Romanian Garden
“The "Salata de Vinete" (Eggplant Salad) better be on point, and if they use Mayo in the salad it's not authentic.”
“Main Course: Romanian skinless sausages (mititei) w fries, we added mujdei (a garlic sauce) highly recommended to top over the fries.”
“I am Romanian so I have had good and bad Romanian food, but this place had some of the best Sarmale and Polenta I have ever tasted.”
Romanian Garden
Takes Reservations: Yes
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
Good for Kids: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Has TV: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Caters: Yes
PokéStop Nearby: Yes
Price range.
$$ Price range $11-30
8 reviews
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This place was packed solid when we went there on a Saturday night – you could tell a lot of Romanian families go there dressed up for a night out.
The appetizers (salad and fried cheese) were ok, and they basically gave you a whole loaf of bread for the table. The entrees looked amazing when they came out – my mother-in-law got a stewed chicken leg with polenta, my husband got a skinless sausage with fries, and I got the Romanian stew with polenta (one side had cheese topping and the other had a fried egg).
Unfortunately, just like several other previous reviews, my Romanian stew was cold. Not just "it got cold" from sitting out – it was obviously from frozen/refrigerated and heated up by microwave. The flavor was actually REALLY good, but after 3-4 steaming hot bites, the meat in the middle was literally ice cold. I had them bring it back to reheat. They obviously just put the whole plate in the microwave, as when it came back, the cheese was totally melted/rubberized on the polenta and the egg was practically hard boiled/rubberized as well. I took another few bites and it was the same thing: one bite was piping hot, and the next was lukewarm at best. I gave up and just ate the polenta and egg – and the egg had an egg shell in it!!
At this point I just had to stop altogether…. I'm just glad I didn't get sick. I really wish I could have given this place a better review, as everyone else had a great entree. The service was ok and they were apologetic about the cold stew, but this is obviously an ongoing problem and food poisoning waiting to happen. As an experienced microwaver, all I have to say is this: stir the food around halfway through microwaving and it will be fine.
Otherwise, it was decently priced for a good selection of food. Also, they don't take AMEX.
This place has good solid romanian food.
Pros: The trout and the sarmale are the stars of the meal. However, I wish the trout had been de-boned better.
Cons: The kashkaval pane did not really have kashkaval inside- tasted like a cheap mozzarella to me. Do not get it.
Service is decent. It's a great place to get your romanian fix on with simple dishes that are flavorful and relatively inexpensive.
Would "My Big Fat Romanian Wedding" be too obscure?
Completed a culinary tour of the Danube with a trek up Queens Blvd with a native. A Romanian, that is. Started with the meatball soup, which was borscht-light in nature, with a few rather reasonable meatballs.
Fireworks began with a contrast of sausages – smoky red-skinned sausages vs the mititei, a savory but delicate skinless delight. Definitely a winner. Might have had something similar at specialty Bavarian places.
Unfortunately, the vaunted stuffed pepper paled in comparison. What makes these peppers unique (compared to the Hamburger Helper + bell pepper concoctions at home) is that they somehow maintain a very distinctive pepper taste. Worth a try, but just doesn't have the fireworks of the sausages.
Bizarre aesthetics, which include modern art, some art deco, an Asian bamboo-backed stage, and a private downstairs room. Perfect for an Orthodox baptisim party, which certainly happened after our lunch.
Cash only. Definitely do NOT take plastic. This prevented a review of desserts, as we flat out ran out of money.
Seems to be a good neighborhood spot, lots of regulars it seems.
Not sure how authentic calamari is in a Romanian setting but I the marinara sauce was straight out of the fridge. Calamari itself was lightly fried and very good texture.
I was really looking forward to my entree, which was prime rib served with white beans. It seemed like the beans were microwaved in a the giant bowl it was served in (scorching hot on the outside, still cold in the middle) – nothing a good stirring couldn't fix, but still a bit disappointing. The prime rib was overcooked (well done rather than medium) but I like the flame-grilled taste.
