3 Best Restaurants in Constanta, Romania

This is a hidden gem in a culinarily-challenged city. Modeled on a French gastro-bistro and housed in a fabulously wacky modern building, it has a café area, beautiful contemporary dining room, and spacious outdoor terrace. The American chef's wonderously ambitious cuisine puts fresh, seasonal ingredients front and center, with an emphasis on seafood and quality meats. Dishes are inventive and beautiful: foie gras terrine with green apple and a deep purple splash of three-berry coulis; pork belly with garlic purée; quinoa with pumkin and almond. Desserts like light lemon meringue pie or almond strawberry shortcake with triple sec and whipped mascarpone are equally tempting. There are excellent sandwiches and salads at lunch and a fine wine and cocktails list to boot.

Constanta's version of a stylish bar, it is also considered the best restaurant in town. The pub's handsome dark wood paneling, fireplace, and comfortable seating recall a classic Irish pub, as do the many beers on tap. You'll find plenty of good pub staples—grilled steak, burgers and fries, fish and chips—along with lighter fare: a decent seafood or Caesar salad, salmon teriyaki, and good pasta dishes. Desserts are nothing extraordinary, but there's a yummy chocolate fondant cake. On pleasant days the terrace, with views of the sea, is a nice option, especially for nonsmokers, as smoking is permitted in the pub.

An exciting newcomer to the Constanta dining scene, this has all the makings of a fine restaurant, starting with its romantic setting right on the water. A cozy hideaway in winter, in warm weather the floor-to-ceiling glass doors open up for sunset views over the harbor. The menu features copious pasta dishes with a focus on seafood. Fresh salads are big enough for a meal and sides like garlicky crostini are extra generous. There's also a nice choice of fresh, imaginative cocktails and a solid list of European wines by the bottle or glass.