513
A vintage-motorcycle bar that became an everyday restaurant · book ahead on Fridays
House cherry liqueur + Baba Neagra in an interior with vintage motorcycles and neon
A one-of-a-kind spot in Chișinău - a "Native American meets vintage motorcycles" aesthetic and house-made sour-cherry liqueur.
A place that is impossible to categorize: by day a neighborhood canteen with business lunches (ribeye, grilled chicken, ciorbă, 80-120 lei), by evening an eclectic bar with cocktails and occasional live music. The interior blends vintage motorcycles, authentic Native-American artwork, and warm neon - an aesthetic unlike anywhere else in Chișinău. The kitchen is fusion with personal twists: creatively presented hummus, solid paninis, honest risotto, and the standout Baba Neagra dessert (rarely found elsewhere). The drinks list features above-average Aperol Spritz and a homemade sour-cherry liqueur (vișinată) that many guests order a second round of. The generous front terrace makes 513 one of the most comfortable evening picks on Alecsandri during summer and early fall. Vibe varies: quiet Monday-Thursday, with cocktail buzz and occasional live music Friday-Saturday. Dinner 250-400 MDL per person.
Digest of the reviews
What 78 reviews from the last 12 months say
Google Reviews
Based on 1,079 reviews · gathered over 7 years
We read 684 Google reviews for 513, sorted newest first; 78 of them are from the last year and have text. The bars show how many of those 78 mentioned each theme. Where there is enough history, an arrow says whether a theme comes up more or less than before.
What their own numbers say
What they paid per personstated by 40 of 64
- 200-300 lei15
- 300-400 lei12
- 100-200 lei8
- 500-600 lei2
- 400-500 lei2
How long they waited for a tablestated by 51 of 135
- no wait40
- 10-30 min6
- up to 10 min4
- 30-60 min1
How quiet it isstated by 48 of 135
- quiet, easy to talk21
- moderate noise19
- loud, but you can talk5
- very loud2
- very quiet1
What group size they recommend it forstated by 41 of 135
- groups of 3-416
- any group size15
- two people11
- groups of 5-88
- on your own5
The floor staff, then the food
The floor staff17 of 78 22%
What the reviews say
It is the most repeated subject, ahead of the kitchen and ahead of the interior. People are named: Cristi, Andra, Daniel, Nastia, Maria, Ianuș behind the bar, Pavel. The share has barely moved in years, which happens less often than a good month.
Better to book
7 moreBooking8 of 78 10%
What the reviews say
It is the biggest change in the whole corpus. The mentions are about Friday evenings and weekends, when the room can fill up · that is when booking is the safer move. On weekdays, at lunch especially, reviewers walk in without one. It appears in no Google field and is probably the most useful thing to know before you set out.
Not a place about beer only
7 lessBeer2 of 78 3%
The business lunch2 of 78 3%
The motorcycle interior5 of 78 6%
What the reviews say
Beer used to be the reason to come; now it is lunch. People order kharcho, beef stroganoff, cream soups, and the reviews talk about the daily menu rather than the taps. The motorcycles are still there, but they come up about three times less often than before. It reads as a restaurant with a bar, not a bar that also serves food.
The paninis, the Napoleon and the price
The paninis5 of 78 6%
Price for what you get4 of 78 5%
The desserts3 of 78 4%
What the reviews say
The paninis, above all the chicken-and-bacon one and the „panini burger". The Napoleon is the dessert named most, and one reviewer writes they had never eaten a good one until then. Portions are described as large, prices as fair, and one reviewer adds something rare: that they have not jumped every couple of months.
What goes wrong, when it goes wrong
Food below expectations3 of 78 4%
What the reviews say
Of the 78 recent reviews with text from the last year, not one complains about the service. The rushed waiters, the hour-long wait with no warning, the tables asked back in an empty room · all of those stories are more than a year old. What remains recent: three reviews say the food fell below expectations, and those same reviews usually praise the rest. The exception, not the rule.
the place is usually packed on Fridays and weekends, so it’s best to book
Maria TiseevaI think they have best paninis in whole Moldova
Robert Levonyanover the years, all aspects have remained at a very high level
Better RiI love the food at 513 · but the beef panini is horrible
Eugen Shubres
- The floor staff · the number one subject in reviews, many remember them by name
- The paninis, the one dish people call the best in town
- Portion for the price, praised consistently for years
- The desserts, the Napoleon above all
- The vintage motorcycle interior
- The business lunch, mentioned more and more over the last two years
- Vintage motorcycles styled as room decor
- Native American art on the wall with warm neon
- House cherry liqueur in a small glass next to Aperol Spritz
- The generous front terrace in the evening
- Baba Neagra creatively plated as a signature dessert
No g0er has reviewed yet. Be the first.
“Had an early lunch here today with my boyfriend: out of this world delicious! When we got in - the restaurant was full but the person greeting us (later serving us too) accommodated us very easily! We ordered a very nice glass of beer and for the meals a "Chicken Tikka Massala" and a "Dorada Fish with vegetables". Everything was incredibly tasty and flavorful plus the setting w…”
“I think they have best paninis in whole Moldova”
“This is a cozy restaurant, reasonable price, Delicious food, good service. Waitress speaks English & very helpful. They don’t have menu in English, it was not a problem as waitress helped us to order. We had dinner - Beef steak, Grilled chicken with carrot & spinach. Food was delicious & portion size was perfect. They have both indoor & outdoor sittings. I recommend this restau…”
- Full on Fridays and weekends · booking has become necessary, the most frequent practical mention
- Service is sometimes cold or rushed · in roughly 3% of recent reviews
- A few describe a long wait for food, up to an hour
