Hotels Restaurants Cafés Nightlife Sightseeing Events Maps

BUCHAREST
April - May 2010

Old Town/Lipscani
In Your Pocket
“In Your Pocket: A cheeky, well- A 12-page special on
written series of guidebooks.” Bucharest’s Old Town, the
The New York Times area also known as Lipscani

Goran Bregovic
N°64 - 12.00 lei Just one of many top acts
bucharest.inyourpocket.com
scheduled to play
Bucharest this spring
 Contents 3

E S S E N T I A L C I TY G U I D E S

Contents
Basics 6
Everything you wanted to know about Bucharest
and Romania, but were afraid to ask

Culture & Events 9

Including Children’s Bucharest, page 11

Where to Stay 13
From palaces of gold to flea pits

Restaurants 24
Where to eat, and where to get food poisoning

If you‘d told us two or three years ago that Bucharest‘s

Lipscani area would be the hottest part of town for all
things coffee, beer, cocktails, food, dancing and general
debauchery, then we‘d have had you certified. The
transformation of the area - which, it should be pointed
out is far from complete - has been amazing. To see how
amazing, check out our special 12-page guide to the
Lipscani area, which begins on page 58.

Cafes 43
So many, we’ve given them their own chapter

Nightlife 46
Clubs, bars, pubs and the like

Sightseeing
What to see 54
Where to spend your days

Old Town/Lipscani 58
The heart and soul of the city

Getting around 70
Planes, trains & Automobiles

Shopping & Directory 74

Everything from malls and souvenirs to
accountants, realtors to dentists

Maps & Street Register

That man Goran Bregovic is in Bucharest again with his
unique mix of music and art, this time at the Zone Arena
on May 20th. Bregovic is just one of many big acts hitting
the capital this spring: see our full Culture & Events
listings on page 9 for loads more.
Northern Bucharest 78
Central & Southern Bucharest 80
Street Register 82

bucharest.inyourpocket.com April - May 2010

4 Foreword
We looked rather silly last time out, banging on as
we did about how we were happy the winter snows Europe In Your Pocket
had gone for good, only to wake up the day the
guide was published to see yet another huge dump
of the white stuff outside our window. Oh dear. No
more Foreword’s about the weather then...
Instead, a word or two on the ongoing revival of
Bucharest’s Old Town, or Lipscani area. Sure,
many of Lipscani’s streets still look as though they
are shelled by a besieging army on a regular basis
(and indeed, as dawn breaks on a Sunday morning
and clubbers start making their way home, many
of them look like they’ve been involved in some
almighty battle) but who cares? Everybody loves
Lipscani, and everybody wants a piece of the
action. That’s why it is now such a one-stop-shop
for fun, frolics and food. And that’s why this hotbed
of action has - this issue - been hauled out from
the main baulk of our listings and given its own 12-
page feature, on pages 58-69
We welcome your thoughts on this innovation,
and indeed anything about Bucharest, Bucharest
In Your Pocket or Romania in general. You can get
The year 2010 promises to be another great one
in touch with us at editor@inyourpocket.com, or try here at In Your Pocket. We now publish a record
our website bucharest.inyourpocket.com, home 58 guides and mini-guides across 22 European
to loads more listings and features we simply do countries, with more than four million In Your
not have room for here in print. Pocket-branded products printed and distributed
Whatever you do, enjoy Bucharest. It is a city annually. The latest to join the list were Kranjska
Gora and Otepää: winter capitals of Slovenia
going places. The only problem is that nobody and Estonia respectively. This year we will also be
appears to know exactly where that might be... launching new guides in Venice, Glasgow, Vienna,
Kranj, Celje and Bovec, as well as a few other cities
Cover Story we are keeping a secret for now.
One of a number of expensively-purchased
We welcome enquiries from anyone who would like
new clocks which have appeared around to take part in our Pocket Revolution, starting up an
the Romanian capital this spring. This one IYP. Simply send us an email requesting more info:
is at Universitate. the address is publisher@inyourpocket.com.

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E S S E N T I A L C I TY G U I D E S
Bucharest In Your Pocket
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Published six times per year, up to
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Editor Craig Turp
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Bucharest In Your Pocket bucharest.inyourpocket.com