Romanian Garden reopened its doors on 43rd Avenue a few weeks ago with a new location and larger space after being priced out of Skillman Avenue. Now with a space that accommodates 18 tables (perfect for parties of four to six people), small bar area, and a small stage for live music, RG returns to service the Sunnyside neighborhood with its menu of eastern European cuisine loaded with cabbage, pork sausages, and potatoes.
The menu remains very much the same with appetizers (in the $6-$8 range) including the highlights of mamaliga cu brinza si smintina (polenta with cheese and sour cream), salata de vinete (eggplant salad), fasole batuta (mashed beans), and salata de boeuf (beef russian salad). My personal favorite, stuffed picked cabbage leaves ($10) with a side polenta, along with other main courses like Romanian stew with egg, pork sausages, pork/chicken cutlet, and beef sweet breads can be had for $12 or less. Specialty dishes like stuffed grape leaves and roasted pork are also priced the same, and seafood/grilled meat dishes run a few bucks more.
RG remains an excellent choice for both dining in and takeout. It is a welcome addition to an otherwise bland section of 43rd Ave (between 40th and 45th street) which is crowded with laundromats and supermarkets. The fact that they are now located few a blocks closer to me is definitely an added bonus. Welcome to 43rd Ave!
My boyfriend brought me here to introduce me to Romanian cuisine, and it was way better than what I had imagined.
We ordered the Fasole Batuta (mashed beans spread) to start. It was delicious, and the fried onions on top made it perfect!
For main course I ordered the Tochitura (Stew with chicken, pork, sausage, mushrooms) with polenta and it was really good. The warm stew with the polenta = perfect for a cold winter evening. I couldn't finish it, so I had to pack it to go.
My boyfriend ordered the grilled pork with fries, and it was really well balanced in terms of texture and taste.
To top off the evening, there was a live band! Not sure if that's normal, but it was awesome. Would have been better if there were more people. Nonetheless, a great cultural experience.
In summary:
Delicious food, really friendly staff, and fair prices. .
I wish I could try their entire menu. So I will have to make a trip here again soon.
Sorry guys. Although my Romanian friend swears to me that this is the best, most authentic Romanian food in the city, our experience there was pretty gross.
Granted we were there early — around 6:30 on a week day — but the whole time I felt like we took the resto by surprise, like they were caught off guard that people would want them to serve food, in a clean environment, at the proper temperature, at the very least.
The food we ordered was okay, but nothing approaching any sort of fine dining. Okay, we didn't expect that, but could you maybe thoroughly cook and/or defrost the meatballs you are going to serve us? Two I had were still cold in the middle. Could you maybe also serve the sauce actually on the plate and not in a sealed take out sauce container stacked on top of the plate? (I mean… wtf?)
I liked the Romanian beer we had and the stuffed cabbage was pretty good, even though it was served at a lukewarm that quickly became cold. My favorite part was the eggplant dish, but my co-diner only let me have one or two bites of it. Can you blame him? It was survival of the fittest here.
The piece de resistance was the roach he noticed crawling on the wall near my side of the table and which he gallantly killed for the betterment of all.
(If I could, I would rate this place 3.5 stars.) If you have a hankering for Romanian food in Western Queens, Romanian Garden is a great choice. First, two WARNINGS: it's CASH ONLY, and the service is very, very slow. It took us at least 10 minutes just to put in our order in, and it wasn't even that packed! But oh well.
I highly recommend the white bean spread and the eggplant salad, which both make for perfect complements to the fresh bread brought out at every meal. As other have mentioned, the fried onions on the Fasole Batuta add a "snap" and additional dimension of flavor that make it stand out as a starter. For my entree, I ordered the pork sausages, which were juicy, fresh, and flavorful. The fries on the side were mediocre, so maybe next time I will order the polenta as a side instead. The roast chicken was also very good, and a nice antidote to a chilly night.
Service could be improved, but otherwise Romanian Garden made for a nice meal.