New Vegan Eats!!! ~ Lunch @ Cafeneaua Nației in Ploiesti, RO

If you’ve been following this blog for the past year or two or three (has it been 3 years already?) then you’ll know that the town where I live in Romania, Ploiesti, has very VERY limited options when it comes to vegan food. I mean, sure, you can eat anywhere if you don’t mind eating a basic salad, French fries and other items on the ‘side dishes’ list. But if you want something to satisfy your appetite? Well, look outside Ploiesti.

Things have gotten better here, at the grocery store anyway. But everywhere else we’ve gone like Constanta, Cluj and Sinaia have all had incredible options for vegans.

So, imagine my surprise when I decided to torture myself by seeing if there were any new vegan options in Ploiesti because I was feeling a little sluggish and I hadn’t been outside for a few days and I was in the mood for some yummy vegan food on a sunny terrace. And guess what pops up?

Cafeneaua Nației.

It’s in the city center which was nice–except for the traffic–and the place was great. This was our experience.

Inside the gate there was tons of outdoor seating if you want to enjoy the sun, but seeing as Romania and Europe in general is in the middle of a historic heatwave that was a big ol’ no thanks.

We go inside because it was slightly cooler than outside and zero humidity. This restaurant is also a library and coffee shop. The place has a nice, cool vibe with world music playing in every language. A little loud for my taste but The Hubs loved the music.

Technically the restaurant is vegetarian but there were some vegan options because they have a menu of the day for everything–starters, soup & mains–and then a list of their full menu.

I enjoyed the laidback vibe and the Zaganu dark stout to kick things off.

Starters

We got our meal started with a chickpea pancake with hummus, avocado and cherry tomatoes. It was…delicious. I avoided the avocado because it’s not my jam, which The Hubs appreciated.

I got a leek and potato soup because I was planning to make it this week and there it was, so now I don’t have to. It was all right. The flavor was decent but it definitely needed a lot more seasoning. I added salt & pepper but it just fell short.

Mains

For the main lunch dishes we opted for three items to split. Kale salad with carrots, cranberries, vegan feta cheese, walnuts and beets (maybe/maybe not). The salad was very good, the kale was massaged with citrus and it wasn’t too fibrous. The ingredients all complimented each other and I would definitely order it again.

Falafel burrito with grilled onions, tomato and arugula. It was really delicious. The wrap was so soft and good and I’m pretty sure it had herbs in it. I would order this again too, even though in my opinion it could use some type of sauce like maybe a vegan tzatziki or some spicy dipping sauce.

Finally, we had the pureed lentils and rice with grilled onions. This was probably my favorite dish of all. It tasted exactly like my southern granny’s beans & rice even though it was lentils. It didn’t need anything, except for maybe a bigger bowl. 🙂

Overall this was a great experience and I’m looking forward to going back when they are offering different menu items. And best of all, GLOVO delivers!!!

Lunch at Cafeneaua Nației was a nice vegan surprise and a place we will definitely visit again. And again.

Menu & details HERE.