6 Basics
Arriving in Bucharest
By Air
Bucharest has two international airports, Otopeni Henri
Coanda, and Baneasa Aurel Vlaicu.
Arriving at Otopeni After getting off the plane and eas-
ing your way through passport control, you’ll find yourself
in the baggage reclaim area. Ignore all of the services on
offer here, be it currency exchange or limousines to the
city centre. Past customs is the arrivals area, where there
are a couple of ATMs, a small cafe, and car hire desks (to
your right). You will see signs pointing you towards trains
to Gara de Nord: ignore them. You first have to take a bus
to the airport’s train station, and the trains themselves run
irregularly. Bus or taxi remains your best bet.
You will be set upon by taxi drivers offering you a
ride to the city centre: ignore them, they are crooks.
Swear at them if you have to: they will eventually get
the message. Outside you will instead find a line up of
shiny, expensive but generally honest taxis. Their cabs
will display an Airport sign. A ride to the city centre with
one of these smiling Charlies will set you back around
130.00 lei (€32). That is about three times the cost of
taking a normal Bucharest taxi, from a company such
as Cristaxi (tel. 021-9461) or Meridian (tel. 021-9444),
but remember that non-airport taxis are not allowed to
wait outside the terminal building or in the car park. You
can call one but you will have to go and meet it at the
entrance to the car park.
Instead, the easiest way to get a cheap taxi is simply
to walk through to departures (turn right as you exit bag-
gage claim) and take a regular taxi as it drops somebody
off. There is a regular stream of these and you should
never have to wait too long. You can also get to town by
taking bus N° 783, which stops underneath the arrivals
hall, in front of the internal flights terminal. It leaves for
the city centre (stopping at Piata Victoriei, Piata Romana
and Piata Universitatii) every 30 minutes from 05:23 until
23:53. Tickets costing 7 lei (valid for two trips) need to
be purchased before boarding from the little booth which
you’ll find on your right hand side as you exit the airport
building. Another bus, N° 780, runs direct from Otopeni
to Gara de Nord via Baneasa.
Arriving at Baneasa Baneasa is much closer to the
city centre than Otopeni. There is an ATM in arrivals,
and avoid the currency exchange booth: a rip-off. Bus
routes 131 and 335 stop outside, both terminating at
Piata Romana. A standard RATB ticket costing 1.30 lei
must be bought before boarding: there is a kiosk next
to the bus stop. Express bus N° 780 runs direct from
Baneasa to Gara de Nord, and tickets cost 3.50 lei.
Taxis wait outside, but make sure you take one belonging
to a trusted company (see Taxis, page eight). The fare
to town should cost no more than 35 lei, and take 15
minutes depending on traffic.
By Train
Arriving at Gara de Nord If you arrive by train you will
arrive at Gara de Nord. It is OK as international railway
stations go, but has the usual collection of gypsies,
tramps and thieves to contend with. There are ATMs,
shops, kiosks and a McDonalds. To get to town take
an honest taxi from outside (beware sharks) or take the
metro: you are just two stops away from Piata Victoriei.
To get to either of Bucharest’s airports from Gara de
Nord, take bus N° 780.
Bucharest In Your Pocket bucharest.inyourpocket.com
Basics 7
When Things Go Wrong
In an emergency call 112. You do not need to use the city
code, whether calling from a landline or a mobile. You wll
be asked which service you require (Politia/Police, Am-
bulanta/Ambulance or Pompierii/Firemen). Emergency
call centre operators are all meant to speak English or
French but in our experience they do not always do so. If
you can, ask a Romanian to call; at least make sure you
know the name of the street you are calling from.
If you get into trouble with the Police, demand to call
your embassy. There is a full list on pages 75 and 76. The
city‘s main police station is the brand new building at
(B-4) Str. Lascar Cartagiu 22, tel. (+4) 021 212 56 84.
The best Casualty Unit (Emergency Room) in the
city is at Spitalul de Urgente, (C-3) Calea Floreasca 8,
next to Dinamo Stadium. More details in the Health box
on page 75. There is a list of Pharmacies on page 76,
and English speaking Dentists on page 75.
Crime & Safety
If you keep your nose clean, Bucharest is safer than many
other cities in Europe. There is almost no violent crime.
However, if you go looking for trouble by visiting rough areas,
such as Ferentari or Salaj, you will find plenty. Petty crime
on the other hand is a major problem. Pickpockets are
ubiquitous on public transport, in crowded bars and pubs
and even in restaurants (beware that young lad trying to
sell you a rose).
Etiquette
In their own homes, Romanians are by and large fabulous
hosts. You had better be hungry, because the food never
stops coming. On and on, dish after dish. You must bring
something: flowers, chocolates or a bottle of good whisky.
You will probably be offered local brandy, ţuica. Most
Romanians love to chat about their country, its politics,
problems and history. Don’t be surprised if they ask
you very direct questions. In all cases, be diplomatic in
response.
Left Luggage
There are left luggage facilities at Gara de Nord, but no
luggage lockers. You will find the left luggage counter
opposite the Wasteels office, a short walk from the
platforms. The charge is cursory: 4 lei per small bag per
24 hours, 7 lei for a bigger bag. Note that the office keeps
irregular hours (with staff taking breaks seemingly willy-nilly),
so always make sure there will be someone on hand to give
you back your bag when you want to pick it up.
There is no left luggage facility at either Otopeni or
Baneasa airport.
Local laws & Police
If you are driving, or are out late at night, it is a good idea
to carry at least a photocopy of your passport and driving
license. Drinking in public (except in designated areas) leaves
bucharest.inyourpocket.com April - May 2010
8 Basics
you open to a fine, and note that despite appearances to the
contrary, prostitution remains illegal. If you are arrested ask
to speak to your embassy for advice.
Money
Romania’s currency is the leu (plural lei), divided into 100
bani. At the time of writing one leu was equal to €0.25, or
£0.23. Notes come in denominations of 500, 200, 100, 50,
10, 5 and 1. These are supplemented by 50, 10 and 5 bani
coins. The best place to get your hands on Romanian money
is at an ATM. Avoid currency exchanges (case de schimb) at
all costs. If you do have to change cash, do it inside a bank.
Credit and debit cards are accepted almost everywhere. report him.
Opening Hours
Shops open late, and stay open until late; most are open on
Sundays. Malls stay open until 22:00. Banks are open from
09:00-17:00, Monday to Friday. Museums are usually closed
at least one day a week (often Mondays). Official institutions
keep short and often bizarre hours, and can guarantee to
never, ever be open when you need them.
Basic Data
Local time
Romania is in the Eastern European Time Zone: GMT
+ 2 hours. When it is 12:00 in Bucharest it is 11:00 in
Berlin, 10:00 in London, 05:00 in New York and 13:00
in Moscow.
Population
Romania 21,700,000, Bucharest 2,100,000 (both
2007 estimates). Ethnic composition: Romanian 89.4%,
Hungarian 7.1%, Gypsies 2.1%.
Bucharest In Your Pocket
Taxi Tactics
Bucharest’s taxi drivers have a refreshingly liberal
sense of equal opportunities: basically, when it comes
to ripping people off, they view anyone as fair game.
Locals, foreigners, young, old, male, female: anyone who
steps in the wrong kind of taxi can expect to be well and
truly buggered.
The important thing to remember when getting into
a taxi in this city is that there are two kinds: those which
are operated by a tried and trusted taxi company (good)
and independents (bad). The problem is spotting the
difference. By and large, trustworthy taxis are easy to
spot as they are emblazoned with the name and phone
number of the company they are associated with. To
counter this, the independents have also started to
plaster phone numbers (often 9403) over their cars,
alongside copy-cat logos that look cunningly like those
of decent taxi companies. The best way to avoid being
ripped off however is to pay careful attention to the
tariffs, displayed on the driver and passenger door of all
taxis. There should just now be one single tarif displayed,
and anything higher than 1.99 lei per kilometre should
start alarm bells ringing. Be extra careful around
Gara de Nord, Baneasa Airport, Bucuresti Mall, Piata
Universitatii, Piata Unirii. To avoid any problems, call
one of the taxi companies listed below. If you are in a
hotel or restaurant, ask your concierge or waiter/waitress
to call a taxi for you. Note that we have recently received
correspendence from a trusted source that some drivers
of at least one major Bucharest taxi company have taken
to ‘pumping’ the metre (making it charge more). We have
removed said company from the list below.
If you feel something is a bit suspect in any taxi,
note down the driver’s number and call his company to
Trusted taxi companies:
Cobalcescu 021 9451 Confort 021 9455
Cristaxi 021 9461 Fly Taxi 021 9440
Meridian 021 9444 Mondial 021 9423 mental, well.. you get the picture. A little bit of something for
National 021 9484 Occident 021 9413
Prof Taxi 021 9422 Speed 021 9477
Toilets
Public toilets in Bucharest are few and far between. You are
better off finding the nearest fast food outlet and purveying
yourself of their facilities. You can also find decent, free toilets
in the city’s shopping centres, while you will pay-as-you-pee at
Gara de Nord and in the Piata Universitatii underpass.
Water
While distressed plumbing and rotten pipes mean that
it is not unusual to turn on the tap in Bucharest and see
frightening, mud-coloured gunk spew out, the city’s water is
fine, and by and large safe to drink. Few people actually do
however as the bottled variety is far tastier and incredibly
cheap. Pay around 2.20 lei for a two-litre bottle.
bucharest.inyourpocket.com
CULTURE & Events 9
Classical Music Concerts
11.05 Tuesday Joshua Bell
C-5, Str. Franklin 1-3 (Ateneul Roman). American Grammy
Award-winning violinist, who gets to show off his sublime skills
in the wonderful Romanian Atheneum. Q Concert starts
20:00. Tickets 200-400 lei from www.eventim.ro, Diverta.
Rock & Pop Concerts
08.04 Thursday Covenant
Str. Academiei 19 (Pasajul Victoriei), www.electronik.ro.
We make ritual noise, we weave the fabric of dreams..
One of our favorite tracks by the Swedish band Covenant,
often referred to as the pioneers of future-pop and EBM
(electronic body music). For this gig they promised a refined
night with an impeccable sound. Mix it up with some “Bullet”,
“Happy Man” and of course, “Ritual Noise” and we’re sold. Q
Concert starts 21:00. Tickets 30 lei from www.myticket.ro,
Diverta, Control Club tel. (+4) 0733 92 78 61.
10.04 Saturday Earnest Valentino
B-dul Libertatii 1 (Jet Set Events Hall). The best Michael
Jackson tribute act around, we are told. Convinced us at
least. Q Concerts starts 22:00. Tickets 70 lei from www.
eventim.ro.
13.04 Tuesday
Ken Vandermark & Paal Nilssen Love
C-5, Str. Academiei 19 (Pasajul Victoriei), w w w.
control-club.ro. A unique mix of saxophone and clarinet
(Vandermark) and percussion and drums (Nilssen-Love). The
duo have been performing together for more than a decade.
Q Concert starts 21:00. Tickets 25 lei from Club Control
(+4) 0733 92 78 61.
14.04 Wednesday Blurt
C-5, Str. Academiei 19 (Pasajul Victoriei), www.control-
club.ro. Jazz-rock group founded by poet, saxophonist and
puppeteer Ted Milton. Just to be clear, he’s bringing the sax,
not the dummies. Q Concert starts 21:00. Tickets 30 lei
from Control Club, tel. (+4) 0733 92 78 61.
15.04 Thursday
The Legendary Pink Dots
C-5, Str. Academiei 19 (Pasajul Victoriei), www.control-
club.ro. The Netherlands-based band formed in 1980 in the
UK, returns to Bucharest with the original and complete line-
up, for the second part of their Anniversary Tour, marking 30
years of activity. Difficult to categorize, their music combines
elements of psychedelic rock, avant-garde, neo-folk, experi-
everyone. Q Concert starts 21:00. Tickets 45 lei from Control
Club, tel. (+4) 0733 92 78 61 (for reservations).
16.04 Friday Joe Lally (of Fugazi)
C-5, Str. Academiei 19 (Pasajul Victoriei), www.control-
club.ro. Probably best known for his work with the American
punk band Fugazi. Currently working on his third album with
Elisa Abela and Emanuele Tomas who will join him on stage
for this event. Opening act is the Romanian band The Mono
Jacks. Q Concert starts 21:00. Tickets 20 lei from Control
Club tel. (+4) 0733 92 78 61.
17.04 SaturdayBrain Damage
Calea Rahovei 196 A (Front Club/The Ark). French dub
band. For those who don’t know, dub is an instrumental
subgenre of reggae music using different techniques to remix
existing recordings. Interesting enough. Q Concert Starts
22:00. Tickets 30-40 lei from www.myticket.ro.
bucharest.inyourpocket.com April - May 2010
10 Culture & Events
18.04 Sunday Buika
B-5, Str. Ion Campineanu 28 (Sala Palatului)/(+4) 021
315 73 72. One of the most remarkable Latin acts of the
moment, Buika’s family is originally from Equatorial Guinea.
She grew up in Mallorca among gypsies - who imbued in her
flamenco rythms. Her music mixes flamenco and coplas with
soul and jazz. Q Concert starts 19:30. Tickets 65-190 lei
from www.myticket.ro.
18.04 Sunday Haggard
A-5, Str. Plevnei 61 (The Silver Church). The band com-
bines classical music with an extreme form of heavy metal.
Don’t even ask how many members are in this musical group,
we lost count at twelve. Q Concert starts 20:00. Tickets 65
lei from www.eventim.ro.
20.04 Tuesday Boyz II Men B-5, Sala Palatului, Str.
Ion Campineanu 28. If you look at sales figures alone, then
these chaps are the biggest male R&B group of all time. First
time performing in these parts. Q Concert starts 19:30.
Tickets 95-290 lei from www.myticket.ro.
25.04 Sunday Duke Ellington Orchestra
B-5, Sala Palatului, Str. Ion Campineanu 28, tel. (+4) 021
315 73 72. An event to savour. The Duke himself may be 25
years dead, but the band that carries his legacy is perhaps
the greatest of all the big bands performing today. Q Concert
starts 20:00. Tickets 80-250 lei from bilete.ro.
25.04 Sunday Eric Martin
A-5, Str. Plevnei 61 (The Silver Church). Not exactly Mr.
Big, but the next best thing. One hour and a half of his solo
pieces as well as the good ol’ songs he hit the jackpot with,
back in the Mr. Big days: Just Take My Heart, Wild World,
To Be With You. Q Concert starts 20:30. Tickets 49-69 lei
from www.myticket.ro.
02.05 Sunday George Dalaras
C-3, Str. Barbu Vacarescu 164 (Zone Arena). Greek singer
who has been one of his country’s top performers for more
than 40 years. Has sold more than 12 million albums, and is
credited with having been the first performer of any nationality
to have filled an Athens stadium. Q Concert starts 19:30.
Tickets 75-350 lei from www.eventim.ro.
09.05 Sunday Dianne Reeves
B-5, Sala Palatului, Str. Ion Campineanu 28. American
jazz singer as well known for live performances as for her
recording career. Q Concert starts 20:00. Tickets 50-250
lei from www.bilete.ro.
10.05 Monday The Toasters Str. Academiei 19
(Pasajul Victoriei), www.control-club.ro. One of the most
important and influential American ska bands formed in 1981
and still kicking, reached their peak of commercial success
in the late 90’s. Q Concert starts 21:00. Tickets 15 lei from
Control Club, tel. (+4) 0733 92 78 61 (for reservations).
11.05 Tuesday
Pharoah Sanders Quartet & Yusef Lateef Quar-
tet B-5, Str. Ion Campineanu 28 (Sala Palatului), tel.
(+4) 021 315 73 72. Two great jazz musicians, two great
bands, two great shows for the price of one. Bucharest is
indeed a jazzy place this Spring... Q Concert starts 19:30.
Tickets 70-350 lei from www.eventim.ro.
15.05 Saturday Michael Camilo
C-5, Str. Franklin 1-3 (Ateneul Roman), tel. (+4) 021
315 25 67, www.fge.org.ro. Pianist and composer from
Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Camilo is known as a
Bucharest In Your Pocket
Culture & Events 11
Venues & Tickets
Arenele Romane Str. Cutitul de Argint 26 (Parcul
Carol).
Ateneul Român C-5, Str. Franklin 1-3, tel. (+4) 021
315 68 75, www.fge.org.ro.QOpen 12:00 - 19:00,
Sat 16:00 - 19:00, Sun 10:00 - 11:00, 16:00-19:00.
Closed Mon.
Casa de Cultura a Studentilor Preoteasa A-5,
Calea Plevnei 61, tel. (+4) 021 315 25 42, www.
ccs.ro.
Diverta E-7, Calea Vitan 55-59 (Bucuresti Mall),
www.diverta.net. QOpen 10:00 - 22:00.
Jet Set Events Hall B-6, B-dul Libertatii 1, tel. (+4)
0728 44 64 16, www.jtsevents.ro.
Magazin Muzica B-4, Calea Victoriei 41-43, tel.
(+4) 021 314 56 08.
National Theatre (Teatrul National) C-5, B-dul
Nicolae Bălcescu 2, tel. (+4) 021 314 71 71, www.
tnb.ro. Q Box office Open Mon 10:00-16:00, Tue-Sun
10:00-19:00.
Romanian National Opera (Opera Nationala
Romana) A-5, B-dul Kogalniceanu 70-72, tel. (+4)
021 314 69 80. Q Box office open 10:00-13:00,
14:00-19:00.
Sala Palatului B-5, Str. Ion Campineanu 28, tel.
(+4) 021 315 73 72. Q Box office open Tue-Fri 10:00-
19:00. Closed Sat, Sun.
Sala Polivalenta B-dul Tineretului 1 (Parc Tinere-
tului), tel. (+4) 021 317 40 07.
Sala Radio B-5, Str. Berthelot 60-64, tel. (+4) 021
314 77 70/(+4) 021 303 12 97, www.srr.ro.
Zone Arena C-3, Str. Barbu Vacarescu 164.
25.05 Tuesday Al Di Meola B-5, Str. Ion Campineanu 31.05 MondayMichael Flatley’s Lord Of The
great jazz, Latin and classical pianist with superb technical 28 (Sala Palatului). The American jazz fusion and Latin jazz Dance B-5, Sala Palatului, Str. Ion Campineanu 28,
ability, and has played and recorded with many world-famous guitarist is not at his first visit in Romania, this time joined tel. (+4) 021 315 73 72. Foot tapping, high kicking Irish
musicians. Q Concert starts 20:00. Tickets 150-300 lei from by the New World Sinfonia group. Q Concert starts 20:00. musical and dance production created and choreographed by
www.eventim.ro. Tickets 80-250 lei from www.myticket.ro, Diverta. Irish-American dancer Michael Flatley. Though Flatley remains
producer and artistic director, he no longer performs in the
16.05 Sunday AC/DC 29.05 Saturday Ismail YK show. Q Performance starts 20:00. Tickets 100-350 lei
B-6, Piata Constitutiei. Two months to go (as we write) and B-5, Str. Ion Campineanu 28 (Sala Palatului), tel. (+4) from www.bilete.ro.
already the country is in a bit of a tiz about this event: could 021 315 73 72. A Turkish German pop singer and composer.
well be the gig of the year. Q Concert starts 18:00. Tickets YK stand for Yurtseven Kardeşler, the group he was a member Children’s Bucharest
127-477 lei from eventim.ro. of at the start of his career. Q Concert starts 20:00. Tickets
80-500 lei from www.eventim.ro. Bucharest is not the greatest city in the world to visit with
17.05 MondayJohn McLaughlin children. The major problem is that the vast majority of
