The Best Breakfast and Brunch Spots in Sibiu, Romania

Sibiu’s Cafe Wien is a place where visitors feel close to the Austrian capital, thanks to the authentic flavours being created in the kitchen. Pick from a rich selection of breakfast dishes that allow you to taste the best of both worlds. Viennese breakfasts include a cup of coffee, tea or hot chocolate, two buns, pressed cheese, bacon, butter, jam and orange juice. The local version is a Peasant omelette, which combines eggs, pressed cheese and mushrooms cooked to perfection and served with a bun.

At Atrium Cafe, located near the Bridge of Lies, what you see is what you get. For breakfast they serve a sturdy English breakfast complete with eggs, sausages, bacon and beans, as well as a fluffy, golden omelette with cheese, spinach and bacon. Wash it all down with fresh apple or blueberry juice. When popping by for brunch, you can choose from a selection of homemade cakes (these cakes change every two weeks, so don’t wait to try them). Atrium Cafe specialises in cheesecake with strawberry and chocolate filling. Their signature sweet is a scrumptious apple strudel.

Located in the Small Square, in the very heart of the old centre, Nod Pub is a great place to start off your day in Sibiu. Head for the terrace, which offers a nice view of the square, and choose from a variety of breakfast and brunch options, including sandwiches, yoghurt and fruit salads. A top tip is to try the creamy rice pudding, a Romanian childhood favourite dessert, served with cinnamon, banana, goji berries and dried fruit. Nod Pub makes homemade lemonades with fruit and fresh juices, but it is also a haven for coffee lovers.

A small, but comfortable restaurant, Hochmeister lies in one of the most charming squares in the city: Schiller Square. While its opening hours are not friendly to early risers who want to have breakfast before the traffic picks up, Hochmeister makes up for it with its glorious Sunday brunches. The selection includes three types of omelettes, two types of mini pizzas (one of which is designed with children in mind), a cheese platter, eggs Benedict and more. Housed in an eighteenth-century building erected by Martin Hochmeister, it is a lovely place to have a meal and it features a beautiful terrace for those warmer days.

Located on ‘the most beautiful street in Sibiu’, as the restaurant’s owner likes to say, Pardon Bistro is known for its large repertoire of original recipes created by chef and owner Marius Rafa. The menu includes a number of items including salads and pastas and a salmon dish with a top secret recipe. Another glorious menu is the dessert selection, which features famous fruit tortes and chocolate tortes, cheesecake and orange cake. As Pardon Cafe & Bistro’s menu does not specifically include ‘brunch’ options, feel free to freestyle your way through a lovely meal.

Building on its collection of glorious desserts, which are made with all-natural ingredients, this newly-opened cafe has also added a selection of savoury tarts, perfect for breakfast and brunch. A dream combo may include a delicious lime tart and toast with butter and jam, accompanied by hot chocolate or one of 80 teas. In summertime, try one of the restaurant’s natural syrups made in the neighbouring village of Saschiz. The most exotic ones are acacia, elderflower and blackthorn.

With opening times that are hard to believe, Cotton Pub in Sibiu may be the only place you can count on to serve a good breakfast in the early hours. It offers the most comprehensive selection of omelettes in Sibiu, and they serve them on a lovely terrace. The ‘Omletterie’ serves six types of fluffy omelettes accompanied by a salad and delicious, colourful toppings. Alternatively, you can order a rich French breakfast with freshly baked croissants or a classic English breakfast with an original touch: the beans are cooked Romanian style.

Not only is Stravagante Caffe among the best coffee shops in Sibiu, thanks to its carefully curated selection of freshly roasted coffees, it is a local coffee lover’s Mecca. So if your usual breakfast consists of a good cup of coffee, head to this cosy cafe and pick a spot, as the place gets crowded in the mornings. Serving only certified coffee, imported by the owner, coffee aficionado Mișu Rus, Stravagante Caffe is also one of the few places you can enjoy a cup of Kopi Luwak, the rarest and most coveted coffee in the world. Although the breakfast selection does not yet include too many options, you can still choose from homemade chicken and ham sandwiches and delicious raw vegan cakes.