Four long years!

We have waited four long years, but it’s that time again. THE WORLD CUP IS BACK!!!!!!

In honor of the World Cup being back, I will visit and rank restaurants of the countries that participated in the World Cup.

The concept is simple: I picked restaurants in Bucharest that represent four of the countries participating in the 2026 World Cup. I visited one, ate the best dish the country has to offer, and here I am now to tell you all the details. Each restaurant is scored out of 20 with four different criteria, worth five stars maximum each: taste, portion size, value, and presentation.

How Were the Countries Chosen?

I didn’t just pick these countries randomly. Before visiting any restaurant, I went to you guys, the AISB community, and ran a survey asking a simple question: Which four countries are the most likely to win the World Cup?

Over 70 students and faculty responded to this survey. Wow! The results came back clear as day.

You all voted overwhelmingly for four big nations: France, Argentina, Spain, and Brazil.

So just note that every choice in this article, from the countries to the restaurants, even the dishes, is backed by real research and reasoning.

Let’s dive in!

Spain: Casa Espana by Alioli (Paella)

Ask anyone what they think about when Spanish food is mentioned, nine times out of ten, their answer would be the same. Paella. So when I had walked into the open-air terrace at Casa Espana, located at Strada Căderea Bastiliei 78, 010616 București, I knew this was the experience I had been waiting for.

The atmosphere hit me before the food even came. Sitting outside, surrounded by the warm energy of the place, it genuinely felt like I was in Spain. The layout, the feel, the sounds it all came together in a way that not many restaurants can manage.

First, we had ordered the Jamón Iberico, and they brought it very quickly, about 20-25 slices of Jamón topped off with some weird-shaped croutons, which I am guessing you wrap the Jamón around. Overall, I didn’t really like the Jamon as it was too salty for my liking. But the mix of the Jamon and the croutons brings the score up a bit, as the mix tasted much better.

And then our Paella arrived. It was absolutely exceptional. The rice had soaked up every bit of that saffron-rich flavour, and the portion was extremely generous as they brought out a full plate the size of a desk filled to the brim with Paella. To be fair, even though the paella cost around 120 lei, it was still worth the value as that one plate of paella could probably fill the stomachs of a group of 6 friends. They had also topped it off with some lobster, which gave them even more extra points for the presentation.

Overall, they nailed the atmosphere as they made it seem really authentic – Spanish. They absolutely nailed the paella as well. It was clear that they had made it with genuine care. The staff was also very kind as they got all of our orders right. So that’s why I am giving Casa Espana a rating of 19/20.

Taste – 5/5

Presentation – 4/5

Atmosphere – 5/5

Value for money – 5/5

Overall score: 19/20, placing it in first place (for now, at least)

Brazil: Rio Juice (Acai Bowl)

Finding a Brazilian spot in Bucharest was quite hard, I will admit. Rio Juice, however, turned out to be a hidden gem, tucked into the Victoriei area. Specifically at Calea Victoriei. 100 cu, intrare din, Strada Nicolae Crețulescu, 030167 București

The place is small, I will not lie and say it wasn’t. But to be honest, that was a part of its charm. It felt real, unpretentious, and felt very authentic.

The second I went inside, the ladies took my order. They were very kind. I ordered the Amazonia bowl with a granola booster. Let’s just say it didn’t disappoint. The acai itself was very thick and highly flavoured. Not like the watered-down trendy version you might find elsewhere. Topped with bananas, blueberries, and strawberries and a generous layer of granola, it was a beautifully presented bowl. It also tasted as good as it looked. It refreshed me completely, and I left genuinely refreshed.

One minor detail holding this spot back is the fact that they charged me 30 lei for this one bowl, which I pretty much finished in 2 minutes. I won’t say that making Acai is easy, however, 30 lei for a bowl that small was a bit of an overstatement. This is why Rio Juice gets a final rating of (Drumroll please….) 16/20.

Taste – 5/5

Presentation -5/5

Value for money – 3/5

Size – 3/5

Overall score – 16/20

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France: Paul (A Mix of Viennoiserie Pastries)

Up next, we have the famous bakery we all know and love, Paul. You might have seen them around as they have many locations. Serving their delicious pastries all across Bucharest. As I mentioned, there are tons of locations across Bucharest, however the one I went to for this review is located at Strada Locotenent Aviator Radu Beller 1, 123456 București.

When I walked in, my first thought was how French it felt in there. For a chain bakery, I was surprised by the status of the facilities and how well polished and clean the whole atmosphere felt very authentic.

It was a Sunday, so there wasn’t a huge line, and the moment I walked in, I was able to order my pastries. I ordered a simple Croissant, a pain aux raisins, and lastly a Chausson de Pommes (apple pie). I got my pastries instantly after I ordered them.