B-5, Sala Palatului, Str. Ion Campineanu 28. English jazz
fusion guitarist and composer, ranked as one of the best Special Events the city’s museums are dull, and offer no interactivity and
very little to captivate the kids. The exceptions are the out-
guitarists of all time. McLaughlin played with Tony Williams’s 11.04 Sunday Kings On Ice - Olympic Tour standing Village Museum, which children love; see page
group Lifetime and then with Miles Davis on his landmark B-dul Basarabia 35 (Mihai Flamaropol skating rink). 56. The Peasant Museum will please older children, and
electric jazz-fusion albums In A Silent Way, Bitches Brew, Figure skating world champion Evgeni Plushenko meets Clubul Taranului, around the back of the museum, has
and Jack Johnson. Q Concert starts 19:30. Tickets 50-300 violinist Edvin Marton for a rather unique show - on ice, of puppet shows most Saturday mornings at 11:00). The
lei from www.myticket.ro. course. Former world ice skating champion Stephane Lambiel Circus Globus (C-3, Parcul Circului) has performances
will also be taking part. Q Tickets 120-250 lei from www. most weekends (morning, afternoon and evening).
19.05 Wednesday Jon Secada myticket.ro, Diverta. For an action packed day out though, take them to
B-5, Str. Ion Campineanu 28 (Sala Palatului), tel. (+4) Parc Aventura (Cartier Noua, tel. (+4) 0755 08 55
021 315 73 72. Multi-award winning Cuban-American singer 14.04 Wednesday Swan Lake on Ice 55, www.parc-aventura.ro) in Brasov, a two and a half
and songwriter. Will be in town to promote his latest work, B-5, Sala Palatului, Str. Ion Campineanu 28, tel. (+4) 021 hour drive north of the capital. Set over two acres it is
Expressions. Q Concert starts 20:00. Tickets 65-250 lei 315 73 72. Exactly what it says: a rendition of the ballet Swan the answer to all your ‘what shall we do with the kids’
from www.myticket.ro. Lake, on ice. Performed by the ice ballet of St. Petersburg. Q prayers. There are trees to climb, swings and slides, tun-
Concert starts 19:00. Tickets 70-200 lei from bilete.ro. nels, assault courses and all sorts of other activites. In
20.05 Thursday Goran Bregovic all there are more than eight different trails (one of which
C-3, Str. Barbu Vacarescu 164 (Zone Arena). Serb musi- 27.04 Tuesday Jazzing Flamenco welcomes children as young as four). You will find it op-
cian whose eclectic mis of sounds brings the house down B-5, Sala Palatului, Str. Ion Campineanu 28. The work of posite Brasov’s zoo (follow the signs for the zoo as you
whenever he plays in Romania, and not without reason. A dancer and choreographer Antonio Najarro, this is very much come from Bucharest). Q Open 10:00-21:00. Admission
brilliant showman, with a brilliant band and a brilliant night exactly what is says: an electric mix of flamenco dance and (3hrs) adults 33 lei, students 28 lei, children (8-11yrs) 23
out guaranteed. Q Concert starts 19:30. Tickets 75-350 jazz music. Q Performance starts 19:30. Tickets 75-190 lei lei, children (4-7yrs) 18 lei.
lei from www.eventim.ro. from www.myticket.ro.
bucharest.inyourpocket.com bucharest.inyourpocket.com April - May 2010
12 Culture & Events
Opera & Ballet
09.04 Friday La Cenerentola (Opera Romana).Q
Performance starts 18:30. Tickets 5.30-53 lei from www.
bilet.ro, Opera Romana.
10.04 Saturday The Flying Dutchman (Opera
Romana).Q Performance starts 18:30. Tickets 7.42-63.60
lei from www.bilet.ro, Opera Romana.
11.04 Sunday Cosi Fan Tutte (Opera Romana). Q
Performance starts 18:30. Tickets 5.30-53 lei from www.
bilet.ro, Opera Romana.
11.04 Sunday Hansel and Gretel (Opera Romana).
Q Performance starts 11:00. Tickets 5.30-53 lei from www.
bilet.ro, Opera Romana.
17.04 Saturday & 18.04 Sunday A Balanchine
Evening (Opera Romana). Q (Ballet) Performance
starts 18:30. Tickets 7.42-63.63 lei from www.bilet.ro,
Opera Romana.
20.04 Tuesday I Due Foscari (Opera Romana). Q
Performance starts 18:30. Tickets 26.50 lei from www.bilet.
ro, Opera Romana.
21.04 Wednesday Il Barbiere di Siviglia (Opera
Romana). Q Performance starts 18:30. Tickets 7.42-63.60
lei from www.bilet.ro, Opera Romana.
21.04 Wednesday Sleeping Beauty C-5, B-dul
Nicolae Balcescu 2 (National Operetta Theatre), tel.
(+4) 021 313 63 48 (for tickets). Q Performance starts
10:00. Tickets 10.50 lei from www.eventim.ro.
22.04 Thursday Giselle (Opera Romana). Q (Ballet)
Performance starts 18:30. Tickets 7.42-63.60 lei from www.
bilet.ro, Opera Romana.
22.04 Thursday Romeo and Juliet C-5, B-dul Ni-
colae Balcescu 2 (National Operetta Theatre), tel. (+4)
021 313 63 48 (for tickets). Q Performance starts 19:00.
Tickets 21-105 lei from www.eventim.ro.
Bucharest In Your Pocket
23.04 Friday Le Nozze di Figaro (Opera Romana).
Q Performance starts 18:30. Tickets 5.30-53 lei from www.
bilet.ro, Opera Romana.
23.04 Friday Romeo and Juliet C-5, B-dul Nicolae
Balcescu 2 (National Operetta Theatre), tel. (+4) 021
313 63 48 (for tickets). Q Performance starts 19:00.
Tickets 21-105 lei from www.eventim.ro.
24.04 Saturday Broadway Bucharest C-5, B-dul
Nicolae Balcescu 2 (National Operetta Theatre), tel. (+4)
021 313 63 48 (for tickets). Q Perfomance starts 19:00.
Tickets 10.50-26.25 lei from www.eventim.ro.
24.04 Saturday Evgheni Oneghin (Opera Romana).
Q Performance starts 18:30. Tickets 5.30-53 lei from www.
bilet.ro, Opera Romana.
25.04 Sunday Little Dorothy C-5, B-dul Nicolae
Balcescu 2 (National Operetta Theatre), tel. (+4) 021
313 63 48 (for tickets). Q Performance starts 10:00.
Tickets 10.50 lei from www.eventim.ro.
25.04 Sunday Puss in Boots (Opera Romana). Q
Performance starts 11:00. Tickets 5.30-53 lei from www.
bilet.ro, Opera Romana.
28.04 Wednesday La Traviata (Opera Romana). Q
Performance starts 18:30. Tickets 5.30-53 lei from www.
bilet.ro, Opera Romana.
28.04 Wednesday Sleeping Beauty C-5, B-dul
Nicolae Balcescu 2 (National Operetta Theatre), tel.
(+4) 021 313 63 48 (for tickets). Q Performance starts
10:00. Tickets 10.50 lei from www.eventim.ro.
29.04 Thursday Ballet - International Dance Day
(Opera Romana). Q Performance starts 18:30. Tickets
7.42-63.60 lei from www.bilet.ro, Opera Romana.
30.04 Friday Macbeth (Opera Romana). Q Perfor-
mance starts 18:30. Tickets 5.30-53 lei from www.bilet.ro,
Opera Romana.
bucharest.inyourpocket.com
Hotel Listings Policy
Aside from the five-star hotels listed in the category Cre-
am of the Crop, hotels are listed strictly by price band,
and then by alphabetical order within that band. The
price band refers to the rack rate for a double room.
Cream of the Crop
Athenee Palace Hilton C-5, Str. Episcopiei 1-3, tel.
(+4) 021 303 37 77, fax (+4) 021 315 38 13, sales.
bucharest@hilton.com, www.hilton.com. Much spoken of
in the past tense (this place has a seriously long and legend-
ary history; a home of intrigues and adventure for more than
a century) it is less often referred to in the present. This is a
deep shame, as to dwell on the past ignores the fact that this
is a great, modern hotel. Luxuriously furnished, the immense
rooms offer the latest in gadgetry and perhaps the fluffiest
bathrobes in Romania. Ask for a room with a view over Piata
Revolutiei for best effect. Fine dining on site courtesy of one
excellent restaurant and an exemplary brasserie. Q 271
rooms (175 singles/doubles, 96 suites & apartments. Prices
from €110-250). PHARUFLGKDCW
Carol Parc Aleea Suter 23-25, tel. (+4) 021 336 33
77/(+4) 021 569 33 77, fax (+4) 021 336 37 36, info@
carolparchotel.ro, www.carolparchotel.ro. Luxurious,
certainly, but offering something a bit different to the bigger
players, the Carol Park is coquette and secluded: you have
to know about this place, as you do not find it by chance. A
gorgeous place where the finest things are offered to all who
pass through its doors, expect only fine, classic furnishings
and very personal service. International stars who value
discretion above all else tend to stay here when visiting
Bucharest. Q 17 rooms (14 singles/doubles €139-250, 3
apartments €450). Prices do not include VAT and breakfast.
PHARULGKW
Crowne Plaza Bucharest A-1, B-dul Poligrafiei 1,
tel. (+4) 021 224 00 34, fax (+4) 021 318 13 02, res-
ervations@crowneplaza.ro, www.crowneplaza.com/
bucharest. A leafier setting in the north of the city for what
might be called a leafier kind of hotel. Set around a large
outdoor pool (which is a real delight in summer) the Crowne
Plaza offers the usual five-star luxuries and big, comfortable
rooms that you would expect from this chain, as well as a
few charms all this Bucharest establishment’s own. The
Sunday Brunch for example (if you are here at the weekend)
remains the best in the city and is a real treat. Q 164 rooms
(130 singles/doubles €160-170, 34 suites & apartments
€195-€230). Prices include breakfast. VAT not included.
PTHAR6UFLGKDCW
Symbol Key
P Air conditioning A Credit cards accepted
O Casino H Conference facilities
T Child friendly U Disabled facilities
R Internet (Standard) L Guarded parking
F Fitness centre G Non-smoking rooms
M Nearest metro station J Old Town location
K Restaurant D Sauna
C Swimming pool W WiFi Internet
bucharest.inyourpocket.com
Where to stay 13
Grand Hotel Continental C-5, Calea Victoriei 56, tel.
(+4) 0372 01 03 00, fax (+4) 0372 01 03 01, info@
grandhotelcontinental.ro, www.continentalhotels.ro.
Opened at the end of 2009 this is the latest five star hotel
in Bucharest. Making the very best of a wonderful building
(which dates from 1886) on chic Calea Victoriei, today’s
Grand Hotel Continental is the result of more than two years
of loving renovation and restoration. There’s marble at every
turn, though do not think that modern touches are missing,
for they are not. The audio-visual systems in the rooms for
example are state of the art. For the great location and for a
change from the big chains, it’s well worth trying out. Q 59
rooms (20 singles/doubles €280-320, 39 suites & apart-
ments €360-920). All taxes included. Prices include breakfast.
PHAFGKW
Howard Johnson Grand Plaza
B-3, Calea Dorobantilor 5-7, MP-ta Romana, tel.
(+4) 021 201 50 00, fax (+4) 021 201 18 88, sales@
hojoplaza.ro, www.hojoplaza.ro. This is a high-rise
hotel in the busy centre of Bucharest, where the sleek,
modern exterior is matched by the interiors, all of which
carry the signatures of top-name designers. The breakfast
is perhaps the best in the city, coming as it does with
champagne (for those who enjoy such things in the morn-
ing), and the dining opportunities in general are excellent:
there is a wonderful Japanese restaurant, Benihana, on
site. To really get the best out of this place though, ask
for a room on one of the upper floors, for the views over
the city. Q 285 rooms (201 doubles €185, 139 suites &
apartments €230-350). Prices include VAT and breakfast.
POTHARUFLGKDW
InterContinental
C-5, B-dul Nicolae Bălcescu 2-4, MUniversitate, tel. (+4)
021 310 20 20, fax (+4) 021 312 08 85, bucharest@
interconti.ro, www.intercontinental.com/bucharest. Still
the tallest hotel in Bucharest (complete with a small swimming
pool and - during the summer, sun terrace - on the top floor)
the Inter Continental was the first major five star hotel to open
in Romania, at the beginning of the 1970s. Today it is one of
many but remains something of a first choice for journalists
and business people, many of whom have been loyal guests
for decades. The rooms here all boast big balconies, there
is first class dining in the building, and the management is
commendably hands-on. We also love the new 21st floor
executive lounge, complete with telescope for the best views
of Bucharest possible.. Q 283 rooms (262 singles/doubles
€109-124, 262 triples €144, 21 suites & apartments €359
-1500). Prices do not include VAT and breakfast. PO�
THAR6UFLGKDCW
Aparthotel
Centre Ville Elite B-5, Calea Victoriei 63-81,
tel. (+4) 021 312 70 70, fax (+4) 021 312 07 29,
elite@hbu.ro, www.centreville.ro. Taken together,
the Centre Ville Hospitality Complex, with includes the
Centre Ville Apartments, the Radisson Blu, World Class
Health Academy and the Platinum Casino, is one of the
largest hospitality complexes in Europe. Yet whereas
size can often disappoint, here the grand scale merely
adds to the luxurious feeling of staying somewhere
rather special. The apartments here are large, airy and
brilliantly, uniquely decorated. Q 62 hotel-apartments
(49 apartments €180-250, 13 suites €190-300). VAT
not included. Prices include 1 breakfast/apartment.
PTARUFLGKDCW
April - May 2010
14 Where to stay
JW Marriott Bucharest Grand B-6, Calea 13 Sep-
tembrie 90, tel. (+4) 021 403 00 00, www.marriott.
com/buhro. To the south of Casa Poporului the JW Marriott
occupies something of a palatial building that at first glance
probably makes it the most immediately impressive of Bu-
charest’s big five star hotels. The scale of the place, and its
cavernous interiors, betray the fact that it was built as part
of the same grand plan as the Casa Poporului itself. Yet the
rooms are homely and well-furnished, providing a welcome
contrast to the building. Home to the biggest swimming pool
in the city (we think).Q 402 rooms (379 singles/doubles
740-790 lei, 23 suites & apartments 1500-5000 lei). Prices
include breakfast. VAT not included. POTHAR6U�
FLGKDCW
Novotel Bucharest City Centre B-4, Calea Victoriei
37B, tel. (+4) 021 308 85 00, www.novotel.com. Few
locations are better than this, right on fashionable Calea
Victoriei. The entrance is impressive: a replica of the old
neoclassical National Theatre which stood on this exact site
until the British bombed it to next week during the Second
World War. Shiny and new the main part of the hotel is won-
derful: rooms are big, with bathrooms particularly impressive.
Excellent, lively lobby bar and a big indoor swimming pool.Q
258 rooms (242 singles/doubles €225-245, 16 suites &
apartments €275-375). Prices do not include breakfast and
VAT. PTHAR6UFLGKDCW
Pullman Bucharest World Trade Center A-1, P-ta
Montreal 10, tel. (+4) 021 318 30 00, www.pullman-
hotels.com. The spacious, luxurious rooms are the main
attraction at this high rise in the north of the city, where
the bathrooms boast perhaps the deepest bathtubs in
the city. There are separate showers, and all in we think
that the square-meterage-per-euro ratio is higher here than
anywhere else in Bucharest. A good on-site steak house
keeps you well fed, and though there is no pool there is a
good fitness centre with sauna and massage available. Q
203 rooms (188 singles/doubles €240, 15 suites & apart-
ments €350-800). Prices do not include VAT and breakfast.
POTHAR6UFLGKDW
Radisson Blu B-4, Calea Victoriei 63-81, tel. (+4) 021
311 90 00, fax (+4) 021 313 90 00, Info.Bucharest@
radissonblu.com, www.radissonblu.com/hotel-bucha-
rest. A gleaming temple of steel and glass amongst the more
classical buildings of Calea Victoriei, the Radisson excels in
playing the role of futuristic Bucharest hotel of choice. As
you walk in the glass bar strikes you as daring and modern,
and the rooms themselves are equally avant garde in design.
Bathrooms offer both tubs and showers, and there is both
an indoor and outdoor pool, so you can swim whatever the
weather. Excellent restaurants. Q 424 rooms (424 singles/
doubles 500-750 lei, 113 suites & apartments 680-8500 lei).
Prices include breakfast (except single, double and extra bed
rates). PJHARUFLGKDCW
Over €150
Angelo Calea Bucurestilor 283, tel. (+4) 021 203 65
00, www.angelo-bucharest.com. The hotel closest to
Bucharest’s Otopeni airport. The Angelo is operated by Vi-
enna Hotels, and its bright exterior is matched by the interior:
bold colours abound in all the rooms and the common areas.
There is high speed Wifi throughout, and a fitness centre
complete with sauna. Transport to and from the airport is
complimentary. Good buffet breakfast. Q 177 rooms (134
singles/doubles €180-190, 3 triples €210, 40 suites &
apartments €220-250). Prices include VAT and breakfast.
PTHAR6UFLGKDW
Bucharest In Your Pocket
Class Str. Garlei 30A, tel. (+4) 021 233 28 14/(+4)
021 233 28 13, www.class-hotel.ro. While the location is
slightly out of the way (it is a fair trek from the city centre) it
is close to Baneasa Airport and makes up for it with comfort.
This is to all intents and purposes a five star hotel, complete
with luxurious bathrooms and perhaps the best indoor swim-
ming pool in the city. If you are looking for a leafier location
than the city centre can offer, it’s a decent choice.Q 63 rooms
(43 singles €165, 16 doubles €210, 4 junior suites €288).
Prices include VAT. PHARUFLGKDC
Duke
C-4, B-dul Dacia 33, MP-ta Romana, tel. (+4) 021 317
41 86/(+4) 021 317 41 87, www.hotelduke.ro. Now this
place is central. A proverbial stone’s throw from Piata Romana,
this modern hotel is squeezed in to a tight spot between two
classic Bucharest buildings of the past. Rooms are well-sized,
bathrooms have tubs and showers, and there’s free and
fast Wifi throughout. Beds get high marks for their excellent
mattresses. Q 38 rooms (433 singles/doubles €150-180,
5 suites & apartments €175-245). Prices include VAT and
breakfast. PJARLGKW
El Greco C-5, Str. Jean Louis Calderon 16, MP-ta Uni-
versitatii, tel. (+4) 021 315 81 31, www.hotelelgreco.
ro. Located in the heart of what was, pre-World War II, the
most stylish residential area in the city. This is one such
villa dating from that period, though it has of course been
renovated and refurbished to include a rack of modern
luxuries. Fortunately, however, the ambience of the ancien
regime has been preserved, making this one of the best villa
conversions in the city. Q 16 rooms (14 singles/doubles
€140-170, 2 suites €195). Prices include VAT and breakfast.
PHARULGK
Short Term Rental
Grand Accommodation Tel./fax (+4) 021 314
20 07, tel. (+4) 0722 36 75 68, www.for-rent.ro.
Grand Accommodation has a variety of well furnished
apartments and villas to suit all pockets in good locations
available for both short and long term rentals. Q Prices
from €40-55/night. VAT not included.
Professional Realty C-6, Str. George Valentin
Bibescu 33, bl, 10/2, sc. A, ap. 6, tel. (+4) 021
232 04 06, www.accommodation.com.ro. These
people have been offering great apartments in central
Bucharest since 1996: they were one of the first players
in the market. Apartments are well furnished, and they
offer a full 24-hour service. Q Prices from €50-150. VAT
not included. A
RoCazare Str. Baicului 8, tel. (+4) 0728 82 18 83,
www.rocazare.ro. Bright, colourfully furnished apart-
ments in and around the centre of Bucharest. Choose
from a selection of studios, one, two and three bedroom
apartments. All have internet connections, and air condi-
tioning. Q Prices from €35-65. VAT not included.
RomVision Travel E-6, B-dul Burebista 1, bl. D15,
sc. 4, ap. 133, tel. (+4) 021 322 65 33, www.
romvision.ro. A wide variety of apartments in the city
centre of all types and sizes, from small and simple to
big and luxurious, with something for all pockets. The
most luxurious have jacuzzis and fireplaces and are a
genuine five-star experience. QPrices from €48-68/
night. VAT not included.
bucharest.inyourpocket.com
16 Where to stay Where to stay 17

