Gate-side at Terminal 1, Paul is the “not-bad” pastry option
Inside Terminal 1 after security at OTP, Paul is the bakery that people actually name when they want a croissant that doesn’t taste like it came from a gas station. It sits in the main departures area near several gates, in the mid-range $$ price tier by Bucharest standards but standard airport-expensive by global ones.
Figure on paying café prices closer to downtown Bucharest: a croissant plus coffee can nudge toward 30–35 RON, and baguette sandwiches land in the 30–45 RON range. Reviewers call out that baguette sandwiches and plain or butter croissants feel closest to a city-branch Paul, while fancier pastries can be hit and miss compared with what you’d get in town.
Hours track the morning wave at OTP, with shutters usually open before the early bank of flights around 05:00 and running through the late-afternoon departures. Several reviews mention early flights at 06:00–07:00 where Paul still has a strong pastry case, but by mid- to late afternoon the better croissants and some sandwiches are often gone.
Regulars game the pricing by splitting the stop: they grab a cheaper espresso at another coffee stand in Terminal 1, then come to Paul only for a 10–15 RON pastry or a 30–40 RON sandwich, skipping the marked-up combo deals. If you just want something to eat on a 2–3 hour flight to Western Europe, one baguette sandwich is usually enough to replace the buy-on-board box.
Watch out for: stock gets thin after about 15:00 according to several Google reviews, and some late-night departures find only a few tired pastries left. Also expect airport pricing that feels high for Romania, even if it matches other food outlets at OTP.
Practical tip: flying early out of Terminal 1 and care about pastry quality, hit Paul before shopping or boarding; treat coffee as optional here to trim the bill.