Where to eat in Moldova

It shares its address — strada Pușkin 20B — with the restaurant La Taifas, but has a profile of its own: it presents itself as a museum-restaurant, with dishes made to old recipes and live traditional music in the evening. The area is that of the central museums: the National Art Museum at 184 metres, the Licurici Theatre at 219, the National History Museum at 276. Its 757 reviews give an average of 4.4. It has no terrace and no posted hours, so a table is booked by phone, on 0794 14 301.

The interior reproduces a Moldovan peasant house, with ethnographic objects and a menu built on national dishes — borș, mămăligă, plăcinte, local wine. The address, strada Pușkin 20B, is among the best placed in the city for a traditional restaurant: the National Art Museum at 163 metres, the Licurici Theatre at 200, the National History Museum at 259. La Taifas has a terrace, 2,172 reviews and an average of 4.4, with hours of 11:00–22:00, and until 21:00 on Sunday.

Gagauz and Bulgarian cooking from southern Moldova rarely reaches the menus of the capital, and Gök-Oguz is the address that keeps both, in a venue with a courtyard and a terrace on strada Calea Orheiului 19/A. Its 1,862 reviews, at an average of 4.7, make it one of the best-rated traditional restaurants in the city at that volume. Daily hours, 10:00–23:00. The Memorial to the Victims of Fascism is about 580 metres away. Bookings on 0794 68 852 or at gok-oguz.md.

With 5,340 reviews, the branch on strada Pușkin 33 is among the highest-turnover restaurants in Chișinău — a figure that says more about traffic than any description could. La Plăcinte is a Moldovan chain built around plăcinte and a traditional menu, at affordable prices, with a terrace and daily hours of 10:00–22:00, at an average of 4.5. The address is right in the centre: 190 metres to the A. P. Chekhov Theatre, 430 to the Triumphal Arch.

Its 5,281 reviews put it among the highest-turnover restaurants in the capital, at a good average for that volume — 4.6. Pegas operates on strada Albișoara 20/1, with a terrace and unusually long hours: from 08:00 until midnight, every day, which covers both breakfast and a late dinner. The cooking is European and international, with traditional dishes alongside. The Sensorica museum is about 800 metres away. Bookings on 0788 00 600.

On strada Vasile Lupu, in the centre of Orhei, on the same street as several other venues in town — useful if you want an alternative a few steps away. Hours from nine in the morning to ten at night, every day, with breakfast served and vegetarian options on the menu. It has a terrace, accepts bookings and takes groups and families with children, with wheelchair-adapted places. Free parking in the courtyard and on the street. For anyone on the route to Orheiul Vechi, it is a practical stop in town. Dogs are not admitted.

LOFT Burger Bar is on strada Strîi, in Bălți, and bets on the burger bar format — a category that in northern Moldova can still be counted on one hand. It opens at eleven in the morning and runs until midnight, every day. It serves breakfast, has a terrace, takes children and groups and accepts bookings. The seating is wheelchair accessible, and parking, in the courtyard or on the street, is free. Prices sit in the mid range. Pets are not admitted.

Acropolis stands on strada Vasile Lupu, the street where Orhei keeps most of its venues, a short drive from the Orheiul Vechi complex. It is an all-day restaurant, with a terrace and hours from ten in the morning to ten at night, and until eleven on Saturday and Sunday. Breakfast is served too, and bookings are accepted — useful for group meals. The price bracket is mid-range. Parking, in the courtyard or on the street, is free. Wheelchair access is not provided, and pets are not admitted.

Right on the beach at Vadul lui Vodă, the resort on the Dniester where the people of Chișinău come to the water at the weekend. The position is the main argument: you eat a few steps from the bank, with a terrace opening towards the river. It is catalogued as a family restaurant and behaves accordingly — it takes children and large groups and accepts bookings. Daily hours from ten in the morning to eleven at night, with breakfast served and vegetarian dishes on the menu. Free and paid parking in the area, wheelchair-accessible entrance and places. Dogs are not admitted.

Ellada is on strada Vasile Lupu in Orhei, a few numbers from the town's other venues. It has unusual hours, worth checking before you set off: open only from Monday to Friday, between ten in the morning and five in the afternoon, closed completely on Saturday and Sunday. In practice, it is a weekday lunch address, not a weekend option for those coming to Orheiul Vechi. It has a terrace, takes children and groups and accepts bookings. The entrance, the toilet and the seating are wheelchair accessible, parking is free, and prices sit in the mid range.

Casa Albă is in Humulești, a district of the town of Ungheni, close to the crossing point towards Romania. It is a family restaurant with almost round-the-clock hours — it opens at nine in the morning and closes at four in the morning, every day — a format typical of the venues that host weddings and christenings in the provinces. It has a terrace, takes groups and accepts bookings. It is one of the few fully accessible addresses: parking, entrance, toilet and seating adapted for wheelchairs. Dogs are accepted.

On strada Lenin, in Comrat, the capital of Gagauzia. It works on several levels at once: restaurant with a dining room, café, banqueting hall, catering and delivery — effectively the town's complete events infrastructure. Hours from ten in the morning to eleven at night, every day, with breakfast served and vegetarian options on the menu. Terrace in season, bookings accepted, generous space for groups and for families with children. Free parking in the courtyard and on the street. For a group meal in Gagauzia, it is one of the reference addresses.