Ramada Plaza Bucharest B-dul Poligrafiei 3-5, tel. NEW

(+4) 021 549 30 00, www.ramadaplazabucharest.ro.
Slightly more upmarket than its sister establishment across
the road, what you get here is a slightly bigger room than
at the Parc, and much bigger bathrooms. The design of the
place is nicely futuristic, and we loved the beds which we think
are amongst the best in Bucharest. Free Wifi, a good lobby
bar and a decent on site bistro.Q 266 rooms (259 singles/
doubles €178-200, 7 apartments €302). Prices include VAT
and breakfast. PHARUFGKDCW
Tulip Inn D-7, Str. Nerva Traian 3A, tel. (+4) 021 200
62 70, www.tulipinnbucharestcity.com. The Tulip Inn
is something of a beacon of glass and steel in an area not
known for anything except socialist architecture. The hotel is
a decent place offering big-ish rooms, with commendably big
bathrooms. Happy, multi-lingual staff are a bonus not always
found in Bucharest’s hotels. Good cafes (there are two to
choose from) on the ground floor. Q 88 rooms (23 singles
€185, 43 doubles €215, 7 superior rooms €220, 14 deluxe
rooms €260, 1 presidential suite €485). Prices include VAT
and breakfast. PHARUFGKDW
Christina C-4, Str. Ion Slatineanu 13, tel. (+4) 021
210 73 03/(+4) 0731 00 99 99, www.hotelchristina.
ro. Magic! A great hotel setting new standards for simple,
elegant, colourful design. We loved it from the moment we
saw the first room: all straight lines and bright yellow furniture,
sparkling white floors and minimalism. Every room is a bit
different, a different colour or mood, and the whole place just
smacks of very good taste. It’s the hotel many others in the
city have tried to be, but which have failed miserably. Christina
gets it right. Q 24 rooms (24 singles/doubles €80-95). Prices
include VAT and breakfast. PTHARULGKW
Golden Tulip Bucharest B-4, Calea Victoriei 166, tel.
(+4) 021 212 55 58, www.goldentulipbucharest.com.
Half-way along Calea Victoriei, a pleasant walk to both Piata
Victoriei and Piata Universitatii, the Golden Tulip is a fine hotel
that makes great use of the space available. The bathrooms
for example are not huge but feel far bigger than they are, and
all have enough room for bathtubs. Q 83 rooms (81 singles/
doubles €75-90, 2 junior suites €115). Prices include VAT and
breakfast. PJARUFLGKW

€100-150
Armonia D-4, Calea Mosilor 112, tel. (+4) 021 312
04 77, www.hotelarmonia.ro. The Armonia offers terrific
(though not all that big) rooms that come complete with what
have to be contenders for the ‘best bathrooms in the city’
prize we often mention but never get round to handing out. In
spring and summer the terrace at the back is a great place
to take your breakfast. Q 32 rooms (29 singles/doubles
€110-140, 3 suites €220). Prices include VAT and breakfast.
PTHAR6ULGKW
Horoscop
C-7, Bd. Dimitrie Cantemir 2, MP-ta Unirii, tel. (+4)
021 335 40 31, www.hotel-horoscop.ro. A hotel whose
biggest claim to fame is probably that it sits above one of
the first pizza parlours ever to open in Bucharest (also called
Horoscop). Rooms are quite big (though some are bigger than
others and are priced accordingly), and come complete with
great bathrooms, some of which have jacuzzis. Q 14 rooms
(6 singles €80, 4 doubles €110-130, 1 apartment €220, 3
junior suites €130-150). Prices include VAT and breakfast.
PARKDW

Golden Tulip Times E-6, B-dul Decebal 19, tel. (+4) 021
316 65 16, www.goldentuliptimes.com. This, people, is
a very good hotel where you get a hell of a lot of room for a
relatively small amount of money. All come furnished well with
terrific beds, big desks and comfy armchairs. Bathrooms are
equally impressive and modern. There is Wifi throughout
and a host of extras: not least of which is the fantastic
breakfast.Q 70 rooms (54 singles/doubles €169-189,
16 apartments €219). Prices include VAT and breakfast.
PTHARUGKW
K+K Elisabeta
C-5, Str. Slanic 26, tel. (+4) 021 302 92 80, www.
kkhotels.ro. We loved this place for a number of reasons,
not least the fact that the huge breakfast buffet stays open
until 11:00, meaning late starters can still get breakfast. The
hotel is located in a huge, renovated period house just behind
Piata Universitatii. The discretion of the location betrays the
fact that this is the kind of place you come to if you like old
fashioned luxury, good service, and possess exceptional
taste. Q 67 rooms (59 singles/doubles €250-275, 7 triples
€330, 1 suite €350). Prices include VAT and breakfast.
PTHAR6UFGKDW
Parliament A-6, Str. Izvor 106, tel. (+4) 021 411
99 90, www.parliament-hotel.ro. So named because
it is located behind Romania’s parliament building, Casa
Poporului, which you can see from almost all of the rooms.
This hotel has been around for a decade now and offers a
four/five star experience: many of the rooms have jacuzzis
in their bathrooms and are packed with luxuries such as the
huge, high double beds, which are among the best we’ve
come across in Bucharest. Q 20 rooms (12 singles/doubles
€130-150, 8 junior suites €170). Prices include VAT and
breakfast. PHARGK
Ramada Bucharest Parc
A-1, B-dul Poligrafiei 3-5, tel. (+4) 021 549 20 00, www.
ramadabucharestparc.ro. The Hotel Parc has been around
a while, but only came under the Ramada banner a short
while ago. A high-rise in a leafy suburb (close to Romexpo
and Herastrau park - hence the name) it boasts nice rooms
which - while not big - are comfortable and boast brightly
coloured décor and gorgeous, soft cotton sheets on the
beds. Q 267 rooms (180 singles €156, 79 doubles €178,
8 apartments €235). Prices include VAT and breakfast.
PHAR6UFGKDCW

NH Bucharest D-6, B-dul Mircea Voda 21, tel. (+4)
021 300 05 45, www.nh-hotels.com. Not located in the
most attractive area of the city, the NH makes up for that
by offering a modern, contemporary hotel experience for a
fair amount of money: you can usually stay here for far less
than the rack rates. Expect well sized rooms with plenty of
extras and a very good on site restaurant. Good place to
stay with children and babies: the staff make a point of mak-
ing them feel welcome. Q 78 rooms (14 singles €196, 64
doubles €211). Prices include VAT. Breakfast not included.
PHARUGKW
Ramada Majestic B-4, Calea Victoriei 38-40, tel. (+4)
021 310 27 20, www.ramadamajestic.ro. Standing (dare
we say it) majestically on Calea Victoriei, the Majestic has
long been one of Bucharest’s best hotels. It offers very big
rooms with glorious bathrooms, a great breakfast and - a
real bonus - a swimming pool (albeit a rather small one). In
a city in which even some of the five star hotels lack pools,
the Majestic’s makes it well worth that little bit extra cash.
Q 111 rooms (85 singles/doubles €240-290, 26 suites &
apartments €350-1200). Prices include VAT and breakfast.
PTHARUFLGKDCW

