Danubius Restaurant

I went to this unique restaurant a good while back with a group. There aren't that many restaurants from this region let alone Romania with the closest thing I've had to this place outside of the dessert places being probably the food at Moldova Restaurant in Brooklyn and maybe Cafe Budapest but I would say that the food here was definitely a lot better than either of those two places. The inside is pretty casual and while the server didn't know English the best, he was quite friendly. There was eventually some live music which was nice to listen to as we kept on eating. To drink, I had a glass of one of their white wines which was listed as a sweeter white and this was quite accurate reminding me a bit of a Riesling. They gave us some bread which was crusty and was fine reminding me of the bread found in many Italian spots.

We shared a bunch of small plates first with two of their salads/salată and one dumpling dish. The best of the small plates was the Salata/Salată De Vinete for $8. Listed as eggplant spread, the eggplant was separated into three large balls with fresh tomato slices in-between as per the other salad. The eggplant had good smokiness and a pleasant texture. If you like melitzanosalata/eggplant dip from Greek spots, you'll probably like this a lot. There was also Salata Boeuf with beef, potatoes, veggies, and mayo for $9. The mixture of meat/potatoes/mayo heavily reminded me of olivier salad found in Russian/Slavic spots and as I like that a lot, I liked this as well.

The non-salad appetizer was the Coltunasi which is simply listed as traditional dumplings made with cheese, meat & potatoes for $9. There were plenty of these dumplings for this price and they also came with some sour cream. The dumplings had a nice meaty filling with a pleasant plump texture.

We also ordered a bunch of mains which each came with a side dish outside of the Mamaliga. Best was the Ceafade Pore La Gratar or in other words grilled pork neck for $21. We chose the Lahnie De Fasole or traditional Romanian beans as our side dish. The pork was perfectly tender being also really juicy. I don't remember having better pork neck in any other restaurant I've been to that I can recall and I would highly recommend it. The side of beans reminded me of the side of beans in some Balkan spots though I would say these were a bit less flavorful.

Also solid was the Pastrama or traditional marinated lamb pastrami for $25. In this case, we got the Cartofi Natur or boiled potatoes with butter (which was fine.) Perhaps a bit salty but tender tasty lamb and a good portion size. I'd also recommend this.

We also got the Sarmale consisting of four stuffed cabbage rolls for $19. They also came with polenta with feta cheese and sour cream. The cabbage rolls had a good texture though I would say others spots were a bit meatier. Pretty solid but I have had better.

The final dish was the Mamaliga Cu Branza Si Smantana or polenta with feta cheese & sour cream for $14. This is another traditional dish and their version was solid with the egg on top being a nice touch. I've had this in other spots and the version here by comparison was just a better mix with a better texture.

We didn't have dessert which was unfortunate but we had a good time. Unique and tasty food with some excellent dishes. Would go back and try more

Great restaurant, fresh food, authentic Romanian cuisine. You know it's authentic when it's always full of Romanians & locals alike.

This Romanian Restaurant has quickly become a fave! We came here twice in two weeks! Danubius opened right before Covid-19 hit the US, and I'm so thankful that they were able to keep afloat during those hard times. Danubius thanks their neighborhood residences for helping to keep them afloat via takeout orders thru the pandemic!

This restaurant is so charming. When you walk into Danubius, you are transported to Romania. The detailed decor is lovely and gives this restaurant so much character. Service and hospitality are friendly, welcoming and efficient. Their menu is massive but take the time to read each description if you are unfamiliar with Romanian Cuisine. Important decisions need to be made! lol You can't go wrong with any of their grilled meats. We tried a few and they were all fantastic and prepared well.

Here are the menu items we've tried (so far):
-- Salata Boeuf (chicken, potatoes, veg, mayo) $9: appetizer, which looks like and had the consistency of potato salad. Comes with fresh bread. Good.
-- Salata de Vinete (eggplant spread) $8: great smokey flavors! Comes with fresh bread. Get This!
-- Coltunasi (traditional dumplings made with cheese, meat & potatoes); comes with side or sour cream $9: this dish looked very plain and boring but wow, this tasted great; especially with sour cream.
-- Mamaliga Cu Branza Si Smantana (Polenta w.Feta Cheese & Sour Cream) $14: Traditional dish; Fantastic and a Must Try.
-- Sarmale (4 stuffed cabbage rolls); served w.Polenta, Sour Cream, & Hot Peppers) $19: very good.
-- Ceafade Pore La Gratar w.iabnie de fasole (grilled pork neck w.traditional Romanian Beans) $21: Get This!!! Fave dish of the night; so flavorful. Great dish!
-- Pastrama (Lamb) w.Side of Potatoes $25: Another great dish. Get This!
-- Placinte Moldovenesti (Moldovan Pie w.cheese, potatoes, cabbage) $10: glad we tried this but I found the feta overwhelming. There didn't seem to be enough potatoes and cabbage to offset the saltiness of the feta.
-- Carnati De Casa La Gratar and iabnie de Fasole (grilled homemade sausage & traditional Romanian beans) $21: great dish but the pork neck and lamb dishes were better meat dishes.
-- Ficatei de Pui La Tigaie & Cartofi Taranesti (Chix liver & home fries) $19: good dish but the big chunks of liver were a little overwhelming. The home fries were surprisingly fantastic!

Dessert: I've been told that they have incredible desserts! Both times we went, we were too full to order dessert but look forward to trying them next time. So save room for dessert!

