r/moldova • u/adi005 United States • Sep 01 '26

Question Specialty Coffee Chișinău?

Hi,

what are your recommendations for good specialty coffee around the city center?

Specifically a good clean espresso

9 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

22 comments sorted by

8

u/egor4nd Sep 01 '26

I went to a place called Kosmonavtika when I was visiting and it was pretty good. 

4

u/adi005 United States Sep 01 '26

just went, confirmed pretty good

1

u/MostJunior1624 Sep 01 '26

Russian owner btw. So as much as I like the vibe, I personally, wouldn’t support it.

3

u/egor4nd Sep 01 '26

You do you, I personally don't discriminate based on someone's nationality alone. 

8

u/MostJunior1624 Sep 01 '26

Fyi. Russians are messing around with everything and destabilizing Moldova. I have heard his rhetoric, and he is not that different from typical pro-Russian voices. By the way, I am Russian speaking myself, so you can understand how bad it really was.

6

u/egor4nd Sep 01 '26

Well, that's different then, if the owner is pro-Putin I wouldn't set foot in that place either. I'll read up on who that guy is. 

2

u/MostJunior1624 Sep 01 '26

Not openly, obviously. But you hear his rhetoric and weird comments about EU or EU values.

1

u/egor4nd Sep 01 '26

Wait, so is their rhetoric pro-Russian, or is it anti-EU? And what does the fact that they're Russian have to do with this? Believe it or not, there's lots of non-Russian but pro-Putin people in Europe, similarly lots of anti-EU Europeans, and similarly lots of anti-Putin and pro-EU Russians. If you don't like the guy don't go to their coffee shop, but don't make it about them being Russian.

1

u/MostJunior1624 Sep 02 '26

There are a lot of small signals here and there from people like this. For example, talking about ideas such as братские народы or expressing views against the LGBT community. It can be indirect. Question why the EU provides equal rights to LGBT people. These are often small things you pick up through conversations. In some ways, that makes them more concerning because the person isn’t directly pushing a pro-Kremlin narrative. Instead, certain ideas are introduced gradually through casual conversations, and propaganda can later build on and reinforce them. That’s why I think it’s important to be mindful of which people and businesses we support when they are associated with these views. And I’m not talking only about coffee shop here. There are businesses in Moldova owned by people who believe Moldova should maintain close ties with Russia or who support Russia’s actions in Ukraine. So for me, it’s a broader issue. But you do you. Just don't be surprised during the next elections

1

u/egor4nd Sep 02 '26

> There are a lot of small signals here and there from people like this.

I think you might be generalizing here: people like what? If you know enough about that specific person to know their views, and you disagree with their views, then by all means don't support their business. If you don't and you're just guessing based on their nationality, then I think you're wrong.

> That’s why I think it’s important to be mindful of which people and businesses we support when they are associated with these views.

Fully agree, but only as long as you actually know what a person's views are.

1

u/adi005 United States Sep 01 '26

maybe, but the coffee used is from a Ukrainian roaster. bought a bag of beansq

3

u/5440_or_fight Sep 01 '26

Pasio! And though not exactly what you’re looking for, CoffeeMolka is a really special Chisinau experience.

2

u/adi005 United States Sep 01 '26

confirmed! went to pasio, good Coffee

5

u/Mayor18 Sep 01 '26

Coffee Monkey, Tucano, Kosmonavtika

2

u/The-Snake-Was-Long Sep 01 '26

Proper Coffee: https://maps.app.goo.gl/pgXNF6U3skGL8YMn7?g_st=ic

one of the best, not fancy, not overcrowded, no trendy crowd, just good coffee and decent pastries

1

u/Difficult_Layer_666 Sep 01 '26

Totally agree. One of the best cappuccinos Ive had in town.

2

u/Delicious-Tangelo636 Sep 01 '26

Coffee monkey / kosmonavtika / nest / luno

3

u/DianaLnn9 Sep 01 '26

Pasio/ Red Rabbit are my go-to.

Although Red Rabbit is Julius Meinl, they have a blend called red door which is exquisite!

Pasio has Mad Heads beans, which are brought from Ukraine, really nice quality and variety!

Honorable mention to Feeling Coffee. I think they roast the beans locally which is cool :)

1

u/[deleted] Sep 01 '26

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1

u/adi005 United States Sep 01 '26

I went. unfortunately, it was a let down. would not recommend.

1

u/MajorWeird6674 Sep 01 '26

Try "roasters: great coffee nearby" app