Bucharest In Your Pocket bucharest.inyourpocket.com bucharest.inyourpocket.com April - May 2010

18 Where to stay
Le Boutique Hotel Moxa B-4, Str. Mihail Moxa 4, tel.
(+4) 021 650 55 55, www.hotelmoxa.com. Rather special
this hotel is located in a wonderful Secession building that has
been brilliantly converted into a very good place to stay. The
entrance is impressive, and sets the scene for the exquisite
rooms, furnished in classic style. The bathrooms by contrast
are the height of modern design. Q 52 rooms (48 singles/
doubles €80-100, 4 suites €110-120). Prices include VAT and
breakfast. PARFLGKDW
Minerva B-4, Str.Gheorghe Manu 2-4, tel. (+4) 021
312 27 38, www.minerva.ro. It is really hard to knock the
Minerva so we will not even try. Having been around so long it
is entitled to a gold watch, it remains a great choice for busi-
ness people who pay their own bills: you get great service, a
good room and a dead-central location. The oldest Chinese
restaurant in Romania is located on the ground floor. Q 149
rooms (139 singles/doubles €103-140, 10 suites €155-185).
Prices include VAT and breakfast. PTHARLGK
Monte-Nelly D-5, Str. Corbeni 30, tel. (+4) 021 211 09
79, www.monte-nelly.ro. Smart, wonderfully decorated es-
tablishment that succeeds in breaking away from the tedium
that besets most Bucharest hotels in this class. There is real
thought and individuality behind most of the rooms, and the
large beds are fantastic. Staff are great, and there is guarded
parking. Q 58 rooms (39 singles €125-135, 39 doubles
€150-160, 4 junior suites €165-175, 14 suites €180-190, 1
Presidential Suite €230-240). Prices include breakfast. VAT
not included. PHARFLGKDW
Opera B-5, Str. Ion Brezoianu 37, tel. (+4) 021 312 48
57, www.hotelopera.ro. You could quite literally throw a
stone from the rooms here into Cismigiu Park (though we do
not recommend it), and as such we think this is a great place
Bucharest In Your Pocket
Where to stay 19
The Mineriada of 1990
While for most foreigners over the age of 30 the revolution of
1989 remains the first thing about Romania that they think
of, few remember the almost equally bloody and in many
regards more sinister Mineriada of June 1990. A brutal,
three-day long, allegedly government-approved riot, the
Mineriada smeared the young Romanian democratic state
with a stain that has yet to be fully erased.
The roots of the Mineriada lie in the decision of Ion
Iliescu’s National Salvation Front (FSN) – which had,
when taking power during the revolution of 1989, stated
that it would be nothing more than a transitional govern-
ment – to become a political party and field candidates in
the country’s first parliamentary and presidential elections.
Unrepentant at having broken his word, Iliescu announced
that he would himself stand for election as president. (While
some members of the FSN resigned in protest, most stayed
on and ran for election). The FSN’s decision was taken (and
announced) late in January 1990, and sparked protests
from opposition parties (the PNL and the PNTCD) who
argued that it went against the spirit of the revolution. The
opposition organised a rally of it supporters in Piata Victoriei
on January 27. The next day more than 5,000 miners from
the Jiu Valley came to Bucharest to nip any protest in the
bud, after Iliescu had asked for their help on the grounds
that ‘democracy was in danger.’ The miners besieged the
headquarters of the PNL, and its leader Corneliu Coposu
had to be spirited away in a tank.
Given that Iliescu and the FSN had complete control of
every facet of government, including a media-monopoly,
their crushing victory in Romania’s first free parliamentary
and presidential elections for decades (eventually held
in May 1990) was hardly surprising. Yet neither was the
condemnation by the international community at the frau-
for families with children to stay when visiting the capital. Not big and have stunning bathrooms. It also has a fantastic
cheap, we think that you get value for money, especially given spa, complete with sauna, steam bath and enormous jacuzzi,
dulent way the election had been carried out: international the size of the rooms and the terrific breakfast spread they lay perfect for tired business types in need of evening relaxation.
observers were visibly shocked at the goings on they on every morning for guests. Staff happy and smiley too. Q 33 The rooftop terrace has fine views of what is the city’s best
witnessed, from multiple voting to voter intimidation. Yet rooms (26 singles/doubles €140-160, 7 suites €199). Prices residential area. Q 33 rooms (15 singles/doubles €90-100,
condemnation was all that came: sanctions against the include VAT and breakfast. PTHARLGKW 18 suites & apartments €110-120). VAT not included. Prices
Iliescu government were never a serious option. include breakfast. PTHARLGKDW
Unhappy with what they viewed as one dictatorship Ramada Bucharest North C-6, Str. Daniel Danielopolu
replacing another, and angered that the international 44A, tel. (+4) 021 233 50 00, www.ramadanorth.ro. Well Starlight B-4, Str. Grigore Alexandrescu 89-97, tel.
community couldn’t apparently care less for Romanian named, for it is indeed in the north of the city. It has great (+4) 021211 34 13, www.starlighthotels.com. At the
democracy, groups of protesters – led by students at rooms - amongst the biggest, on average, in Bucharest - and bustling junction of B-dul Iancu de Hunedoara and glitzy Calea
Bucharest University - began demonstrating against Iliescu the bathrooms are tremendous: all have bathtubs. The hotel Dorobantilor is Starlight, the first hotel of its kind in Romania.
and the FSN in Piata Universităţii on May 21, the day after boasts a good spa centre (with excellent Turkish bath), big fit- Every room is a suite, complete with seperate living and
the general election. Many went on hunger strike. Their ness room with loads of equipment and has a good lobby bar. sleeping areas. All have air conditioning, the latest in home
primary demand was the strict application of item number The on-site dining is decent too. Q 232 rooms (219 singles/ entertainment systems, and kitchenettes complete with mi-
eight of the Timisoara Proclamation (a list of demands doubles €111-129, 13 suites €156). Prices include VAT and crowaves. The fitness centre is free to guests. Q 78 rooms
drawn up by Timisoara’s revolutionaries during December breakfast. PTHARUFLGKDW (62 suites €75, 16 apartments €105). Prices include VAT and
1989). Item eight stated that all former communists (in- breakfast. PTAR6UFLGKDW
cluding Iliescu) should be ‘forbidden from holding political Residence Arc de Triomphe A-3, Str. Clucerului 19,
office.’ Within days the students had occupied the entire tel. (+4) 021 223 19 78, www.residencehotels.com.ro.
square, declaring it ‘the only part of Romania genuinely free Fantastic hotel in a good area of the capital, offering large, Symbol Key
of communism.’ As support for the protest grew, it became excellent value rooms and super services. There are little
another serious embarrassment to Iliescu and his regime. touches of class all over the hotel that suggest they really P Air conditioning A Credit cards accepted
On June 13, 1990, Iliescu appealed again to the miners care. The wrought iron beds, for example, are fabulous, as is
the newly added spa, complete with sauna and jacuzzi. The O Casino H Conference facilities
of the Jiu Valley for assistance in ‘reoccupying the square in
the name of the revolution.’ They did, and over the course restaurant is also worth a visit, serving good international T Child friendly U Disabled facilities
of three days killed seven people and injured thousands. cuisine. Q 35 rooms (25 singles/doubles €90-100, 10 suites
& apartments €110-120). VAT not included. Prices include R Internet (Standard) L Guarded parking
After Piata Universitatii had been cleared, and the revolt’s
leaders arrested, Iliescu then went on television to thank breakfast. PTHARLGBKDW F Fitness centre G Non-smoking rooms
the miners for their ‘revolutionary zeal and spirit.’
Residence Domenii Plaza A-2, Str. Al. Constantinescu M Nearest metro station J Old Town location
Though indicted a number of times in connection with
the Mineriada, Iliescu was formally and finally cleared of all 33, tel. (+4) 021 224 50 44, www.residencehotels.com. K Restaurant D Sauna
charges regarding his role in events by Romania’s highest ro. A wonderful villa, this place offers real luxury and a quiet,
understated atmosphere. It’s a classy place for classy people, C Swimming pool W WiFi Internet
court in 2009.
basically. All the rooms, studios and apartments are bright,
bucharest.inyourpocket.com bucharest.inyourpocket.com April - May 2010
20 Where to stay Where to stay 21

combined to great effect, and throughout the place the art

which adorns the walls is all local and most is for sale. Good
young staff, free wifi and a decent breakfast all make for an
enjoyable stay. Find it just east of the city centre on the corner
of Vasile Lascar and Maria Rosetti. Q 7 rooms (6 singles/
doubles €50-110, 1 apartment €125-145). Prices include VAT
and breakfast. PARFLGKDW

Under €100
Charter
Drumul Odaii 1D, Otopeni, tel. (+4) 021 352 87 19,
www.hotelcharter.ro. For what you pay at this hotel, you
get a large amount of room indeed. Really: these must be
the biggest hotel rooms in Bucharest, and they cost about
€1 per square metre. Close to the airport (on the other side
of the road to McDonalds) this place is perfect if you have
an early flight.Q 21 rooms (15 singles/doubles €40-45, 1
triple €55, 5 suites €60). Prices include VAT and breakfast.
PTAR6ULGKW

Confort Calea Bucurestilor 255 A, tel. (+4) 021 350

41 10, www.conforthotels.ro. The Confort is just a short
wing span from Otopeni airport. Good value, well equipped
and really rather spacious rooms on offer, but it is the location
you will be coming for. Q 150 rooms (142 singles/doubles
€75-85, 8 suites €99-139). Prices include VAT and breakfast.
PHARUFLGK

Venezia B-5, Str. Pompiliu Eliade 2, tel. (+4) 021 310
68 72, www.hotelvenezia.ro. Lovingly renovated with care,
taste and not a little style, the Hotel Venezia completes a
handy little triumvirate of three-star accommodation options
in and around Bulevardul Kogalniceanu (the others being the
Opera and Central hotels, all part of the same chain). Expect
some unique rooms, some with real character provided by
the shape of the building, lovely staff and some throughly
reasonable prices. Q 49 rooms (42 singles/doubles
€140-160, 7 suites €199). Prices include VAT and breakfast.
PTHARLGKW
Vila Arte C-5, Str. Vasile Lascar 78, tel. (+4) 021 210
10 35, www.vilaarte.ro. Now here is something new and
different. A small, perfectly formed little boutique hotel, where
the seven rooms have each been designed to offer something
different to the next. In all, design and comfort have been
Confort Traian D-5, Str. Traian 55, tel. (+4) 021 308 31
53, www.conforthotels.ro. From the people who brought
you the Hotel Confort out by the airport, the Confort Traian
is a hotel much closer to the centre of the city. Standards
are high, and all the well-appointed rooms are of a good size.
Service is friendly and multi-lingual. Q 90 rooms (89 singles/
doubles €80-109, 1 junior suite €120-139). Prices include
VAT. PARGK
Dan B-4, B-dul Dacia 125, tel. (+4) 021 210 39 58,
www.hoteldan.ro. Smart three-star. The location is central
without being noisy, and the rooms themselves are all well-
sized and well-equipped. Staff are friendly, befitting a small
hotel, and ready to see to your every need. Q 15 rooms (15
singles/doubles €68-79). All taxes included. Prices include
breakfast. PTARLGW
Hello Hotels B-4, Calea Grivitei 143, tel. (+4) 0372
12 18 00, www.hellohotels.ro. Two stars never looked
so good. For your paltry amount of cash you are getting a
lot of hotel room here, complete with flat screen televisions
and mattresses thicker than many a five-star. Bathrooms are
a bit pokey but they are more than adequate, and as far as
value for money goes we think this is one of the best deals in
the city. Q 150 rooms (138 doubles €31, 12 comfort rooms
€41). All taxes included. Prices do not include breakfast.
PTAR6ULGKW
Herastrau B-1, Sos. Nordului 7-9, tel. (+4) 021 232 96
66/(+4) 0744 33 56 68, www.herastrau.ro. One of the
most historic hotels in the city, located on the shore of gor-
geous Herastrau Lake, in the middle of the city’s largest park.
Great location, nice rooms, and good value. Q 28 rooms (25
singles/doubles €50-99, 3 suites & apartments €110-154).
Prices include VAT and breakfast. PHARUGK
Ibis Gara de Nord
A-4, Calea Grivitei 143, MGara de Nord, tel. (+4) 021
300 91 00, www.ibishotel.com. A hotel for more than 40
years this building (and the whole area) was given a real lift
when it became a good old Ibis some several years ago now.
Expect a room a bit bigger than standard Ibis size, the usual
services, few frills (breakfast costs extra) and all in all a good
value stay. The name is not misleading: it is dead opposite
the station. Q 250 rooms (235 singles/doubles €85, 15
apartments €105). Prices include VAT. PHAR6�
ULGKW
Piccolo Mondo A-3, Str. Clucerului 9, tel. (+4) 021
260 06 82, www.piccolomondo.ro. The Piccolo Mondo
has long been recognised as the home of Bucharest’s best
Middle-Eastern food (try getting a table on the terrace when
the weather is good if you do not believe us), and now also
offers a hotel (directly above the restaurant in the same
building). Good, well-appointed four-star rooms, and (more
importantly in this town perhaps) a location in a more quiet
area of the capital, usually ensuring a peaceful night’s sleep.
Q 20 rooms (20 singles/doubles €78-89). Prices include VAT
and breakfast. PHAR6GKW
Rembrandt
C-5, Str. Smardan 11, tel. (+4) 021 313 93 15, www.
rembrandt.ro. Always full (reserve well in advance) you will
see why when you arrive. The Rembrandt is what happens
when people with taste renovate buildings in Old Town Bu-
charest (the gorgeous cafe next door belongs - unsurprisingly
- to the same people). Luxurious without overdoing it, expect
to find original 1920s wooden floors and period furnishings
complimented by up-to-the-minute technology. The hotel cel-
ebrated its fifth birthday in January 2010: long may it go on. Q
16 rooms (10 singles/doubles €55-95, 6 triple €110). Prices
include VAT and breakfast. PTHARFGKW

Ibis Palatul Parlamentului B-6, Str. Izvor 82-84, tel.
(+4) 021 401 10 00, www.ibishotel.com. If you want a
view of Casa Poporului then this is perhaps the best place in
Bucharest to come. Other than that it is a fairly standard Ibis
hotel, just as you love them (or otherwise!) from just about
anywhere else on the planet. Not entirely ideally located if
you are not driving, it does boast non-smoking rooms and
very good staff. Q 161 rooms (154 singles/doubles €85,
7 apartments €105). Prices include VAT. PHAR6�
ULGKW
Residence Club Palace
Str. Odaii 137A, tel. (+4) 021 315 16 66, w w w.
residencehotels.com.ro. It’s a fair distance from the city
centre, but the sense of luxury and the ‘get away from it
all’ atmosphere of this exclusive club is more than enough
compensation. For a start there is a big pool to enjoy, there
are tennis courts, a good breakfast included in the price and
even conference rooms. Ideal for a company retreat. Q 6
rooms (6 singles/doubles €70-80). VAT not included. Prices
include breakfast. PTHARLGKCW

Bucharest In Your Pocket bucharest.inyourpocket.com bucharest.inyourpocket.com April - May 2010

