Café Bulgakov — Restaurant in Cluj Metropolitan Area

Having left Cluj for almost a quarter of a century, whenever I come back, I enjoy my parents' home cooking. A very dear friend of mine, professor at the Babeș-Bolyai University nearby, suggested lunch here. After reading online the longs and comprehensive eating and drinking menus, I knew what I wanted to drink, but not what to eat. Also, some lukewarm reviews made me want to go elsewhere nearby. As that location was takeaway only, he took me to the Bulgakov Café. Plenty of seating, both outside and inside. We chose inside, could choose seating, and quickly a young waitress brought both menus, which corresponded perfectly with the online information. My friend was a regular, he suggested BFCC (Bulgakov Fried Chicken and Cheese) and I suggested the freshly squeezed cocktail juice (orange, apple and another one). After taking the order, she quickly came back with cutlery. Food came quickly, and was excellent. My friend was a quick eater, and indeed some other waitress came and took plate and cutlery, but only when he finished! Same thing happened for me a couple of minutes later, but I appreciate that. Not sure which of the two waitresses came back to inquire about a possible follow-up (dessert, café etc.) my friend asked for the bill, and announced paying by card. Bill came promptly, was accurate, and terminal accepted NFC contactless payment from the app. I had to use the bathroom, I saw no cobwebs, but no way to lock the door either. All in all, a great experience,...

TL;DR: fried dough that’s too cold gets microwaved, not made fresh. Servers touch the food with their bare hands, and don’t view it as a problem.

I ordered a plate of papanași for dessert along with dinner that took an hour to arrive after our plates had been cleared. This in itself wasn’t terrible but the papanași were totally cold. I told the waitress this at which point she touched one of them to check the temperature (evidently my having tasted them wasn’t good enough) and said she would fix it.

She took the papanași away and came back a few minutes later with the same papanași, microwaved. I told her that I would not eat them because she had touched them with her bare hand, microwaving aside. She said that if I wanted a new order I would have to pay for both orders, and I explained that while the microwaving might be alright, if disappointing, the touching was unacceptable. She replied that they always microwave food the client says is too cold, and furthermore she had touched my papanași while they were in the kitchen, anyway. I then asked her to take them away. Two stars instead of one because when we finally got the check, the papanași were not on it - although I do wonder why, then, I couldn’t get a fresh order and pay for one order, rather than paying nothing and getting no papanași.

Overall, disappointing response to client dissatisfaction, and super questionable...

Bulgakov is one of those restaurants in Cluj where you’ll never leave hungry, no matter what you order and the prices are decent for the Cluj centre which is quite pricey, more often then not, for no real reason. It’s a Hungarian-style restaurant known for its delicious food and generous portions. We find ourselves returning every now and then, especially when we’re really hungry.

This time I had the BFCC (Bulgakov Friday Chicken and Cheese - I'm a cheese lover, CHEEEESE anytime) and it was very tasty, my partner have tocanita de ciuperci but he said it wan't as good as expected. Also the glass of wine has a decent price.

The restaurant is quite spacious, and while we usually don’t make a reservation, it’s a popular spot, so it tends to be busy all the time. During the summer, the terrace adds to the charm, creating a lovely atmosphere for dining outdoors.

If you're looking for tasty Hungarian food and hearty portions, I definitely...