Text & photos Copyright © Estrella Azul

ONE OF MY LATEST travels stories was about Iași, Romania, sharing my experiences at Anastasie Fătu Botanical Garden. Today I’m back writing about Iași because another wonderful thing about it was the food.

We chose our accommodation based on proximity to the town center. We wanted to leave our car in the gated parking lot and be able to walk everywhere. We also made sure the apartment came with a kitchen. My boyfriend and I do a lot of home cooking and figured we could do that in the evenings if needed. Better to have the option to cook than be stuck, right?

Street map of Iași

Cooking is something we enjoy doing together but, when it comes to traveling, of course we like to also try the local cuisine and local restaurants.

But first? Coffee!

Arriving in the city late the evening before had us a little groggy. We walked up Copou Hill—one of Iași’s seven hills—keeping our eyes peeled for a coffee place.

The one that stood out from the other coffee places on Carol I Boulevard, was 5 to Go. The concept behind the name is very simple: a fixed price. Anything you order costs 5 lei and you’re free to enjoy it on the spot or have it to go on a busy day or short break from work. They have a variety to choose from, everything from simple coffee, latte with various flavors, to hot cinnamon milk, all of them perfect for those chilly autumn and winter mornings.

There’s an amazing Spiced Chai Latte in there!

After a day of sight-seeing in Iași, we headed back down Copou Hill to see which of the restaurants we had passed on our way up would strike our fancy. The winner was College Bar & Grill.

Grilled Chicken Salad and Classic Burger at College Bar & Grill

College Bar’s own description says “The best college bar in town!” and I can attest that is true. I was somewhat surprised that their food menu only consisted of four salads, two sandwiches and three burgers. However, the food was amazing and the prices are good, too. During our stay we kept going back for lunch there, so we ended up trying one of each offering, along with delicious tea and drinks.

A College Burger, with a Grilled Chicken Sandwich and a Crispy Burger backdrop

For dinner, my boyfriend did a Google search of Asian restaurants and we tried Wok Up. As its name suggests, one can walk up (or call them up), order and take the food home or back to the office to enjoy. Probably for this precise reason, the restaurant itself is small, only about ten tables total. They seemed to have lots of orders for take-away while we ate, and I’m not surprised. The food is excellent! The place quickly became another favorite, and we went back quite a few times during our stay.

A variety of beef, chicken and vegetable dishes at Wok Up

I like sweets and my boyfriend definitely has a sweet tooth! So after coming across Tuffli on the first day of our stay in Iași, we went back nearly every evening to take home slices of mouth-watering delicious cakes and sweets. Our favorites were the After Eight and the Mousse au Chocolat.

Halloween cakes at Tuffli

We were in Iași during Halloween. Even though Halloween is not celebrated here in Romania, shops and restaurants have picked up on decorating for it nonetheless, since it’s always fun to have a colorful display, right? Tuffli went all out with their Halloween cake selections.

For your sweets craving try Tuffli in Iași

From coffee to dessert, and all the meals in between, I wholeheartedly recommend each of the above mentioned places to eat in Iași. Bon appétit!

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Estrella in the Greek Amphitheatre ruins, Taormina, Sicily

Estrella Azul is a young emerging writer, passionate about reading, floral art and photography, with an artistic personality and a soulful outlook on life. She is a Hungarian girl living and writing from Cluj-Napoca, Romania, the capital of historical region Transylvania. Estrella is our European correspondent, she currently serves as the photo editor here at Milliver’s Travels, and she dreams of embarking on a round-the-world trip. To read more of her creative writing, her thoughts and daily happenings, visit Life’s a stage – WebBlog©. Read more of her stories on Milliver’s Travels by visiting Estrella’s story index.