It can be hard to find good restaurants to try with friends, especially when you or your friends have dietary restrictions, like being vegetarian or vegan.

As a vegetarian myself, finding vegetarian-friendly restaurants here in Bucharest has been a bit of a pain. This became clear to me before I even became a vegetarian way back when on a CEESA trip. On that trip, my vegetarian friend couldn’t eat dinner at the restaurant our trip chaperones took us to because it didn’t have any options for her.

Back in spring, I started following a vegetarian diet due to a variety of factors. I saw multiple videos on social media talking about the carbon footprint animal agriculture has on the environment, which scared me quite a lot. If a person is vegetarian or pescatarian, the carbon footprint of their diet is reduced by around 50%. The deeper I got into the research, the more benefits I found to a vegetarian diet.

I’m not going to persuade you in any way to be a vegetarian or vegan, but it’s important to remember not everybody chooses to eat animals, and it’s even more important to accommodate that. 

Come alongside me and my vegetarian friend, Opal B., to review some vegetarian-friendly restaurants! We will review them based on the taste, variety of options for vegetarians, and price.

The Kimchi

I found this restaurant through a non-vegetarian friend, but she was able to confirm it to be vegetarian-friendly. When I researched the menu, I agreed with her and we decided to try it out for ourselves. 

So we made a reservation and arrived for dinner. The menu did include a lot of vegetarian options, and since it was a Korean restaurant, tofu was a popular alternative to meat. In a lot of the sections, although it isn’t said on the menu, there is at least one vegetarian option. 

We ordered a variety of things, and one of them included fish in the ingredients, but we asked kindly to remove it before serving. So if that’s considered cheating, it gets points off the restaurant. 

A highlight for me was the Fried Tofu, which came with a great sauce we used to dip in anything else we ate. Another dish that impressed me was the Kimchi Pajeon, which can be compared to a savory pancake/omelette, made of kimchi. I think my favorite dish of the night had to be the vegetable fried rice Opal ordered. It served as a nice side for the other dishes as well as a very yummy dish by itself.

One dish that I don’t think is necessary to order, was the vegetable dumplings. They weren’t bad at all, just not as good as the other dishes. Another dish I wouldn’t recommend to people with a low spice tolerance is the Tteokbokki. They are the rice cakes that I personally love, but come in a very spicy sauce.

I also might be biased since I love Korean food, but overall, each dish was really enjoyable and suitable for people with dietary restrictions like vegetarians. But don’t take my word for it; here’s Opal’s take on The Kimchi:

All the food was good. I don’t normally eat Korean food, so when we do it’s really interesting. I really loved the tofu becuase it was so crispy and soft on the inside, and the sauce that came with it was really yummy. I think one problem I have with Korean food is the spice level because I have such a low spice tolerance, but that’s more of a me problem. I ususally can’t eat the Tteokbokki because it has fish cakes but they were really kind when we asked for them to remove it, like it was no problem.

Opal B.

As for price, it wasn’t expensive at all. For three people and around five dishes ordered, the total came out to be around 180 lei. We did order quite a lot, so it might be even cheaper if you go and try it out. One thing we didn’t get was dessert or any fancy drinks, so it might get more expensive if you order those. It really depends on what you order at the end of the day but nothing seemed over the top expensive.

Avocadoo

This restaurant appears very vegetarian-friendly due to its green aesthetic and branding, but I wanted to see for myself. My friends and I, including Opal, decided to order the food as it was more convenient for our schedule at the time. I noticed from the beginning that there was a variety of options and alternatives to meals that are beneficial for omnivores. 

I made my non-vegetarian friend, Will H., order vegetarian things, and he ended up eating everyone’s leftovers when we couldn’t eat anymore, which shows how good vegetarian food can be.

One thing I loved as well as Opal, was the Tofu Poke bowl. It included avocado, seaweed, edamame beans, cucumber some mango for sweetness, and of course tofu. I’ve said it before but I really enjoy tofu in general, and this bowl was super nice. It was refreshing and light, but still filling since I couldn’t even finish it. 

Another positive about this restaurant is the fact that it can all be personalised. So if you order the poke bowls, you can order black or white rice, as well as a protein like salmon, or in this case, tofu. This really elevated our experience and made us enjoy it even more.

Another dish that was really good and a little different to the poke bowls was the avocado and egg sandwich. My friend Ella C. ordered it and it comes with sweet potatoes as a side and mushrooms in the sandwich that make it have a deep and strong flavour. It depends if you like mushrooms or not but it’s a dish I would recommend to try.

I guess what I could call my least favorite dish is the cauliflower tikka masala that Will ordered. It was delicious and a great alternative to the chicken version, I just liked the other dishes a little more.

One thing I will say is it was more expensive than the first restaurant, but there are factors we have to consider. Instead of paying for three people, I was ordering for four this time. I was also ordering online so it could come to my house, which adds an expense for the delivery. 

Other than the price, which can be considered the only negative factor, this restaurant was a pleasurable experience. There are many dishes to choose from for vegetarians, and for all times of the day. You could get the egg sandwich for breakfast and perhaps the poke bowl for lunch or dinner. If you’re craving something lighter and greener, there are many options of salads to choose from. It’s clear this restaurant is intentionally vegetarian and even vegan-friendly.

Honorable Mention: Hushimo 

The reason for including this restaurant is to show an alternative to the first two restaurants, if you’ve tried them before. I wasn’t able to go with Opal to this restaurant and get photos, but I’ve been before with another vegetarian friend and we were very happy with our food there. 

I remember seeing on the menu that each section had at least one alternative for vegetarians and vegans. When I tried it for the first time we ordered many dishes and none of them included meat. 

I do believe this is the most expensive restaurant and I remember the food taking a while to arrive after ordering. Other than that, this is a really interesting Thai fusion restaurant to try if you’re vegetarian! 

Final Ranking 

You’ve made it to the final rankings and reviews of the restaurants! One disclaimer is that these restaurants are strictly reviewed from a vegetarian perspective, not a vegan one. If you are vegan, these restaurants might not be good options for you. 

Here are the best restaurants for each category under review: 

Best in Price: The Kimchi

Best in Taste: The Kimchi

Variety of Options: Avocadoo

I chose The Kimchi as the best for price and taste because to me, the taste of the Korean food was more comforting than Avocadoo’s dishes. Avocadoo has more cold dishes, like salads and bowls with lots of vegetables. Which can be comforting and fresh, but to eat out The Kimchi felt more formal. 

I will say there is a lot of deliberate variety that Avocadoo has that The Kimchi doesn’t. The Kimchi is naturally vegetarian-friendly but Avocadoo is trying to be friendly to vegetarians and vegans, promoting their dishes using these words. 

Overall, I would personally recommend to eat out at The Kimchi when with friends. When you don’t really feel like eating much, Avocadoo has great options and more inclusive to everyone.

Locations of each restaurant:

The Kimchi: Intrarea Tudor Ștefan 32, București 011657

Avocadoo: Strada Postelnicului 12 Parter, București 011375

Husimo: Str. D. I. Mendeleev 8, București 010361