Harmony Terrace
“I have never had Romanian food before which is odd since I live in Sunnyside and they have so many of them.”
“Salata de Vinete – eggplant salad, similar to babaganoush.”
Harmony Terrace
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
Price range.
$$ Price range $11-30
5 reviews
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it's mainly a Romanian food restaurant ( Black Sea cuisine 🙂 ) , not mediterranean cuisine.
the food and the service are ok-ish. they have Romanian food like polenta with sour cream and cheese, "sarmale" , different soups. If you never experienced Romanian food, it's a good place to try some.
Sunnyside might be known for its endless venue portfolio of Irish pubs (yelp.com/list/the-luck-o…), but another hot bed of ethnic establishments that tends to go unnoticed are the Romanian ones. Harmony Terrace might be the least visible of the bunch, but rest assured it is as Romanian as they come.
The restaurant is a pretty decent size, often hosting large (presumably Eastern European family) parties on the weekends and they recently added another bank of tables that sit along the windows the street. People are typically greeted at the center bar, which directly above is airing some Romanian satellite feed. On week nights it might feel a bit eerie since the people traffic is relatively low (read: empty), so I'd rule this spot out for a date night but it's definitely the perfect spot for a massive group with a craving for hearty cuisine.
And food wise, I'd give it an all around thumbs up. Everything is prepared by a couple of older Romanian women, who outside of lifting heavy bags of garbage or taking the occasional smoke break in the side alleyway, can whip up a hell of a feast. Most of the food is reasonably priced at $10-13 an entree and can conquer any serious appetite.
A great way to start would be to order their cold appetizer sampler, which comes with generous scoops of vinete (eggplant spread), icre (white caviar), fasole batuta (mashed beans and garlic), ardei copt (roasted red pepper spread), with some salami cold cuts and bread. This alone might fill people up but its a great way to wet the appetite. I'd recommend at least 3 people for this portion of the meal. If cold isn't your thing, shoot for some fried zucchini or cirnaciori oitenesti (fried kabanos sausage), but they'll be far less interesting.
While I haven't been a huge fan of their seafood platters (woof on the fish and chips and breaded shrimp), carnivores will appreciate the hefty mixed grill, which for $18 gets you a lamb chop, grilled chicken, various sausages, and breaded pork. But the real star of the show is the mititei, otherwise known as Romanian grilled sausage. Whether you eat it with fries or a salad, the spongey sausage reminds me of a giant breakfast link sausage with a little char and some serious smokey flavor. Nothing beats their stuffed cabbages, which is savory and delicious in all of its red tomato-y glory, and served with a side of polenta. If there is any dish in the house to order, it would be this one.
The service could definitely be a little warmer (especially the young guy who is always mean muggin) but the food more than makes up for it. It's always fun to come in here and be the only non-Eastern customer. The real take away of course is to be able to experience something that exclusively screams Romanian, in the heart of Sunnyside.
The site promises, "where your dreams come true" and on a rainy Wednesday night on a fake date with a dear friend, my dreams of delicious, hearty Romanian food certainly did come true.
The restaurant is a bit confusing on a Wednesday night as my friend and I were the only patrons most of our time there. Yet, unlike other abandoned restaurants, the dining areas were in great shape and really nice. Each table had fresh flowers. I'm guessing the place is more of a weekend spot where the site indicates there is live music. The food was amazing and nothing tasted frozen, another thing I look for when I am the only person in a restaurant.
P.s. The Romanian red wine was very, very sweet.
Yum! Yum!
My Romanian supervisor took me here for lunch one day on our way back to the office after a meeting. I'd never tried Romanian food so I was excited. He took charge ordering us an appetizer of boef salad, which was like a potato salad but richer and creamier, yet light and delicious. I think there might've been chicken in it (even though 'boef' makes it sound like the dish should contain beef). The waiter brought us complimentary bread and butter. The bread was pale with a crisp crust, nice and fluffy on the inside.
For an entree, I ordered the Romanian grilled sausage. It was so good. For sides I was offered a choice of french fries or polenta. I chose the polenta. It was cheesy and creamy and rich, but a perfect accompaniment to my sausage. The sausage was really good and seemed to be homemade. It wasn't greasy at all and had an interesting texture, not too chewy and teeming with flavor.
I definitely recommend this place! They offer a bunch of less "exotic" dishes as well if you want to choose one safe option to go with something you haven't tried before.
I have never had Romanian food before which is odd since I live in Sunnyside and they have so many of them. I came here with a few friends and the place was very festive. There was a lived band playing Romanian music which was a little loud but it was a nice touch.
They had a wide selection of Romanian beers and wine, I tried the wine and it was good but nothing to rave about.
As an appetizer I tried the polenta with feta cheese and sour cream, it was good but I never been much of a polenta lover and the Romanian sour cream was a little more sour than I'm used to.
I ordered the stuffed cabbage which was delicious and very well seasoned. It comes with a side of polenta but since I had that as my appetizer I got mashed potatoes instead.
One of my dinner companions ordered the Romanian sausage and that was delicious as well.
I was too full for dessert but I did get to try the amaretto ice cream with nuts and it was perfect.