My best friend since childhood moved to Florida a long time ago, but I can't wait to bring her here when she visits NY . She did missionary work in Romania for about 3 years and is looking forward to going to Danubius!

Note: they have live Romanian music on weekend evenings! What a blast! The two musicians/singers that were there were fantastic! Can't wait to go back!

My Romanian boyfriend brought my mom and me here to try some of the traditional food of his country. I have not been to many Romanian restaurants so far and mostly had home-cooked meals but I will say this has been my favorite Romanian restaurant! We arrived at noon on a Saturday when they opened and got a table right away since the place was not busy that early. The few other groups that were there were speaking in Romanian which is always a good sign of how good the food will be. The place is very large and has plenty of seating so a reservation is probably not necessary. The ambiance was pretty warm, homely, and relaxed. Our waiter was very nice and was attentive of our table without being overbearing. He was also funny and accepted my attempts at Romanian which I appreciated. While we waited for our lunch, he brought out some nice bread along with olive oil and vinegar infused with a little bit of dill which was very mild and went well with the oil. For food I tried:

- Salata de Boeuf: cold salad appetizer that is a deliciously comforting mix of meat (often chicken or beef), mayo, and potatoes. Very similar to potato salad but with the perk of being extra filling from the additional protein of the meat. I've had it before usually made of chicken but I did not clarify what this one was made of so definitely ask in advance if you have dietary preferences. Really loved how well this went with bread. Filling and delicious!

- Zacusca: traditional dip made with bellpeppers and eggplant. Their zacusca was exceptional! It reminded me of the zacusca that Romanian family friends have made us at home. The flavors were well balanced, this one was a little bit more eggplant heavy than I am used to but it was delicious and it gave the dip a very chunky and meaty consistency. Super good!

- Ciorba de Pui: My boyfriend said this was probably closer to a supa as opposed to ciorba (since we did not really get any of the fermented cabbage flavor that is typical of ciorba), however, it was still delicious. The broth was super rich and flavorful but also light at the same time. It had plenty of vegetables and these homemade noodles as well. The chicken was perfectly cooked and just fell off the bone. This is exactly what I would want if I were sick. So hearty, filling, and delicious. My mom and boyfriend had the ciorba de vacuta (beef) and burta (tripe) and both loved those as well.

- Sarmale: comes with 5-6 cabbage leaves stuffed with a delectable mix of meat (might have been beef and pork but I am not super sure.) The cabbage was perfectly cooked and was super flavorful, the meat was also super juicy and just salty enough to complement the sweetness of the tomato sauce in which the cabbage rolls were cooked. Had a side of sour cream and polenta which is just the most glorious combination. Would definitely order this any time I come here.

- Mititei: traditional Romanian skinless sausages. I have had these at many Romanian barbecues so my expectations were pretty high and these really lived up to them. The meat was perfectly grilled and really well seasoned. They were also really juicy. I found them to be less chunky on the inside than what I am used to but still good. I appreciated how our waiter brought out mustard for us to eat these with since that is how I have seen them eaten at parties. The potatoes and mushrooms on the side were also delightful!

- Tochitura: my boyfriend got this and he really enjoyed it! Stew with pork and other meats that is tomato based and comes with a fried egg and polenta + cheese. Very nice portion size. The polenta with cheese was 11/10.

Sadly, we were too full for dessert but we definitely will try harder to save some room next time. Overall, had a wonderful experience here. The service is excellent and attentive, the ambiance is nice and relaxed, and the food is delicious and incredibly filling-- it is a great deal for what you pay! We had many leftovers that fed us the next day. Will definitely be coming back here whenever I want to have authentic Romanian food...Highly recommend!

One of the few places in NYC with authentic Romanian food! I brought three friends who have never been to a Romanian restaurant before. Needless to say their experience exceeded all expectations. Traditional dishes like sarmale and mititei were executed perfectly - honestly better than (most) peoples grandmothers. Although I didn't get a photo of it, this pork chop dish (I think it was the Muşchiuleţ De Porc La Grătar after looking at the menu) was absolutely insane. Ambiance inside was hyperlocal and friendly. I'll definitely be back!

Great place, tasty food, friendly staff, pretty ambience. Flexible with reservations for big oarties
Thank you!

Romanian food is something that I never tried before. But I'm glad I got to try the stuffed cabbage rolls. They were very rich and pair up well with the sour cream. The farmers cheese pie was also good. It was not overly sweet which I like. The service is great and they bring your order over to the table pretty quickly. I would go back and try more stuff from their menu.

Went here with a group of my friends for sunnyside restaurant week. We may have overstayed our time for longer than intended. The food and service was all over the place. We first went in and sat ourselves.

They gave us the menu and didn't come by for the longest time. We had no idea what anything was so the waiter had to explain everything. But it would've been nice if he came by much earlier to say oh compare with the menu to see the description. The food wasn't anything special. I had to ask for hot sauce as it was really bland. I wouldn't go back at all even if they participated again in restaurant week.

Wow so impressive! Never had the opportunity to try Romanian cuisine before, so was excited to find this place in Sunnyside

My table of five ordered an assortment of appetizers and five entrees to share, and everything was delicious. The particular standouts for me were the fried meat balls, which had an amazing crust as well as a phenomenal mix of fragrant herbs in the meat which helped to add to the texture and taste; so good!

Give this place a try!

Cozy place with fantastic service, delicious Romanian food and great music.
Beautiful food presentation and delicious desserts.