22 Where to stay
Rin Calea Bucurestilor 255A, tel. (+4) 021 350 41
15, www.conforthotels.ro. This relatively new hotel out
towards Otopeni airport is a sibling of the Hotel Confort, and
run by the same people. A little more luxurious in fact than
the Confort, you can expect the same well-sized rooms, good
service and good value you have come to expect from the
Confort people. Q 255 rooms (100 singles €89, twins €89).
Prices include VAT. Breakfast not included (€8 per person).
PTARUFGKDC
Tempo C-5, Str. Armand Calinescu 19, tel. (+4) 021
310 12 16, www.tempohotel.com. Smart, modern and
very yellow hotel not far from the centre of Bucharest. The
decor is a step-above the norm, with bright colours and really
quite original design making a refreshing break from the beige
and tan of other places in its class. Almost every room has
Snagov
Mirage Snagov Sos. Bucuresti-Ploiesti 218, tel.
(+4) 031 822 02 50/(+4) 0733 88 88 00, www.mi-
ragehotel.ro/site. Snagov is a small town 20 kilometers
from Bucharest famous for its lake and monastery: it is
said that the remains of Vlad Tepes, the Impaler, a buried
under the monastery church. Snagov has long been a
retreat for the good crowd of the capital and you can now
stay here in comfort thanks to this modern, contemporary
hotel. Rooms are large and well decorated, have high-
speed internet connections, great bathrooms, and plush
carpets. The bar on the top floor has great views over the
lake. Q 117 rooms (106 singles/doubles 164-300 lei, 11
suites & apartments 290-400 lei). Prices include all taxes
and breakfast. PTHRULGKDC
Bucharest In Your Pocket
Where to stay 23
and breakfast. Few frills, little fuss, just first class hospitality
from great staff who will make your stay as comfortable as
possible. In warmer months you can have your breakfast
outside in the lovely courtyard. Q 18 rooms (17 singles/
doubles €40-50, 1 triple €65). Prices include VAT and break-
fast. PTAR6ULGW
La Historia C-6, Str. Sf. Dumitru 3, tel. (+4) 0721 74
74 18, www.lahistoriahostel.ro. First proper hostel in
Old Town, and a winner. Clean, shiny and new, it’s brought
to you by the people behind the La Historia bar/restaurant
downstairs, as well as the now legendary El Comandante club.
A backpacker’s dream. Q 30 beds, €10-18. Price includes
breakfast. JHBKW
Vila 11 A-4, Str. Institutul Medico Militar 11, MGara de
Nord, tel. (+4) 0722 49 59 00. Located in a lovely house
close to Gara de Nord (one block east of Strada Vespatian
and Dinicu Golescu) Vila 11 has a variety of private rooms,
dormitory facilities and family suites available for backpackers
and families of all ages. Friendly and welcoming the terrific
owners do a great breakfast and are a wealth of inside info
when it comes to getting the best out of Bucharest. Q (4
singles/doubles 90-135 lei, 1 triple 180 lei, 14 dorm places
50 lei). Prices include VAT and breakfast. 6G
Youth Hostel Villa Helga D-4, Str. Busolei 7, tel./fax
(+4) 021 212 08 28, www.rotravel.com/hotels/helga.
Still something of a first choice for backpackers, who have
been told of its legendary status by other travellers. There
are dorms and private rooms to choose from, and the prices
are highly competitive. From the station, take bus 86 to Piata
Gemeni, walk up Vasile Lascar and take the fourth right. Q
9 rooms (3 singles 85 lei, 3 doubles 140 lei, 1 triple 165 lei).
Beds in dorms 50 lei/bed. Prices include VAT. RG
a balcony, and some even have hydro-massage showers.
A good breakfast is included in the price. Q 32 rooms (32
singles/doubles €70-90). Prices include breakfast and VAT.
PTHARGKW
Trianon B-5, Str. Grigore Cobalcescu 9, tel. (+4) 021
311 49 27, www.hoteltrianon.ro. If location really is
everything then you can’t do much better than this cracking
place on Str. Cobalcescu, next to the Ministery of Defence
and opposite Cismigiu Park. The building is a superb Seces-
sion renovation on a street that boasts some extraordinary
buildings: it is a shame not all are up to this standard. Inside
the rooms are simple, tastefully decoarted and offer excellent
value for money. Bathrooms have either a bath or a shower.
Given its park location, families will like it here. Q 26 rooms
(4 singles €74, 18 doubles €98, 2 suites €114, 2 apartments
€138). Prices include VAT and breakfast. PAR6UL�
GKDW
Unique B-4, Str. Caderea Bastiliei 35, tel. (+4) 021
319 45 91, www.hotelunique.ro. One of the first new-built
hotels in the city to appear for some time (though more are on
the way), this is an understated kind of place that will appeal
to business travellers looking for a little more peace and quiet
than usual. That said, its location close to the city centre
makes it great for night owls too. Lovely garden. Q 15 rooms
(14 singles/doubles €59-65, 1 suite €98-109). Prices include
VAT and breakfast. PTHARULGKW
Hostels & Villas
Flower’s B & B D-5, Str. Plantelor 2, tel./fax (+4) 021
311 98 48, www.flowersbb.ro. Very close to Piata Unirii
this place is exactly what it claims to be: a proper, homely bed
bucharest.inyourpocket.com bucharest.inyourpocket.com April - May 2010
24 Restaurants
American
Champions B-6, Calea 13 Septembrie 90 (JW Marriott
Bucharest Grand Hotel), tel. (+4) 021 403 19 17. Still
serving the very best burger in Bucharest (you can choose
one or design your own from an endless choice of toppings),
a fact undisputed by anyone we’ve ever met. It is also one
of the biggest. In fact, now we think of it, the portions of
everything here are enormous: even the children’s servings
are very healthy indeed. Besides the burgers you will find a
great selection of American pub food, as well as Tex-Mex
treats and even mici. Famously good cocktails, and more
televisions showing sport than you could ever hope for. Find
it in the Marriott: up the stairs as you go in and to your right.
QOpen 12:00 - 01:00. €€€. PTAX
Hard Rock Cafe B-3, B-dul Kiseleff 32, tel. (+4) 021
206 62 61, sales@hardrockcafe.ro, www.hardrock.com.
Wham, Bam, thank you Maam. Americana gone berserk in the
very best sense of the word. Nobody can knock this place
and it is easy to see why. Feast on top level, upmarket-burger
bar and Tex-Mex food, served in huge portions by perky Bond
girls  who have a smile for everyone. Then sit back with
great cocktails and listen to some very good rock and roll
supplied by some of Bucharest’s best live acts. Seriously
good. QOpen 12:00 - 23:00, Thu, Fri, Sat 12:00 - 24:00.
€€€. PAUEBW
Belgian
La Belle Epoque B-2, Str. Radu Beller 6, tel. (+4) 021
230 07 70, fax (+4) 021 230 21 51, office@labellee-
poque.ro, www.labelleepoque.ro. A big, bright and open
plan cafe on Radu Beller (Dorobanti) branded as a Belgian
beer cafe. And there is no doubt about the beer: there are
plenty of Belgian beers present and correct, as well as a few
Belgian touches in and around the bar. The food is not really
Belgian, though as most people now seem to use this place
as a (good) boozer rather than a place to eat, nobody seems
to mind too much. QOpen 10:00 - 24:00. €€. AI
Bulgarian
Balcic C-3, Sos. Stefan cel Mare 1, tel. (+4) 021 230 55
35/(+4) 0726 34 74 15, restaurant_balcic@yahoo.com,
www.restaurantbalcic.com. The first genuinely Bulgarian
restaurant to open in Bucharest. Named for the city on the
Bulgarian coast that was for years part of Romania, the interior
is one of the most amazing in Bucharest: gorgeous murals on
the walls compete for your attention with the huge fireplace,
from which the smell of gently burning wood is enough to give
anyone an appetite. The food is great, with no fewer than
Bucharest In Your Pocket
Our Venue Listings Policy
Back in 1999 when we began publishing Bucharest In
Your Pocket, we were able to list everything in the city:
every hotel, every restaurant, every bar and every club.
Now, almost eleven years on and with new places opening
up every week, we no longer have the space to list every
venue. As such we now list venues strictly according to
their location, and their relevance to visitors. We list every
venue in Old Town, every venue in the Universitate area,
almost every venue in Dorobanti and the vast majority of
venues in and around Herastrau Park. Why? Because
those are the most popular areas for visitors. We also of
course include a vast number of places not in those areas,
but in general if a venue is not on any of the main visitor
trails then it needs to be exceptionally good (or notoriously
bad) to make the cut. For Lipscani/Old Town venues, see
the feature on pages 58-69.
five lamb dishes (and much, much else) to choose from. Not
cheap, but great value for money. QOpen 11:00 - 24:00.
€€. PAW
Chinese
Nan Jing B-4, Str. Gheorghe Manu 2-4, tel. (+4) 021 311
15 50/(+4) 021 318 12 95, fax (+4) 021 312 39 63.
The Nan Jing’s claim to fame is that it’s the oldest Chinese
restaurant in Bucharest, having been founded in the 1960s.
The food has a sort of Chinese-style to it, and portions are
large (and so they should be considering the prices, which are
not cheap) and the food is certainly no worse than elsewhere.
Popular with those staying at the Minerva Hotel (the Nan
Jing is situated in the hotel’s lobby). Q Open 07:00-10:00,
12:00-24:00 €€€€. PALBS
Orasul Interzis D-5, Str. Silvestru 3, tel. (+4) 031 425
47 47/(+4) 0733 50 07 50, rezervari@orasul-interzis.
ro, www.orasul-interzis.ro. Bucharest’s first upmarket
Chinese restaurant combines all the cuisines of that great
country and delivers them to your plate with real aplomb. And
with due reason. This is the best Chinese food in Romania
since, well, just about ever. At least since John Wing left. The
menu is adventurous and features all sorts of dishes that
place it way above anywhere else in town, such as the sea
cucumber and mushroom soup, or the Chinese cabbage,
served correctly with dried oysters. To get the best out of
this place though round up three friends and go for one of
the set menus. Tremendous value. QOpen 12:30 - 24:00. 
€€€. PAB
bucharest.inyourpocket.com
26 Restaurants
Templul Soarelui D-4, Str. Mihai Eminescu 151,
tel. (+4) 021 211 16 93/(+4) 0723 74 38 78, www.
templulsoarelui.ro. Popular place that has spawned two
offshoots, boasts literally hundreds of selections on its menu,
though it is the usual stuff, such as pork with peppers, pork
without peppers, pork with rice, pork without rice... and so
on. Not the worst Chinese you will eat in this country by any
means.QOpen 12:00 - 23:30. Also at (D-4) Str. Vasile Lascar
205, tel. 021 212 29 55 and (D-5) Str. Dimitrie Onciul 17, tel.
0729 88 36 63. €€€. PB
French
Boutique du Pain C-5, Str. Academiei 28-30, tel. (+4)
0723 60 77 32, info@bdp.com, www.boutiquedupain.
com. Everything you want from a city-centre eatery and a
lot more. This is in fact more bistro than anything, serving
breakfast, lunch and evening meals in fresh, bright surround-
ings. The selection of morning pastries is the best in the
city, with office workers going out of their way to stop here
for fresh supplies. For lunch there is a range of sandwiches
hard to beat anywhere else, and the small selection of hot
meals of an evening - the menu changes daily - are perfect
for a casual dinner. Serving great coffee and a magnificent
hot chocolate, we (and our kids!) love this place. QOpen
08:00 - 22:00. €€. A
Brasserie C-5, Str. Episcopiei 1-3 (Athenee Palace Hil-
ton), tel. (+4) 021 303 37 77, fax (+4) 021 315 21 21. A
genuine brasserie, offering food from an ever-changing menu
(theme weeks based on seasonal vegetables or meats are a
feature) in a casual yet gently refined atmosphere. Known to
many regulars as ‘the posh bit of the Hilton’s cafe’, the sweet
counter here offers the kind of treats that will guiltily have you
asking the waiter for an application form to join the Hilton’s
Bucharest In Your Pocket
Restaurants 27
gym. The word legend is overused in this town: this is one of
few Bucharest eateries that genuinely deserves the moniker.
QOpen 12:30 - 24:00. €€€. PAUE
Casa Vernescu B-4, Calea Victoriei 133, tel. (+4) 021
311 97 44, fax (+4) 021 212 54 87, office@casavern-
escu.ro, www.casavernescu.ro. Before the food, there
is the villa: built in the 1880s it is an eclectic mix of styles
that has been impressively preserved over the years. The
restaurant inside has quite a job living up to the surroundings,
but with the cooking in the hands of one of the country’s best
chefs, it does so with ease. Goose liver with truffles, sea bass
marinated in Pernod, chocolate and orange mousse: mouth-
watering combinations every one. Considered (not without
reason) to be expensive, this is a wonderful place to eat
and for what you get in terms of ambiance, service and food,
you are getting your money’s worth. QOpen 18:30 - 01:00.
€€€€. POALE
Escargot Bistro
D-4, Str. Toamnei 101, tel. (+4) 021 201 71 33/(+4)
0755 12 58 70, bistro@escargot.ro, www.escargot.ro.
Bucharest foodies: this is the place you have been waiting for.
A sensational French restaurant where the love and care the
chef has for his food oozes onto your plate. Duck that takes
48 hours to prepare, an onion soup of the like we’ve never
eaten in Bucharest, fresh snails, outstanding wines and all
served in minimalist surroundings: the food is king here. We
are telling everyone about it and think you should get here
right now. Bring plenty of money. QOpen 12:00 - 24:00.
Closed Mon. €€€€. ABW
French Bakery Le Restaurant C-5, Str. Nicolae
Golescu 17, tel. (+4) 021 310 33 02/(+4) 021 310 33
06, info@frenchbakery.ro, www.frenchbakery.ro. It had
to happen. A French restaurant that actually delivers the not award-winning) food and also doubles up (or triples-up)
goods time after time yet does so in an atmosphere that begs as a good bar, with prices a wee bit lower than a few other
you to spend more time here. The menu features a number of places on the street. QOpen 10:00 - 23:00. Closed Sun.
simple, new-wave French cuisine which - for this city - is very €€€. PAW
well-priced. The tasty duck dishes stood out for us, as did the
desserts and the excellent wine list which - while featuring a Traiteur Petit Heritage B-3, Str. Radu Beller 13, tel.
great list of French grape - for once acknowledges that the (+4) 031 710 41 51/(+4) 0735 77 77 44, fax (+4)
New World can make decent wine too. In short, this place a 031 710 41 50, www.heritage-restaurant.eu. What you
mini-revolution on the Bucharest dining scene and worthy of might call Heritage-light, this is a less formal version of
your time. QOpen 12:00 - 24:00. Also at (B-4) B-dul Lascar top-people’s restaurant of the same name, though where
Catargiu 4, tel. 021 313 61 03, Open 12:00-24:00 and (B-4) you can still get the same excellent, high quality food that
B-dul Nicolae Titulescu 4-8, East Wing, et. 1 (America House) has been the hallmark of Heritage for years. With an eye on
tel. 021 311 44 72, Open 09:00-21:00. €€€. PA the lucrative Dorobanti breakfast, lunchtime and after work
market, we think that they are on to something here. And make
Heritage C-4, Str. Polona 19, tel. (+4) 021 210 88 a note: you can take it all away, perfect for impressing guests
50, fax (+4) 021 210 88 52, fine.dining@heritage- without doing any actual cooking... QOpen 07:30 - 21:30,
restaurant.eu, www.heritage-restaurant.eu. There is still Sun 09:00 - 12:00. €€€€ . PASW
something of a mistaken idea amongst Bucharest gourmands
that Heritage is a fitze kind of place, frequented by the
sunglasses crowd and such like. Let us assure you it is not. Fusion
It is quite simply one of Bucharest’s best restaurants, and Avalon
as such attracts a mixed crowd of people who like fantastic B-3, Calea Dorobantilor 5-7 (Howard Johnson Grand
food in a classy atmosphere, be they business partners, or Plaza), MP-ta Romana, tel. (+4) 021 201 50 30, fax
families enjoying a weekend dinner. Prices are not as high as (+4) 021 201 18 88, www.hojoplaza.ro/ro/avalon-
you might think, and given the standard of the food you are restaurant. Another restaurant goes totally non-smoking.
guaranteed value for money. Q Open 12:30-24:00. Closed Slowly, but surely, the smoke-free revolution is taking hold
Sun. €€€€. PALGB in Bucharest. At Avalon, the fresh air is welcome as it allows
diners to really enjoy the flavours and smells of the superb
Ici et La Fusion cuisine. Every time we visit (and we visit as often as
C-4, Str. Mendeleev 43, tel. (+4) 0731 45 36 08/(+4) we can) we find something new and interesting - and usually
0763 50 47 24, contact@eventsicietla.com, www. inventive - on the menu, and a good wine to go with our meal.
eventsicietla.com. In an area already bursting at the seems The Sunday Brunch is excellent value and a good introduc-
with places to eat and drink, here’s another. It’s difficult to tion to the place for those on a bit of a budget. Q Open
know what to make of this place. It looks more like a cafe than 12:00-15:00, 19:00-23:00. Sun 12:00-16:00, 19:00-23:00.
anything else, yet actually serves some substantial (though €€€€. PAGB
bucharest.inyourpocket.com bucharest.inyourpocket.com April - May 2010
28 Restaurants
Balthazar C-4, Str. Dumbrava Rosie 2, tel. (+4) 021
212 14 60, fax (+4) 021 212 14 61, info@balthazar.ro,
www.balthazar.ro. When you no longer need a reservation
to eat here on a Saturday night, you will know the global
recession really has hit Romania. And it has not happened
yet. Yes, it’s by no means cheap, but the service, tableware,
range of food and above all outstanding cooking make it a
joy to dine here. And whisper it, but it should be said that if
you lay off the imported wines, Balthazar is not all that more
expensive than other places not fit to lace its boots. QOpen
12:00 - 24:00. €€€€. PAB
Esperanto C-4, Str. Eremia Grigorescu 17, tel. (+4) 021
211 36 46. I am sure the owner of this place will not mind
us calling him ‘the most famous celebrity chef in the country,’
though he would be the first to admit that he is no chef. A
gourmand would be a more pertinent epithet, a polymath who
has travelled the world tasting and sampling cuisines, and
who then returned home to put his experience to good use.
And that’s what we have here: a sensational fusion of flavours
and textures, all done with care, hence the genuine concern
if something is not thought to be up to scratch. Everything
always tastes much better if the man himself is in the kitchen:
check beforehand. QOpen 12:00 - 24:00. €€€. PA
Mju C-5, Str. Vasile Lascar 29, tel. (+4) 021 313 00 15/
(+4) 021 313 00 16, fax (+4) 021 313 00 28, info@mju.
ro, www.mju.ro. A very good restaurant. Superior Fusion
(and we mean genuine Pan-Asian Fusion here) food in a set-
ting as swish as you could hope for. Sit yourself down on one
of the designer chairs and tuck into the divine parfait de foie
gras, before feasting on the caramelized duck served with
fennel and crispy sage: the mouth waters again as we write
the review. Q Open 12:00-24:00. €€€€. PAL
Bucharest In Your Pocket
După Revoluţie
După Revoluţie (After the Revolution) is a film by Laurentiu
Calciu that captures the mood on Bucharest’s streets in
the immediate aftermath of 1989’s revolution.
The film very loosely tells the story of the first six months
of 1990, from the announcement on February 6 by the Na-
tional Salvation Front (FSN) that it would field candidates
in presidential and parliamentary elections (having initially
said, in the immediate aftermath of the 1989 revolution,
that it would stay out of politics) to the mineriada of June
13-15, when brutal miners from the Jiu Valley violently put
down student protests against the FSN government.
Though touted as a documentary, it is more a docu-
ment than documentary per se. An endlessly fascinating,
intriguing, disturbing and genuinely unique document. The
footage of the public arguments taking place in Piata Uni-
versitatii the day after opposition supporters had organised
the first major protest against the FSN is priceless. It shows
how the country was split in two: between naive, scared
people who believed in the ‘nu vindem ţara‘ (we will not
sell the country) nonsense that the FSN was spouting at
the time, and more progressive revolutionaries who actually
wanted to take the country forward.
Having less than a month beforehand been citizens in
the most dictatorial regime in Europe, it is incredible to
hear people say things like ‘no other parties except the
FSN should be allowed,’ or ‘if there has to be some
opposition, the people who come back from abroad
shouldn’t be allowed in it.’
‘The people from abroad’ were, specifically, Ion Raţiu
and Radu Câmpeanu, who are accused of ‘not having
protested like us against communism.’ Both stood in the
presidential election of May 1990 against Ion Iliescu.
Here ignorance plays its part: Raţiu in fact protested
more than most against Romanian communism, and did
so for decades. He was arrested a number of times, most
famously outside Claridges, in London, in 1978, where
inside that famous hotel Nicolae Ceausescu was hosting
a banquet for HM Queen Elizabeth II. In turn, Câmpeanu
spent years in Romania’s gulag before being exiled to
Paris.
Two further things will strike you watching the film:
1. Ion Iliescu (at the time the leader of the FSN) is a
shrewd, some might say arrogant, man (like you didn’t know
that already). The press conference at which he defends
the FSN’s decision to field candidates in the elections is a
masterclass in batting away difficult questions.
2. The elections of 1990 (both parliamentary and
presidential) were marked by the kind of irregular activities
usually the preserve of places like Zimbabwe and Belarus.
The report delivered by the head of the foreign observers
at the end of the film is not just damning, it’s shocking. The
observer delivering the report (whose name escaped us)
is clearly astonished at what has gone on.
Too much of the content of this film has been forgotten,
which is why we can’t help but recommend it. Even if this
kind of footage exists elsewhere, we doubt anyone will ever
broadcast it. You can buy a copy of După Revoluţie at
the film’s website, www.aftertherevolution.ro.
PS: There is a marvelous diversion midway through the
film: a scene in the foreign press centre, when we get
to see Chris Walker, of The Times, phone in his hand-
written report for the next day’s paper (in the days when
journalists actually had to work for a living). Another journo
is seen using a typewriter, yet another a telex machine.
Remember those?
bucharest.inyourpocket.com
Restaurants 29
Greek
El Greco E-6, B-dul Decebal 17, tel. (+4) 021 326 80 98.
Son took over the ailing restaurant from father and turned it
around completely. So the new young owner is also the chef
and offers you a typical selection of Greek food - but there is
not enough lamb or fish on the menu. However it’s good value
and packed each night. It’s cheap if you don’t over-order the
meze. QOpen 12:00 - 22:00. Also at B-dul Dacia 137, tel.
(+4) 0748 36 53 94. €€. PAEB
Olive Garden C-3, Str. Tudor Vianu 11, tel. (+4) 021 230
26 30, www.olivegarden.ro. While this place doesn’t look
all that inspiring from the outside, we love killing time here. The
menu is simple, vaguely Greek versions of Romanian classics,
but to call it a Greek restaurant is stretching the description
somewhat. Let’s settle on Balkan/Mediterranean, and if we
factor in the cheap-as-chips prices we can just about give it
the thumbs up. Q Open 11:00 - 22:00. €€. PB
Indian
Barka Saffron A-2, Str. Av. Sănătescu 1, tel. (+4) 021
224 10 04. We have been coming here since the last century,
when there was precious little choice in Bucharest for people
wanting something a little different. Now there is plenty of
choice but we still trot up to Barka whenever we can. On our
last visit we went for the lamb with spinach in tomato sauce
which was as good as we had hoped.QOpen 12:00 - 24:00,
Sat, Sun 10:00 - 24:00. €€€. PALES
Musafir by Amarjit Calea Rahovei 196A, tel. (+4) 0746
87 23 47. Indian food at The Ark for the cognoscenti. Amarjit
used to cook over at Barka Saffron, but long ago set out on
his own. His place at The Ark is a kind of gourmet fast-food
kind of stall around the back, where he cooks a few dishes for
the hip young international crowd that throngs here to blow its
money as fast as it can at weekends. Eat at the wooden tables,
something you can do even when it rains courtesy of a massive
waterproof sheet. QOpen 12:00 - 01:00. €€. AB
International
Arcade B-2, Str. I. Cantacuzino 8, MAviatorilor, tel.
(+4) 0753 99 93 33, www.restaurantarcade.ro. Other
places may come and go, but this one has been first class
for well over seven years now. Every year they come up with
new, sharper menus (the current one stars a glorious duck
confit) meaning you have no excuse not to go as often as you
can afford it. The lovely, high-ceilinged indoor dining room is a
joy in which to dine. All round, superb. QOpen 12:00 - 24:00.
€€€. PALB
Balkan Bistro C-5, Calea Victoriei 56 (Grand Hotel
Continental), tel. (+4) 0372 01 03 04, www.grandhotel-
continental.ro. Very interesting indeed. At last a restaurant
is brave enough to admit that food in this part of the world is
truly Balkan, and that the edges between Serbian, Turkish,
Greek, Romanian and Bulgarian food can sometimes be very
blurred indeed. You will find a rich range of dishes on offer:
all presented on the menu in their original language. A great
place for lunch they offer a 40 minute special for busy people.
Chances are however you will want to stay longer. We did. Q
Open 06:30-10:30 (Sat, Sun 07:00-11:00), 12:00-15:00,
18:00-22:30. €€€. PALW
Barbizon Steak House A-1, P-ta Montreal 10 (Pullman
Bucharest World Trade Center), tel. (+4) 021 318 90
00, barbizon@pullman.ro. This is the latest restaurant to
bucharest.inyourpocket.com April - May 2010
30 Restaurants
open up in the Pullman, and is the best eatery we’ve been to
at this particular five star. As you would expect, steaks top
the bill, and what steaks! All the beef is shipped in fresh from
South America, and though prices reflect the quality you will
not argue at the end of the evening. Good wine list (we like the
inclusion of Moldovan wines) and an open kitchen is always
welcome. Q Open 12:00-14:30, 18:00-22:30. Closed Sat.
€€€€. PALW
Brasserie Crowne Plaza A-1, B-dul Poligrafiei 1,
tel. (+4) 021 224 00 34. Perhaps the most relaxed of
the dining rooms at Bucharest’s big hotels. The menu is a
casual, modern reworking of many old classics in a setting
as un-Bucharest as you could wish for. Still serving a great
Sunday Brunch you should also not forget that the Brasserie
has one of the city’s best wine cellars too. In a nutshell, this
is relaxed fine dining par excellence. Q Open 06:00-10:00,
11:00-15:00, 18:00-23:00. €€€€. AEB
Brasserie DonCafe B-3, Str. Ankara 7, tel. (+4) 0746
22 24 44, www.doncafe-brasserie.ro. Brought to you by
the same people who run Arcade, for years one of our favou-
rite places, this cafe/brasserie was perhaps the best of the
new bunch of brasseries to open during 2009. From early until
late it is everything you could want in a brasserie: there are
good, cheap breakfasts on offer in the mornings, and a small
but perfectly formed choice of daily specials the rest of the
time. QOpen 08:30 - 24:00. €€. PALBSW
Carre A-4, Str. Dinicu Golescu 3, tel. (+4) 021 311 84
12, www.carre-restaurant.ro. Not in the first part of town
that comes to mind when considering eating out, we came
across this place while driving to the station. On your left as
you turn into Dinicu Golescu from Stirbei Voda, it is a classy
looking place that stands out from its surroundings. The ter-
race is great, while inside it’s a lovely coquette affair serving
Bucharest In Your Pocket
very good food of the steaks, fish and fresh veggies variety.
There’s a pub upstairs too, open till 03:00; last food order is
at midnight. QOpen 12:00 - 23:00. €€€. PAB
Centre Ville Le Bistro B-5, Str. Luterana 2-4, tel. (+4)
021 305 38 38, www.lebistro.ro. Look people, this is a
very good restaurant. It is part of the Radisson Blu/Centre
Ville complex and offers a rich and varied menu of Mediter-
ranean food, including a number of good seafood and fish
dishes. The choice of seafood in Bucharest is improving but
still few places offer as much - and do so quite as well - as
this place. Best of all though is the setting: eating under the
enormous glass roof - especially in inclement weather - is
something of a unique experience in these parts. They also
make a terrific strawberry daiquiri. Q Open 06:30-10:30,
12:00-24:00. €€€. PA
Cupola B-6, Calea 13 Septembrie 90 (JW Marriott
Bucharest Grand Hotel), tel. (+4) 021 403 19 03. While
Cupola prepares itself for a relaunch of its menu and concept
later in the year, it is currently open for the JW Marriott’s
excellent buffet breakfast (open to non-hotel guests) and for
the hotel’s Sunday Brunch. Q Open 06:30-11:00; Sunday
Brunch 12:00-16:00. €€€. PA
Dacia Felix B-4, Calea Victoriei 63-81 (Radisson Blu),
tel. (+4) 021 311 90 00. The best thing about this place is
that the cracking breakfast (the best in the city), which is open
to all comers: simply turn up before 10:30, pay your money
and fill up for the day (we would have liked to have stayed for
the day such was the wealth of goodies on offer, but they had
to get ready for lunch...). The Dacia-Felix is also the setting
for the Radisson’s excellent Sunday Brunch, La vie en rose,
which, though it goes on for four hours, is not long enough to
savour everything on offer. Bags of pink sparkling wine too...
Q Open 06:30-10:30, Sat, Sun 07:00-11:00. Sunday Brunch
12:30-16:30. €€€. PAG
Marie Celeste
Sos. Nordului 1, tel. (+4) 0745 99 92 22, www.mcclub.
ro. We didn’t get off to the best of starts with this place,
having discovered that it sits on the site of the old go-cart
track. Nevertheless we persevered, and having decided to
try some fare we were impressed. Though we assume aimed
at the fitze market the food is good and though hardly cheap
is not stupidly expensive. There are two duck dished on the
menu, two more than almost every other restaurant in the
city. At night you can get pleasantly plastered on the Boton
pontoon. QOpen 11:00 - 01:00. €€€€. PB
NEW
Omnivore’s Dilemma B-4, Calea Victoriei 214, tel.
(+4) 021 212 56 66, www.omnivores.ro. Brilliant! Tiny
place serving the best cooked lunch in central Bucharest.
There are just a few dishes to choose from each day: ask the
staff what’s good, hand over a pittance and try and bag a
seat at one of the tables (there are only three or four). You can
take away of there’s no space. The kind of place Bucharest
needs loads more of. QOpen 10:00 - 22:00. Closed Sun. €€.
PALEBSW
Smart’s C-5, Str. Alexandru Donici 14, tel. (+4) 021
211 90 35/(+4) 021 230 00 17. A Belgian place a long
time ago, Smart’s is today still serving Belgian beer, but the
food is international, with a variety of standard dishes on offer.
Fresh mussels flown in from Bruges? Not an option. We like
the place though, as a pub as much as anything else: it is a
good place to come for a drink and a bite to eat, as long as
you are not looking for haute cuisine. QOpen 12:00 - 24:00.
€€. PAB
bucharest.inyourpocket.com
32 Restaurants Restaurants 33