I made my way and sat down on one of the countless tables they had available, and I started eating the food that I had ordered. Let’s go one by one.

First of all, I had the croissant, which, upon opening the packaging, felt very buttery and warm. However, they didn’t present it that well. All that there was was the packaging and the Croissant itself. I will keep that in mind when making my ratings. After I bit down on the croissant, I was actually shocked. It tasted very warm and buttery, and I couldn’t resist taking a second bite. I have to give it to them, that was one of the best Croissants I ever ate in my life. It was also only 12 lei, which was a very good deal. The size was fairly huge as well, as I had a struggle eating it, even though I was taking huge bites.

Secondly, I had the apple pie. To be fully honest, apple pie has never been my favourite as I just couldn’t get myself to enjoy the apple filling. However, once I took that bite of the apple pie, that remained to be the case. I just didn’t enjoy it; it was way too oily for my liking, and it was very stale and cold. It did look quite appetising to be honest, though. The price also wasn’t half bad, as I spent around 15 lei for it.

Finally, I ate the pain au raisins. Again, I am not the biggest fan of anything that has raisins involved. But this pain aux raisins was actually exceptional. It was very warm and buttery, almost like the croissant, and the raisins actually mixed perfectly with the warm and soft insides. Again, the presentation was ok as there wasn’t much to present. But the value was actually very good too, as I paid around 15 lei for this as well, and I ate all of it, so the size wasn’t a big issue.

Overall, Paul was good, nothing too extravagant or over the top. It’s simple, and it gets the job done. Portion sizes are very average, it is very cheap to get, the presentation isn’t too over the top, and the taste is actually quite likeable. So because of all of that, I give Paul a solid rating of 13/20

Taste – 4/5

Presentation – 2/5

Value for money – 4/5

Size – 3/5

Overall score – 13/20

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Argentina: Argentine Steakhouse (Steak with Chimichurri sauce)

Finally, we have the last winners of the World Cup, Argentina. For Argentina, I visited an Argentine steakhouse, located at Baneasa Mall.

When I first walked in, I was immediately seated on a booth with some interesting-looking pillows with real cow fur (I asked). That’s a gruesome but kind of interesting detail to start off the experience with.

Once the waiter came, I ordered the “Argentine fillet” and got it with Chimichurri sauce on the side. I also asked for fries because I came in with a big appetite.

After I ordered my food, I wandered around for a bit, but then immediately noticed that this restaurant didn’t remind me of Argentina whatsoever. It just reminded me of the average steakhouse.

Not long after I sat back down, the food arrived, and they had a special way of serving the customer here. The customer actually decided how long to cook their meal for. They did this by bringing some sort of a hot plate to put the steak on and cook. Like this.

My first impression of the steak is that it was absolutely amazing. The first thing I saw when I opened it was the beautiful pinkish-red color. When I squished it, an incredible amount of juice came out, which is exactly what I am looking for. The fries that came with the steak also tasted amazing. All that, plus the Chimichurri sauce, made this dish an incredible adventure for my taste buds. I quite liked the presentation, though the hot plate was very unique indeed. Additionally, it was very expensive, costing around 175 lei and only lasting me a good 3 minutes. So some points were taken off for that as well.

Overall, I would say the food was amazing; however, they claim to be an Argentinian restaurant, yet they have nothing authentic Argentinian to add to the atmosphere. It was also pretty expensive for its tiny size. However, I quite liked the Charcoal plate that they presented the steak on. So that’s why Argentine gets an overall rating of 14/20

Taste – 5/5

Presentation – 4/5

Size – 3/5

Value for money – 2/5

Overall score – 12/20

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Final Rankings!

Wow, what a tournament. Each and every team fought hard for their badge and presented the judges (me) with some amazing food. But I have to make a tough choice, and I will award this year’s food World Cup trophy to (give me a HUGE drumroll, everybody)…………..

SPAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!

Spain takes this one with their paella dish, absolutely shocking the judges (me again), winning almost by a landslide.

Consolation Round: Other Cultural Cuisine to Try!

In the end, I know I didn’t account for most of the other countries in the World Cup. But don’t worry, I didn’t forget about you guys (yes – even you, Cape Verde). So here is a list of some of the countries in the World Cup and the best restaurants you can find in those countries here in Bucharest.

Japan – Kanpai

South Korea – Jeonjuu Korean BBQ

Mexico – Taqueria El Torito

Portugal/Cape Verde – Dancing Lobster

Turkey – Beyti Restaurant

England – Big Ben Pub

Germany – Die Deutsche Kneipe

Morocco – Kanz

Belgium – Liege Brasserie

Senegal – Sena Cuisine