Divan — Restaurant in Bucharest

It used to be a nice place, but that is no longer the case.

Booking issue: We wanted to book a table, and the lady said she would call back in 2 minutes to confirm. After 15 minutes, there was still no call.

First order: We asked for 2 bottles of water, but they delivered only one. A different waiter came and confirmed that only one bottle was on their order.

We ordered a non-alcoholic cocktail, but we received one with alcohol. At that moment, we realized that communication with the initial waiter was difficult. Had we known that earlier, we would have spoken in English. However, tea was complimentary, which was a nice gesture.

Food: I ordered pickles, and when they were delivered, the waiter dropped them on the table in front of me. The waiter apologized and cleaned up by picking them up one by one with his hand. He then brought us a new bowl of pickles.

We ordered 3 hummus but received only 2. We didn’t want to wait, so we moved on to the last course.

One of our companions received French fries with a long hair on top. We informed the staff, and they replaced the plate. That was a tough one.

Another person ordered a meal but received something else after a long wait. She didn’t ask for a replacement. It was too late.

The check: We checked the bill and saw that they had charged for 3 hummus, even though we had only received 2. When we explained the mistake, the waitress tried to contradict us, insisting that all 3 had been delivered. At that point, quite annoyed, I asked her if she believed I was lying to pay for less than what we had received. She then walked away to correct the bill. Despite everything, we still left a tip.

The food was okayish. The bulgur was somewhat tasteless. The pita seemed old and reheated. The rest of the food was average.

Parking: The last issue occurred in the parking lot, where my car was blocked by another vehicle. When I asked the waiters for assistance, I was directed to "the guy in the white shirt at the bar." It turned out that someone from the restaurant was the one who had blocked my car.

Price: Total price: 1,368 lei + 10% tip for 8 people. Water was by far the most expensive item—5 x 1L bottles cost over 100 lei.

Service was rather poor, handled by different people, increasing the risk of mistakes.

Atmosphere: The music was loud. Although they offered to lower the volume, it was still impossible to hear someone two seats away unless they yelled.

Overall: Bad experience. I regret coming. I won’t return. Too many issues (10 issues, not...

Great “neighborhood” restaurant! My friend and I had several meals within one week (obviously, we loved it) The food is consistently, fresh and pretty tasty. My favorite main dish is very juicy chicken, appetizer - eggplant, salad tomato&onion, drink - with ayran & mineral sparkling water. Best waitress - ANDREA Best waiter/host - CHRISTIAN Best service team member - THE ENTIRE TEAM

Why 4 out of 5? Here is objective list taking in consideration location, price and quality in comparison with near by restaurants, quality vs price, atmosphere (comfort, privacy, noice level, ambiance)

👉 Meals (type/time) & notes (0…10 scale)

🤔 Breakfast (authenticity, taste, quality/price ratio - can be better) 5 out of 10*(!)

✅ Lunch (price / food ratio) 7 * out of 10*(!)

❤️👍Dinner 9* out of 10* (I rarely rate 10/10)

Atmosphere +++ VERANDA/OUTSIDE 9/10👍❤️✅ (very very pleasant with privacy and nice ambiance) ~ Inside 6/10 (privacy, noise level, comfort can be improved)

Service is simply VERY GOOD✅❤️

The final verdict:

Lunch: is a good option✅

DINER: (OUTSIDE/Veranda)- Reserve your table in advance 🤓✅ and…...

The food is great, the place is nicely decorated, a blend between the modern and traditional Turkish interiors. When we arrived there was very loud trap music which is not the first thing that pops into mind when thinking of a traditional Turkish restaurant. Another thing to mention is that the restaurant doesn't have its own toilets, you have to actually get out of the restaurant, pass along the doorman of the office building, and use the bathroom there, which was a bit surprising, I thought I had opened the wrong door. Another thing to watch out is that even though outside seating is in an enclosed space, there is smoking allowed so if you are a non smoker it would be best to sit indoors (where there is still shisha smoking, but better than cigarettes I guess). Other than that, the food is really good and the staff is friendly and...