The Harbour
B-4, P-ta Amzei 10-22, tel. (+4) 021 319 72 57, www.
harbour.ro. A top location, in Piata Amzei, with food to match,
as well as friendly and efficient staff. The atmosphere is
relaxing, the food much better than average, though the real
joy of this place is its view to the market. We came here for
lunch recently and were stunned by how many foreigners
were eating here: it must be one of the most popular tourist
and visitor spots in town. QOpen 11:30 - 01:00, Sun 13:00
- 24:00. €€. PALBS

Times (Golden Tulip Times Hotel) E-6, B-dul Decebal

19, tel. (+4) 021 316 65 16, www.timesevents.ro. The
prawn spring rolls we ate here were just about the crispiest,
lightest and tastiest we have come across in Bucharest.
We couldn’t make better at home (and we tried). There are
plenty of other treats on a varied international (with a hint
of Romanian) menu here too. This is a real surprise of a
restaurant: do not let the hotel location put you off. Note the
last kitchen order is at 22:30. QOpen 12:00 - 23:00. €€€.
PALGW
Uptown Bar & Grill B-3, Str. Rabat 2, tel. (+4) 021 231
40 77, fax (+4) 021 230 13 60, reservations@uptown.
ro, www.uptown.ro. Uptown indeed. In the wealthiest
part of the wealthiest part of the city, the city’s wealthiest
people come here to eat. The real draw is the enclosed ter-
race which means you can eat al fresco when it’s snowing
outside. The food is good, a mix of Italian-esque and modern
European dishes, which share a menu with an excellent wine
list. Prices not cheap but value for money very high. Make sure
you reserve well in advance or turn up with a local celebrity
if you want a table on the terrace. QOpen 12:00 - 23:00.
€€€€. PALB
Italian
Angel’s B-3, Str. Paris 52, tel. (+4) 021 231 90 44/(+4)
0723 26 43 57, fax (+4) 021 231 90 45, www.angels-
restaurant.eu. An enormous villa in wealthy Dorobanti,
surrounded (when the weather allows, of course) by a terrace
that seems to go on forever, Angel’s remains one of the first
points of reference for many visitors to Bucharest, especially
Italianos, who feel at home here in their sunglasses and white
shoes. The food is decent enough trattoria Italian, and there
is good, wood-fired pizza too. During the summer you will need
a reservation at the weekend if you have designs on sitting
outside. QOpen 12:00 - 01:00. €€€. PALB
Aquarium C-4, Str. Alecu Russo 4, tel. (+4) 021 211
28 20. Since 1994 it’s been the same story: good but not
extraordinary Italian food and a swish, bright interior; both
make Aquarium worth a visit. It can be a little showy, with
high-powered individuals often choosing to hold court here,
but that shouldn’t put you off what now has to be classed
as a Bucharest legend. Rather expensive. QOpen 12:30 -
23:30. €€€€. PAL
Buongiorno B-4, B-dul Lascar Catargiu 56, MPiata
Romana, tel. (+4) 021 317 43 63/(+4) 0722 44 67 66,
www.trattoriabuongiorno.ro. We have always loved this
place, with its many separate, high-ceilinged dining rooms
and decent if far from special Italian food (there is a small but
good selection of fish dishes that we really like, however). The
covered, glass terrace is great on rainy days, and when the
weather gets better (and warmer) it opens up to become one
of the best terraces around. Can be tricky parking here, so
take a cab or the metro. QOpen 12:00 - 24:00, Fri, Sat, Sun
12:00 - 02:00. Also at Baneasa Shopping Center, 1st floor,
tel. (+4) 0727 41 78 79. €€€€. PAB
Byblos C-5, Str. N. Golescu 14-16, tel. (+4) 021 313
20 91, fax (+4) 021 310 11 51, www.byblos.uv.ro. It’s
been around for a long, long time Byblos, but it remains a
good choice for a ‘can’t go wrong’ dinner for groups of friends.
Of the food there is little less than superlatives to say: the
success of this place has always been its ability to offer high
quality at reasonable prices. Great cheeses, salamis, and a
terrific pizza. Should cost a lot more than it does. QOpen
12:00 - 24:00. €€€. PAL
Caffe & Latte Wine Bar B-5, B-dul Schitu Magureanu
35, tel. (+4) 021 314 38 00, www.caffelatte.ro. Next
door to what has always been one of Bucharest’s best cafes,
this Italian restaurant (that goes for gawdy orange decor in a
big way) keeps coming up with the goods on the food front.
Whether its the huge portions of seafood pasta, the cracking
wine list or the chocolate cake to end all chocolate cakes, we
can’t help ourselves going back time after time. Or we would if
we could afford the bloody expensive prices. QOpen 12:00 -
23:00. Closed Sun. €€€€. PTAGB
Caffe Citta B-4, Calea Victoriei 63-81 (Radisson Blu),
tel. (+4) 021 601 34 36, www.caffe-citta.ro. Styled as
a Northern Italian city centre cafe/bistro the emphasis here
is on good, simple, urban food. Try the risotto with saffron,
the saltim bocca and the tiramisu: all signature dishes and
all done to perfection. The drinks menu is a bit special: go for
the apple mojito (as delicious as it sounds) or try any number
of great wines, all available by the glass. Keep the kids happy
with the freshly made ice cream. QOpen 11:30 - 23:30.
€€€€. PAGB
Capricciosa B-dul Ion Ionescu de la Brad 2, tel. (+4)
021 233 06 35. A bustling Italian restaurant and pizzeria
whose menu is a veritable dictionary of pizza. They even do
truffles and, let’s face it, you don’t see those every day on
a menu in Bucharest. Well worth making the journey uptown
for both the food and the atmosphere, which demonstrates
that top restaurants don’t have to be fitze. QOpen 12:00 -
01:00. €€€. PABS
Casa di David
B-1, Sos. Nordului 7-9, tel. (+4) 021 232 47 15, www.
casadidavid.ro. You can say what you like about this high-
class place (and most party people in Bucharest have some
kind of opinion), but to us it remains a very nice place to spend
the evening, with its big windows and simple furnishings. The
food is ristorante Italian, and very good, with enough fish
dishes to make it appealing to sea food lovers, and though
the big screen TV is annoying, that’s the only fault we have.
Staff are good and the wine list a cracker. QOpen 12:00 -
24:00. €€€€. PALEB
Cucina B-6, Calea 13 Septembrie 90 (JW Marriott Bu-
charest Grand Hotel), tel. (+4) 021 403 19 02, www.
jwmarriott.ro. Bright and breezy, Cucina at the JW Marriott is
a wonderful Italian restaurant where you can find probably the
best (and perhaps only) swordfish steak in the city. The veal
cutlets are incredibly expensive but worth every penny, while
for a simple reminder of great cooking and intense flavours,
the pumpkin and goose liver soup is a masterpiece. QOpen
19:00 - 23:30. €€€€. PA
De Gustibus D-4, Str. Marcel Iancu 10, tel./fax (+4)
021 211 14 49, tel. (+4) 0744 52 01 06, www.degus-
tibus.ro. Call us old fashioned but we have always liked to
judge Italian eateries on the standard they set  with their
spaghetti aglio, olio e Peperoncino. Outwardly simple,
Jewish Bucharest
Choral Temple C-6, Str. Sf. Vineri 9, tel. (+4) 021
312 21 96. Built in 1857, the red brick temple still
serves the now tiny Jewish community of Bucharest,
and has a memorial at the front that commemorates the
Romanian Jews sent to their deaths in the Holocaust. Q
Services are held everyday at 08:00 and 19:00, (08:30
and 19:00 Saturday).
Jewish History Museum (Muzeul de Istorie a
Evreilor din Romania) C-6, Str. Mămulari 3, tel.
(+4) 021 311 08 70. Seperate exhibitions display how
the once vibrant Jewish community of Bucharest used to
live. Housed in an old synagogue built in 1850, the main
display is in fact a sculpture that mourns the 350,000
Romanian Jews sent to their deaths at Auschwitz in
1944 and 1945 (Nobel prize-winning writer Elie Wiesel
was one of the few survivors of this late deportation).
QOpen 09:00 - 13:00, Thu 09:00 - 16:00. Closed Sat.
Admission free.
Holocaust Memorial B-6, Str. Ion Brezoianu/Str.
Ilfov, MEroilor. Unveiled in October 2009, Romania’s
Holocaust Memorial finally recognises the country’s
role in the genocide of Europe’s Jews, a role ignored by
the Communists, and minimized by subsequent govern-
ments after the collapse of Communism in 1989. ‘This
monument is full of symbolism — hundreds of thousands
were killed who would have contributed to the cultural and
economic prosperity of Romania,’ said Rabbi Menachem
HaCohen, Romania’s chief rabbi, at its opening.

Bucharest In Your Pocket bucharest.inyourpocket.com bucharest.inyourpocket.com April - May 2010

34 Restaurants
made with just fresh pasta and garlic, the best olive oil and
peppers, it has an inner complexity that anyone who has
tried to make it at home will testify to. De Gustibus is one of
those few places in Bucharest that gets its aglio olio just
right, and so we whole heartedly recommend it to you. The
place itself is a delight too, a gorgeous Italianate (what else?)
villa. QOpen 11:30 - 24:00. €€€. PALBS
Embassy C-4, P-ta Lahovari 8, tel. (+4) 0733 50 03
00, www.embassy-club.ro. Boasting probably the biggest
terrace in the city centre (not entirely open as we write), you
will need to reserve a table if you want one of the comfy
sofas. Popular with a wealthy crowd, it is a little difficult to
see at first what the attraction - beyond the brilliant location
- is. Service can be slow, and the food - with one exception
- is only average. The exception is the burger, which is really
rather smashing and one of the city’s best. The place grows
on your though: chances are you come more than once.
QOpen 10:00 - 03:00. €€€. PABW
Il Corso A-2, Str. Alexandru Constantinescu 1, tel. (+4)
0788 69 21 46. In one of the most enviable locations in Bu-
charest Il Corso is place to come and eat great Italian food in
surroundings as agreeable as the food. The walls of the place
are almost entirely glass, ideal for those who love to eat while
looking out on the bustling street outside. Not cheap, it does
offer good value for money, and is a great place to close out a
day’s business. Good selection of wines, and friendly, helpful
staff. Q Open 11:30-23:30. €€€. PALBW
Il Trullo C-4, Str. Leonida 29, tel. (+4) 021 210 03 98/
(+4) 0788 00 48 10, www.iltrullo.ro. An Italian in a house
just off Dacia, the food you will be served here is far from the
average Italian nonsense you get elsewhere in Bucharest. No,
this is real regional Italian food, from Puglia, famous for its olive
Bucharest In Your Pocket
groves, and where rich use of local olive oil and fish evoke the
Mediterranean. You can also expect plenty of beans, auber-
gines and hot peppers in your food too. All in all, a terrific dining
experience. QOpen 11:00 - 23:00. €€€. PAW
Isoletta Sos. Nordului 7-9, tel. (+4) 021 232 21 77, www.
isoletta.ro. Luxuriously decorated place on Herastrau lake,
where glass and wood have been combined at great expense to
create one of the most sumptuous dining rooms in the city. Yet
the good news ends there. For the food, despite the laughable
descriptions on the menu - is nothing more than standard trat-
toria fare (the pasta is bought, for example) and the service can
be atrocious. Leave this one for the fitze crowd to enjoy alone.
QOpen 12:00 - 24:00. €€€€. PALBW
La Gondola Str. Nicolae Caramfil 2C, tel. (+4) 021
232 12 60. Built at great expense but with taste and style
(it’s all glass, and for once the views over the lake are not
obscured by enormous television screens) it is just about the
best of the Floreasca lake restaurants. The food is decent
if not great trattoria Italian - there’s some good fish on the
menu - though it is perhaps a little overpriced. Having said
that, you should remember that you are paying for the location
as much as anything, and views like this never come cheap.
QOpen 12:30 - 24:00. €€€€. PA
Lobb’s A-1, P-ta Montreal 2, tel. (+4) 021 319 11 64,
www.lobbs.ro. This place has been packing them in for a
decade. The legendary Antipasto Misto, featuring Lobb’s
mussels wrapped in bacon, croquettes and gorgonzola
with pear, is a meal in itself. The aglio, olio and peperoncino
served here should be taken to every other Italian in the land
to show them just exactly how this simple dish really should
be done. For dessert, go for the English trifle. Really. QOpen
10:00 - 23:00. €€€€. PAE
Madrigal C-5, B-dul Nicolae Bălcescu 4 (Hotel Inter-
Continental), MUniversitate, tel. (+4) 021 310 20 20,
www.intercontinental.com. One of many great things
about the restaurants at the Inter Continental is their affinity
to trying new things and to moving on. Hence the new menus
at Madrigal, its flagship eatery, which is now an Italian steak
house, serving both the prime cuts you have come to love
and a fantastic range of Italian dishes, pasta & carne, all
cooked by the new chef, Andrea Aiudi, an award-winning chef
from the InterContinental San Francisco, brought in specially
to make sure that this place will be a must visit. QOpen
18:00 - 24:00. Closed Sun. €€€€. PAUL
Restaurant 41 A-3, Str. Clucerului 41, tel. (+4) 021
222 19 42/(+4) 0722 49 59 01, restaurantclub41@
yahoo.com. The restaurant formerly known as Exile is now
Restaurant 41, owned and operated by the lovely people
who have for years looked after visitors to Bucharest at the
Vila 11 hostel and bed and breakfast. Expect great cooking,
good service and a welcome that will have you swearing to
visit again before you have even sat down at your table. Yes,
that friendly and that good.  QOpen 10:00 - 02:00, Fri 10:00
- 20:30, Sat 21:00 - 02:00. €€. PNBW
Ristorante Il Calcio A-3, Str. Clucerului 7, tel. (+4)
0729 57 48 02, www.trattoriailcalcio.ro. As opposed to
Trattoria Il Calcio? Yes. For this is a ristorante, a notch up
from trattoria. Expect a more refined menu and surround-
ings, but the same warm, friendly service and great value (if
pricier) food you’ve come to expect from the Il Calcio boys.
This first Il Calcio restaurant is in a lovely house on Strada
Clucerului, quickly becoming something of a magnet for great
places to eat. QOpen 12:00 - 24:00, Fri, Sat 12:00 - 01:00.
€€€. PALW
bucharest.inyourpocket.com
36 Restaurants
Roberto’s
C-5, Str. Episcopiei 1-3 (Athenee Palace Hilton), tel. (+4)
021 303 37 77. Though it now probably (by most people’s
reckoning) has to play second fiddle to Cafe Citta across
the road, this is still one of the best Italian chophouses in the
land, and a great choice for a formal, shirt and tie dinner. The
menu changes regularly, and features cuisine from all of Italy’s
regions, rotating on a monthly basis. Great wine list and still
the setting for what was the first (and still one of the most
celebrated) Sunday Brunches in town. Q Open 06:30-10:00,
12:00-15:00, 19:00-23:00, Sat 06:30 - 11:00, 12:00-15:30,
19:00 - 23:00, Sun 06:30 - 11:00, 19:00 - 23:00. Sunday
(Brunch) from 12:30. €€€€. PTAE
Trattoria Il Calcio I C-4, Str. Mendeleev 14, MP-ta
Romana, tel. (+4) 0722 13 42 99, www.trattoriailcalcio.
ro. A football-themed Italian trattoria with strangely appealing
murals of scenes from important matches in seasons past.
Bucharest In Your Pocket
Offering very good trattoria food, decent pizzas and one of
the best salad bars in Bucharest, you will come, love it, and
come again. Prices are extraordinarily cheap and the queues
outside at lunchtime speak volumes. Service is provided by
bright young things in football shirts. Championship winning
stuff. QOpen 12:00 - 24:00, Fri, Sat 12:00 - 01:00. Also at
(C-5) Str. Benjamin Franklin 1-3, tel. (+4) 0732 52 81 40; (C-3)
Calea Floreasca 118-120, tel (+4) 0728 63 99 06. €€. P
Trattoria Il Peperoncino C-4, Str. Dionisie Lupu 88,
tel. (+4) 021 318 58 38. The newest Italian trattoria in
the city, and already installed by those in the know (as well
as ourselves) as one of the very best. They are not cutting
any corners here, with their correct, imported ingredients
and menu that keeps it simple and generally seasonal. Quiet
location on a backstreet behind Bulevardul Magheru adds a
sense of discretion and occasion. We like it. QOpen 10:00 -
24:00. €€€. PALBW
bucharest.inyourpocket.com
Restaurants 37
Trattoria Roma D-4, Str. Mihai Eminescu 114-116, tel.
(+4) 021 210 81 57, www.trattoria-roma.ro. Brilliant,
truly brilliant, and we rarely give praise that high. It might
nominally be an Italian but what people come to this place
for is the seafood. Huge plates of steaming mussels come
in at a top value 26 lei. QOpen 12:00 - 24:00. Also at (B-3)
Calea Dorobanti 177, tel. (+4) 021 230 40 83 and (A-6) Str.
Dr. Lister 1, tel. (+4) 0766 33 42 24. €€. PAL
Japanese
Benihana B-3, Calea Dorobantilor 5-7 (Howard Johnson
Grand Plaza), MP-ta Romana, tel. (+4) 021 201 50 30,
www.benihana.ro. Japanese food as it should be: relatively
simple yet superbly treated cuts of meat and fresh vegetables
cooked before your very eyes on a Hibachi grill by a trained
chef. There’s sushi too for those who like it, and though prices
here can be high, try the excellent value lunchtime menu.
Q Open 12:00-14:45, 19:00-22:30. Closed Sun. Sushi bar
open 12:00-15:00, 19:00-22:30, Sun 19:00-22:30. €€€€.
PTAULS
Lebanese
Piccolo Mondo A-3, Str. Clucerului 9, tel. (+4) 021
222 57 55, www.piccolomondo.ro. Lebanese food that
is both filling (with plenty for vegetarians to choose from) and
well made. Kebabs are one of the chef’s strong points, and
are very tasty indeed. After your meal you can enjoy a smoke
on a hookah pipe. Always packed so reserve a table. QOpen
11:30 - 01:00. €€€. PABW
Mediterranean
Cerisiers A-3, Str. Clucerului 19, tel. (+4) 0722 59 98 05,
www.restaurantcerisiers.ro. We attended a Christening at
this place recently, and were blown away by the quality of the
food: really outstanding. The seafood and fish dishes are the
best of what’s on the menu, but there is more than that to enjoy:
try the cracking salads or the beef carpaccio. As for the rooftop
terrace, there is no more romantic place to eat in the city. And we
mean it. QOpen 11:00 - 23:30. €€€. PALW
Oliviers A-3, Str. Clucerului 19, tel. (+4) 0722 23 81
31, www.restaurantoliviers.ro. Can a hotel restaurant be
this good? Yes. The ambitious owners of the Residence hotel
are very keen to promote their excellent restaurant, and with
good reason. A small but perfectly formed dining room is
the setting for a tantalising menu of Oriental, Meditteranean
and local dishes. A much larger conference room is a great
setting for larger, formal dinners. QOpen 11:00 - 23:30.
€€€. PALW
Mexican/Tex Mex
Don Carlos C-3, Str. Barbu Vacarescu 42A, MStefan
cel Mare, tel. (+4) 0754 48 41 99, www.don-carlos.ro.
On the ground floor of a new office building in the north of
the city, this place serves very good Mexican food, including
a more than convincing corn soup, and very good burritos.
The excellent guacamole is made here, not bought in (as it
is in at least one other ‘Mexican’ eatery we can think of). So
quite why they have to serve a full menu of Romanian food as
well is beyond us. Go for the Mexican. QOpen 10:00 - 24:00.
€€. PAEB
El Torito C-4, Str. Iancu Capitanu 30, tel. (+4) 021 252
66 88, www.eltorito.ro. Tex-Mex as it should be: spicy,
tasty but free of frills. Expect the biggest and best burrittos
in the city, topped with lashings of tangy cheese; sizzlingly hot
bucharest.inyourpocket.com April - May 2010
38 Restaurants
fajitas, no fewer than eight types of taco and - best of all - that
splendid Mexican staple so often forgotten or passed over as
being dull: cream of corn soup. The super nachos are worth
trying too: filled with ground beef the portion is big enough
to serve as a main course. In fact, beware: all the portions
here are supersized. Though you would be a fool to forego a
nosh here, if you just fancy a drink at the bar nobody seems
to mind. Let the margaritas and the mojitos flow. QOpen
12:00 - 23:00. €€. PAGW
Modern European
Aqua Chique
Sos. Nordului 7-9, tel. (+4) 0731 88 89 99, www.
aquachique.ro. For Bucharest’s rich set this is the latest
dining sensation. On our last visit the other diners were almost
all famous models, business people and TV personalities.
So how’s the food? Good, is the answer. Pricey but good, an
adventurous mix of Mediterranean and modern European.
The wine list is sensational, service very good and the decor
as exclusive and chic as you would expect, without over doing
it. Only the televisions let it down. QOpen 12:00 - 24:00.
€€€€. PABSW
Concerto
C-5, Calea Victoriei 56 (Grand Hotel Continental), tel.
(+4) 0372 01 03 05, www.grandhotelcontinental.ro. Oh
yes. The fine dining stakes in Bucharest get notched up even
further with the opening of the Grand Continental’s showcase
dining room, a match for any other in the city. Creative dishes
of both everyday and unusual flavours, a long list of the world’s
finest wines and a setting to die for make this yet another
great place in the city to treat a meal as an event. Bucharest’s
gourmand’s are now indeed spoilt for choice. QOpen 18:00 -
23:30. €€€€. PALGW
Bucharest In Your Pocket
Prime Steaks & Seafood B-4, Calea Victoriei 63-81
(Radisson Blu), tel. (+4) 021 311 90 00, www.prime-
restaurant.ro. When you are asked if you would like your
bread ‘light or dark’ you know they’re not cutting any corners.
(And at these prices nor should they be). No worries though,
for we guarantee that no matter how big the bill is you will
leave here with a smile on your face and a feeling that you’ve
got value for money. The food, cooked in an open kitchen, is
that good. From the delicious onion soup through the scallops
with grilled asparagus to the duo of foie gras to the rib-eye
steak (shipped in from Argentina), you are onto a winner. Q
Open 12:30-15:00; 18:30-23:00, Sun 18:30-23:00. €€€€.
PAG
Romanian
Bistro Atheneu C-5, Str. Episcopiei 3, tel. (+4) 021
313 49 00. Also known as the thinking man’s La M*ma. If
you want very good Romanian food cooked slowly and with
great care then this is where to come. There is no menu as
such: simply choose one of the delicious specials chalked
up on a blackboard that the pretty waitresses will bring to
your table. There is usually a good ciorba or soup, and more
often than not a lamb dish: if they have the lamb stew when
you visit, make sure you order it, it’s great. QOpen 12:00 -
24:00. €€€. PALE
Casa Doina B-3, Sos. Kiseleff 4, tel. (+4) 021 222
67 17, www.casadoina.ro. Alma mater of Romanian
restaurants, an integral part of the city’s rich tapestry. This
classy place pulls in the cream of Bucharest society, served
by charming, splendid waiters in smart dress. The food is
superb, and in a city where standards rise only to fall so
often, Casa Doina can be considered a paragon of consis-
tency. QOpen 12:00 - 01:00. Also at (A-1) B-dul Poligrafiei
3-5 (Ramada Bucharest Parc), tel. (+4) 021 549 25 41. €€€.
PALEB
Casa Veche B-5, Str. George Enescu 15-17, tel. (+4)
021 315 78 97, www.casaveche.ro. Best known as be-
ing the first ever proper pizzerie in Bucharest, there is far, far
more to Casa Veche than just pizza. It serves a wide range of
dishes, included great salads, all in a picture-perfect setting
just off the city’s main street. The walled garden/courtyard
is delightful on sunny days, but can be extremely popular:
you will generally need a reservation. Q Open 11:00-01:00.
€€. PABSW
Corso Brasserie & Terrace
C-5, B-dul Nicolae Bălcescu 4 (Hotel InterContinental),
MUniversitate, tel. (+4) 021 310 20 20. Breakfast, lunch
or dinner on the boulevard; Magheru, that is. If this place
doesn’t occupy the best people-watching spot in the whole
of the city, then we don’t know where does. The menu has
gone more local of late: you can now enjoy exemplary sarmale
and mamaliga here, as well as a brilliant iahnie de fasole
with ciolan (pork knuckle with beans to you and me). Also
still home of the best brunch in town.Q Open 06:30 - 23:00.
€€€. PTALW
For details of restaurants, cafes,
bars and clubs in Bucharest’s
Old Town (Lipscani), see the
feature on pages 58-69.
bucharest.inyourpocket.com
40 Restaurants
Excalibur - Locul Cavalerilor C-5, Str. Academiei 39-
41, tel. (+4) 021 314 56 70, www.loculcavalerilor.ro.
Brilliant, just brilliant. Plates, knifes and forks are dispensed
with at this enjoyable Medieval-themed restaurant, where you
can sit down at huge round tables and enjoy King Arthur’s
Dinner or Sir Lancelot’s Lunch direct from a wooden platter.
It’s very good Romanian grill and barbeque fare presented as
Medieval cuisine, and the prices are more than decent and
both the atmosphere and service are fantastic. Kids love
it. Finger licking good. QOpen 12:00 - 24:00. Also at (B-5)
B-dul Mihail Kogalniceanu 3, tel. (+4) 021 311 62 82 , Open
13:00-24:00. €€€. PAW
Hanu’ Berarilor Interbelic
B-6, Str. Poenaru Bordea 2, tel. (+4) 021 336 80 09,
www.hanuberarilor.ro. This place is the new ‘must visit’
restaurant in Bucharest. Housed in the former Casa Bucur
(a place you could write a book about) it is a very good Ro-
manian restaurant serving the kind of food you only usually
get in people’s homes. Seriously: only in two or three other
places in Bucharest will you find carnati de oaie (mutton
sausages) or bors de peste. If you are feeling really hungry
go for the platou mioritic: a huge plate of meaty treats.
QOpen 10:00 - 02:00. €€. PJA
La Cocosatu Str. Neagoe Voda 52 A, tel. (+4) 021
232 87 96, www.lacocosatu.ro. We put out an appeal
on our Facebook fan page for the best mici in the city. The
response was immediate and overwhelming: Cocosatu’ uber
alles. A bit of a trek from the city centre (it is just around the
corner from Baneasa Airport) the mici here are indeed the
best we have tasted: big, tangy, made with loads of mutton
and a few spices for extra kick. The ultimate Bucharest mici
experience, and all at peanuts prices. QOpen 07:00 - 24:00.
€. PALB
Bucharest In Your Pocket
La Mama C-3, Str. Barbu Văcărescu 3, tel. (+4) 021
212 40 86, www.lamama.ro. Not exactly a Romanian
McDonald’s - after all, this is hardly fast food - though this
is a chain of cheap restaurants which all look the same and
all serve the same food. Expect big portions of standard
Romanian food - they do good mici and the musaka is usu-
ally OK - but nothing too adventurous, as well as cheap beer
and a fight for a table: these restaurants are very popular
and the busiest locations require reservations, especially
at lunchtime. QOpen 10:00 - 02:00, Fri, Sat 10:00 - 04:00.
Also at (I-3) Str. Delea Veche 51, tel. 021 320 52 13, 0723
292 846; (C-4) Str. Episcopiei 9, tel. 021 312 97 97, 0721
526 262. €. PAB
Locanta Jaristea B-6, Str. George Georgescu 50-52,
tel. (+4) 021 335 33 38, www.jaristea.ro. This is that
rarity in Bucharest (and indeed Romania): an upmarket Ro-
manian restaurant. The surroundings, location, exquisitely
decorated dining rooms, service and choice of high quality
food will convince you of that. This is one of very few places
in Romania where you can enjoy an entire suckling pig (though
note that you will need phone ahead and ask then to start
preparing it a day in advance) and sample some of the best
vintage wines Romania has ever produced. QOpen 11:00 -
02:00. €€€€. PALE
Rossetya C-5, Str. Dimitrie Bolintineanu 9, MUni-
versitate, tel. (+4) 031 805 91 99, www.rossetya.ro.
Romanian food is never going to win any awards for original-
ity, it being a mix of various Balkan cuisines, yet Rossetya
tries harder than most to take it to new levels. As such this
is as upmarket as you can get, and the beef dishes here are
especially good. Try the sote de vacuta aromat cu cognac:
tender beef sauteed in cognac with mushrooms and toma-
toes. Also worth trying is the Iahnie de fasole: a Romanian
bucharest.inyourpocket.com
Restaurants 41
bean stew that packs something of a kick and proof that
Romanian does do vegetarian food. QOpen 11:00 - 23:30.
€€. PAGS
Violeta’s Vintage Kitchen
C-5, Str. Batistei 23, tel. (+4) 021 310 06 81, www.
violetas.ro. The concept is great: very good Romanian food
with a nod towards the vegetarian served off a menu that
changes daily. You can check it online and then decide if you
fancy anything before setting off. Alas, the service can be a
little hit and miss. On one visit we were given our menus, then
ignored. We gave them five minutes, then ten, then 15... then
we got up and left. Next time though all was well. We hope
the second experience was the regular experience, for the
place is lovely and just so un-Bucharest you want to squeeze
it and hug it. QOpen 08:30 - 22:00, Mon 11:30 - 22:00, Sat
09:30:22:00, Sun 09:30 - 12:30. €€. PGS
Sandwiches
Paul B-2, Str. Radu Beller 1, tel. (+4) 021 230 17 33/
(+4) 0745 08 17 75, www.paul.fr. Sandwich shop par
excellence. The finest, crispiest bread gets wrapped around
upmarket fillings. There are pastries too, and even soups. A
couple of tables inside, but it is mainly a takeaway-place for
the office workers of the area. QOpen 08:00 - 22:00, Sun
10:00 - 22:00.
Seafood
Mamma Leone B-4, Str. Povernei 22, tel. (+4) 0743 07
20 08, www.restaurantmammaleone.tk. Top little fish res-
taurant specializing in the river, lake and sea varieties found in
and around Romania. The cheeky little cabanos de peste (kind
of like fish cakes) might just be the tangiest, tastiest starters in
the city right now. They also have various fish in saramura, a
kind of clear, sour sauce that gives fish a rich flavour and which
is usually served with mamaliga. Well worth a visit this place
will convince you that Romania does have a tradition of cooking
fish. QOpen 12:00 - 24:00.  €€€. PAW
Mesogios
C-5, Str. J.L. Calderon 49, tel. (+4) 021 313 49 51,
021 317 13 55, www.mesogios.ro. A businessman’s
dream. While Mesogios certainly doesn’t get any cheaper,
the high standards here have ensured that it remains
packed with happy punters.  Getting on for a decade
since it opened its dedication to seafood has not waned
for one moment, and we never leave disappointed (and
we come here as often as our wallet allows). Join us and
enjoy squid, lobster, prawns of all sizes, mussels, oysters,
giant sea bass and a host of other wet treats. Q Open
12:30 - 24:30. €€€€. PA
Thai
Thai Moods
A-2, Str. Petre Creţu 63, tel. (+4) 021 224 68 51, www.
thaimoods.ro. Superlatives are pointless in any review
of this restaurant. It serves the very best Thai food in the
region (not just the country), all cooked by the hands-own
owner and often served by another member of the family.
Indeed, you will feel as though you are sharing a carefully
prepared family meal, and the gorgeous villa that houses
this eatery is equally homely. Of the latest menu we have
tried almost everything, and though it is all good the mango
and shrimp salad with seafood and citrus sauce particularly
took our fancy. QOpen 17:00 - 24:00. Closed Mon, Sun. €€€.
PALGBSW
bucharest.inyourpocket.com April - May 2010
42 Restaurants CAFÉS 43

