Grand Optica Café

A cafe set inside the Grand Optica eyewear salon at 11 Vasile Alecsandri Street, in the 40 de ani neighbourhood of the Centru district. The format is a morning coffee bar: espresso, cappuccino and milk-based drinks, tea, lemonades and smoothies, alongside a counter with savoury tarts — salmon and spinach, or broccoli — plus cakes and biscuits. Guests sit at small tables or take their order away, and many combine coffee with trying on glasses in the salon itself. The cafe runs its own Facebook page, Grand Optica Cafe.

Google reviews show customers are highly satisfied, but the average rests largely on older feedback, while the past year is noticeably more critical. Praise goes to the homely atmosphere, the music and the affordable prices; recent complaints point to indifferent baristas, coffee served in a paper cup without asking whether it is to stay or to go, inconsistent drink volumes, sweets that did not look fresh, and air conditioning that was not working. Several visitors also describe being refused a coffee some time before closing, so it is worth not leaving your visit until the last minute.