There are plenty of small restaurants and coffee shops. The service tends to be slow, but the cuisine is delicious, with a range of traditional national dishes and European food.
National specialties:•
Mititeyi (small grilled sausages with onion and pepper).
•
Mamaliga (thick, sticky maize pie) which is served with
brinza (feta cheese).
•
Tocana (pork stew) should be tried with sweet-and-sour watermelons and apples.
National drinks:
There are more than 100 varieties of excellent wines produced in
Moldova.
• White wines include
Aligote,
Riesling and
Sauvignon.
•
Moldovan Cabernet and
Merlot are noteworthy reds.
•
Doina or
Nistru brandy is an ideal accompaniment with desserts.
Tipping: 5 to 10% will be gladly accepted.
NightlifeIn
Chisinau, there is a good selection of
theaters and
concert halls, and an
opera house. The
Eminescu Music and Drama Theater specializes in Romanian productions, as does the
Youth Theater Luceafarul (Poetic Star). All performances in the
Chekhov Drama Theater are exclusively in Russian (the building used to be the
Chisinau Choral Synagogue). The
Philharmonia Concert Hall houses Moldova’s
Symphony Orchestra. It is also the base for the
folklore Doina Choir, the internationally-renowned
Zhok National Dance Ensemble and the
Fluerash Orchestra of National Music. Russian and Romanian productions can be seen in the
puppet theater Licurici (Glow-worm). The country is famous for its tradition of folk arts and there are many lively musical groups (
Tarafs), which play a variety of rare folk instruments including the
tsambal (not unlike a dulcimer),
cimpoi (bagpipe),
fluier and
nai.
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