  • 350g fresh brânză cheese (substitute feta plus 50g ricotta)
  • 1 egg, lightly beaten
  • Small bunch of fresh dill, finely chopped
  • Generous pinch of black pepper
  • 30g unsalted butter, melted, for finishing

Method

  1. Combine flour and salt in a large bowl. Add the warm water and oil and mix to a soft dough. Knead on the counter for 8 minutes until smooth and elastic.
  2. Divide into 8 balls. Coat each with oil, cover with a clean cloth and rest for 1 hour at room temperature.
  3. Mix the brânză, egg, dill and pepper in a bowl until evenly bound. Taste; if the cheese is mild, add a pinch of salt.
  4. Lightly oil a marble or wood surface. Take one ball, press it flat, then stretch and roll it into a paper-thin round about 35 cm across.
  5. Spoon a heaping eighth of the filling onto the centre. Fold the four sides over the filling to make a square parcel, then press the seams firmly to seal.
  6. Heat a heavy pan, ideally cast-iron, over medium heat with a thin slick of oil. Cook each plăcintă for 3 to 4 minutes per side until deeply golden and the filling is hot through.
  7. Brush the hot plăcinte with melted butter and serve immediately, cut into quarters, with cold smântână on the side.

Editor tip. The dough should be elastic enough to see your fingers through when stretched; if it tears, you have rested it too cold, so warm the room slightly.

Common allergens: Gluten, Dairy, Egg.