Romanian drink culture pivots around țuică, a plum brandy that ferments in households and commercial distilleries across Transylvania, Moldavia, and Wallachia. The spirit reaches 28 to 60 percent alcohol by volume depending on whether producers distill it once or twice. Double-distilled versions carry the name pălincă in Transylvania and țuică de pere when producers substitute pears for plums. The Romanian government requires home distillers to register their stills and limits annual production to 50 liters per household without taxation. Commercial versions sold in supermarkets and markets range from industrial brands at 5 to 7 Romanian lei per 500 milliliters to artisan versions from Maramureș and Bukovina that cost 40 to 80 lei per bottle. Romanians pour țuică in small 30-milliliter glasses and serve it at room temperature or chilled in rural areas, consuming it before meals as an aperitif or during social gatherings that extend past midnight. The spirit appears at weddings, funerals, Orthodox holidays, and whenever hosts receive guests, creating a ritual where refusing the first glass can offend. Seasonal variations include vișinată, a sour cherry liqueur macerated for three to six months, and afinată, a blueberry version popular in the Carpathian Mountains where wild berries grow above 1,200 meters elevation.
Wine production in Romania spans 178,000 hectares as of 2022, placing the country tenth globally by vineyard area. The Dealu Mare region northeast of Bucharest concentrates on Fetească Neagră and Cabernet Sauvignon, producing red wines that retail from 25 to 150 lei per bottle depending on aging and estate reputation. Cotnari in Moldavia cultivates Fetească Albă, Tămâioasă Românească, and Grasă de Cotnari, three indigenous white varietals that the Cotnari Wine Cellars have vinified since 1448. The region's semi-sweet wines contain 35 to 80 grams of residual sugar per liter, targeting a domestic market that prefers sweeter profiles than Western European standards. Murfatlar near the Black Sea specializes in aromatic whites and late-harvest wines fermented from Chardonnay and Muscat Ottonel. Romanian wine consumption averages 22 liters per capita annually, trailing behind Moldova at 15 liters but exceeding the European Union average of 26 liters. Urban wine bars in Bucharest, Cluj-Napoca, and Timișoara began appearing after 2010, charging 15 to 25 lei per glass for domestic selections and 30 to 50 lei for imports. Traditional consumption occurs at home or in restaurants where patrons order wine by the carafe, a 500-milliliter vessel costing 20 to 40 lei filled from house stocks.
Beer represents the dominant alcoholic beverage by volume, with Romanians consuming 74 liters per capita in 2021 according to the Romanian Brewers Association. Ursus, produced by the Ursus Brewery in Cluj-Napoca since 1878, claims 18 percent market share. Ciuc Premium, brewed in Miercurea Ciuc in the Eastern Carpathians, sells in 500-milliliter bottles for 4 to 6 lei at supermarkets and 8 to 12 lei at bars. Timișoreana, established in 1718 by the Habsburg administration, continues production in Timișoara. The Romanian beer market consolidated under international ownership between 2000 and 2010, with Heineken acquiring Ursus in 2007 and Molson Coors purchasing Ciuc in 2012. Craft breweries emerged after 2015, concentrated in Bucharest, Brașov, and Cluj-Napoca. Ground Zero Brewery in Bucharest operates a taproom on Strada Plantelor selling 400-milliliter pours from 12 to 18 lei, featuring IPAs and stouts that reach 6.5 to 8 percent alcohol. Zaganu Brewery in Brașov distributes across Transylvania, bottling unfiltered ales that retail for 9 to 14 lei per 330 milliliters. Romanians drink beer year-round, with consumption peaking during summer when outdoor terraces in cities serve draft Ursus and Ciuc from 7 lei per 500 milliliters.
Non-alcoholic beverages include socată, an elderflower cordial made by fermenting elderflowers with sugar, water, and lemon for three to five days. The drink appears in May and June when elder trees bloom in rural areas and city parks. Producers bottle socată after straining the flowers, yielding a lightly carbonated beverage with less than 1 percent alcohol by volume. Street vendors in Bucharest and other cities sell 500-milliliter bottles from 5 to 8 lei. Compot represents a fruit drink simmered from plums, apples, or cherries with sugar and water, then chilled and served at lunches and dinners. Romanian households prepare compot in glass jars, storing it in cellars or refrigerators. The drink contains no preservatives and spoils within one week if not refrigerated. Mineral water consumption reaches high levels due to natural springs in the Carpathian Mountains. Borsec, sourced from springs in Harghita County at 850 meters elevation, carbonate naturally and contains 2,900 milligrams of dissolved minerals per liter. The brand sells 500-milliliter bottles for 2 to 3 lei nationally. Perla Harghitei and Dorna, both from the Eastern Carpathians, compete in the same market segment. Tap water in Bucharest, Cluj-Napoca, and Timișoara meets European Union standards but tastes heavily chlorinated, pushing residents toward bottled alternatives.
Coffee culture in Romania centers on espresso-based drinks consumed standing at counters or seated at cafes. 5 to Go, a drive-through chain founded in 2015, operates 320 locations as of 2023, selling 250-milliliter espresso drinks from 7 to 12 lei. Ted's Coffee Co, established in Cluj-Napoca in 2014, expanded to 45 locations in Transylvania and Bucharest, charging 9 to 15 lei for cappuccinos and lattes. Romanians prefer medium-roast Arabica blends from African and South American beans, rejecting darker Italian roasts. Independent cafes in Sibiu, Brașov, and Cluj-Napoca serve single-origin pour-overs from Ethiopian and Colombian beans, priced at 12 to 18 lei per 200 milliliters. Instant coffee remains common in households, with Nescafé holding 40 percent market share. Turkish-style coffee appears in older neighborhoods of Bucharest and in Dobruja, brewed in a cezve and served unfiltered with grounds settling at the bottom of the cup. Traditional Romanian coffee consumption involved boiling ground coffee directly in water, a method replaced by Italian espresso machines after 1990.
Street food in Romania revolves around covrigi, pretzels baked from wheat dough twisted into loops and topped with coarse salt or sesame seeds. Vendors sell covrigi from carts and kiosks in Bucharest, Cluj-Napoca, Timișoara, and Iași for 1.5 to 3 lei each, depending on size and topping. The pretzels measure 15 to 25 centimeters in diameter and weigh 80 to 120 grams. Simigeria Petru in Bucharest operates 12 locations baking covrigi on-site, with lines forming during morning commutes between 7 and 9 AM. Covrigi cu mac, topped with poppy seeds, and covrigi cu sare, with coarse salt, represent standard varieties. Sweet versions filled with chocolate or Turkish delight cost 4 to 5 lei. Romanians eat covrigi while walking, often pairing them with coffee purchased from adjacent kiosks. The snack derives from Austro-Hungarian influences in Transylvania, where pretzel bakeries existed in Brașov and Sibiu during the 18th century.