L'Atelier Relais & Chateaux — Restaurant in Bucharest

It’s my third year staying at Epoque and frequently visiting the L’Atelier restaurant downstairs. The team here has become even more cohesive, and the food is as impressive as always. A big plus is the fact that the menu now changes almost every month, so we get to experience even more of Alex and Vlad’s creativity.

First, some recommendations. Their in-house bread and butter are not to be missed. You also shouldn’t miss any dish that’s fish-based or has a focus on vegetables. Half the time I don’t even order from the menu and just ask the staff what to get instead, and they’ve never missed. Always get a wine recommendation from the team, Luca and Edmond are experienced sommeliers with a cellar to back it up. The desserts are occasionally spectacular, just ask.

The local ingredients really shine, it’s what I love most about the Relais & Châteaux properties. You get to have a refined international view of a very local taste in the classy art deco ambiance at L’Atelier. I’ve had ingredients at L’Atelier that I’ve never tasted before, but Edmond, Luca, Dudu, Bogdan, and the rest of the team always take the time to explain everything and it feels like you’re really having a conversation. I think this approach really makes Relais & Châteaux stand out through L’Atelier amongst even the best restaurants and properties that often make you feel like you’re listening to a static story. By contrast, the whole team here feel like real specialists that you can talk to. The limited seating and relaxed atmosphere also make this possible. The team is prompt but never feels rushed.

I like how they combine different tastes in a very cohesive manner with a focus on actually tasting good instead of just being impressive-looking. The dishes are well thought through at L’Atelier. I’ve had pig and game and amberjack ceviche prepared tableside with in-house ponzu and they all tasted like they came from specialty restaurants. The roasted BBQ cauliflower is as good as a steak on a good day. I mean the breadth of the kitchen’s experience here is really something else. And since Romania isn’t a go-to destination for high-end cuisine yet, they get to benefit from all the experimentation that goes on. I wish some of the hits would become regular dishes on the menu. Most chefs or restaurants have that one or two dishes that people come to visit just to experience them, and unfortunately, you don’t get to always taste your favorites at L’Atelier, but that’s probably because of sourcing issues and seasonality. Then again, since the chefs aren’t yet public figures that people travel to visit, you can still enjoy this gem and get to benefit from their courage to still take risks and experiment.

The whole dining experience that the team offers brings old-world charm in an effortless way to the property. It’s really one of the best expressions of a Relais & Châteaux property that I’ve visited — nothing short of what you’d expect from one.

I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again since it’s probably the one thing you need to know about this property. The team members have all been here 5+ years, with most closer to 10 years and some longer. They feel like a family (the property is family-owned actually) and treat each other as rockstars. Very fresh to see that. All of this is rarely seen in the industry and really speaks volumes about the management’s approach to retaining talent. The best properties in the world struggle with this, so I have no idea how management achieves this at L’Atelier. I also credit this to the lack of real alternatives where the team could go from here since this seems like one of the best restaurants and hotels in Romania.

They have a tasting menu and a newly introduced lunch menu. I think the breakfast could be more impressive. It’s good, but it doesn’t impress as much as the lunch or dinner.

The restaurant shares the bar with the hotel, which is a very good thing. Stefan and Razvan never miss a beat and will make any cocktail you desire. The wine list is extensive and the prices...

Average food, great service. Maybe it was the high expectations, which were confirmed from our first impression when we arrived, maybe the interesting menu, however the restaurant’s food and atmosphere I would describe as average - priced a bit high. We had two very interesting starters to share (a tomato starter and an eggplant-chickpeas starter) neither had a special taste, I did however appreciate that there was clearly a professional effort to present a high quality dish. No big surprises for the mains: good food but rather average - not at the level expected at this restaurant. Wine very good, we went for the 50 lei Miraval rose and were not disappointed. A few details regarding the atmosphere: the place is great, however the slightly uncomfortable furniture, low quality wood (mdf?) table, background noise and at times not matching music made it difficult for me to rate it higher: if you place yourself in the category of very fine restaurants, there are certain standards to meet. The service was excellent: attention to detail, no mistakes, no exaggerations in the presentations, friendly, professional. So 5 stars for me. Even the walk to the restroom was a pleasant experience as I walked passed the very nice bar of the hotel (but no stars for this), so yes, the place is by no means average, just a few improvements in food and atmosphere to quickly get from...

This was probably one of the places we loved to be at, the most. The restaurant is so private and quiet and cozy.The decoration is wonderful, made in good taste. I cannot begin to tell you how great the service was, such great people that when the restaurant closed, we stayed a little longer at the bar talking to them and laughing.And by "a little longer" i mean 2 hours. That's how much we enjoyed everything.This restaurant is located in the hotel Epoque, wich makes it even better because it's far from the noise and the chaos even if it's located downtown.The wine list it's impressive, they have wines for all taste and preference, from decent to expensive.I have a weakness for the whole process of choosing the wine, so i appreciated very much when the waiter took us to the other room where they had all the bottles beautifully arranged in refrigerators. The food was good, we chose the tasting menu, some dishes were better than others but i think it can be improved. The presentation was also very detailed and the waiter told us the story of every dish.Overall we enjoyed ithe dinner.We will definetely come back, especially for the vibe of this place wich is like an oasis of peace in the chaos of the city.Next time we want to try a la carte menu. We recommend this place 100% and if anybody reads this, we would like to thank them for the beautiful experience...