Turkish
Golden Falcon C-5, Str. Hristo Botev 18-20, tel. (+4)
021 314 28 25/(+4) 021 313 28 33. Still the greatest
kebab house in the land, and still packing in the punters who
come back time and again. There are no menus here: instead
the waitresses will parade a trolley-full of meze before you to
pick from, before coming round with the kebabs: pick which
one you want then send it to be cooked in the open kitchen.
Great desserts too. QOpen 12:00 - 23:00. €€€. PAS

Turkuaz A-2, Str. Kiseleff 22, tel. (+4) 031 105 20 83/
(+4) 0721 32 24 08, www.turkuazrestaurant.ro. If you
don’t like televisions in restaurants, you can look away now.
This place has a great big flat screen television in the main
dining room. You want to know more? Well, the food is OK,
mainly Turkish (the kebabs are rather good) and a bit of Ro-
manian for less adventurous locals. Open early for breakfast
they do some cracking, cheap-as-chips omelettes. QOpen
09:00 - 24:00. €€. PAB

Vegetarian
Casa Satya A-3, B-dul Banu Manta 25, tel. (+4) 0788
78 81 11, www.satya.ro. Where do you start when review-
ing a place as revolutionary as this? The concept is Ayurveda,
as in the mix life and science. Ayuvedic principles have long
been applied to alternative medicine, now it is developing
into cuisine, and that is what we have here. Everything on the
menu is toxin free, so no meat, but there is plenty of seafood,
and everything is made with only fresh, organic ingredients.
Amazingly, that does not mean forgoing taste: the delicious
chutneys served with the poppadoms will convince you of that
right from the off. The toilets by the way are amazing. QOpen
12:00 - 23:00. €€€. PTAGBSW
Cafe Verona/Verona Garden C-5, Str. Pictor Arthur
Verona 13-15, tel. (+4) 0732 00 30 61/(+4) 0732 00
30 60. Sublime. The brilliant Carturesti bookshop has long
served coffee with its books, but the latest attempt to make
this a real bookstore cafe is easily the best. Add in the terrific
Verona Garden outside - a better place to sit in the shade
this close to the city centre we know not of - and you have
a truly brilliant venue. There is some light food too, sweets,
desserts and a great hot chocolate. QOpen 10:00 - 24:00,
Sat, Sun 11:00 - 24:00. Verona Garden Open 10:00-24:00.
PAEBXW
Caffe & Latte B-5, B-dul Schitu Măgureanu 35, tel.
(+4) 021 314 38 34, fax (+4) 021 314 38 70, office@
caffelatte.ro, www.caffelatte.ro. If it ain’t broke, don’t try
to fix it, seems to be the ethos of this king of cafés. The staff,
the food, the coffee and the décor all stay the same - and yet
still they come. (What does get better is the cake selection:
it improves year after year). Caffe & Latte is particularly nice
during the spring and summer, when you can sit outside,
avoid the smoke (it can get a bit smoky inside) and enjoy
the quiet street-scene and decent view of the park. QOpen
08:00 - 22:00. PB
NEW
Ceas Cafe D-4, B-dul Dacia 22, tel. (+4) 0735 55 77
77/(+4) 0745 55 12 18, ceascafe@ceascafe.ro, www.
ceascafe.ro. Another tea and coffee house: a very good one
in fact, right by Piata Romana. Coffee here is an art form, it’s
all in the preparation. Expect loads of different kinds, including
the best cafea la nisip - as they say in these parts - around.
There is plenty of fruity tobacco for your pipe as well: yes,
they have hookahs too. Add in comfy white sofas and you
have a winner. QOpen 12:00 - 01:00, Sun 18:00 - 01:00.
PABW
Coffee & You C-6, Str. Bibescu Voda 1, bl. P4, MP-ta
Unirii, tel. (+4) 021 337 29 78, www.coffeeandyou.ro.
What used to be Via Café is now the far, far better Coffee
& You. During the summer there’s a small terrace (as in
tables on the street) but what really rocks our boat here is
the view across the square from the upper level: just make
sure you sit by the window. Coffee, cakes, sandwiches and
a few cocktails. Busier during the day than at night. QOpen
08:00 - 01:00. PB
Costa Coffee D-4, B-dul Dacia 39, MPiaţa Romana, tel.
(+4) 0721 10 22 45. Bruno and Sergio Costa set up their
famous coffee roastery in Lambeth, London in 1971, supplying
local caterers and Italian coffee shops with an exciting coffee,
slow-roasted the Italian way. People couldn’t get enough of it
and by 1978 the first Costa espresso bar opened in Vauxhall
Bridge Road in London. Well now it has opened up slap bang
in the middle of Bucharest. Serving a sublime selection of
coffee, cakes and pastries it is also entirely non-smoking.
QOpen 08:00 - 22:00. Also at Sos. Oltenitei 2 (City Mall),
tel (+4) 0721 10 22 46, Open 10:00-22:00 and (D-5) B-dul
Carol I 26. AG
Cube C-4, Calea Dorobantilor 54, tel. (+4) 021 210 77
66, www.cubecafe.ro. Once you get beyond the concept,
in that everything here is cubed, or square, from the sofas
and armchairs to the coffee cups, then there is little to remark
the place above any of the other zillion ‘trendy’ cafes opening
up around the city. The mint coffee is good though. QOpen
08:00 - 24:00, Sat, Sun 10:00 - 01:00. PAB
Elysee Cafe B-3, Str. Paris 9, tel. (+4) 0731 87 21
93. It’s not difficult to the see the biggest attraction of this
place (at least in Spring and Summer, anyway): a 270 degree
terrace at mezzanine level, which looks out over Dorobanti

Bucharest In Your Pocket bucharest.inyourpocket.com bucharest.inyourpocket.com April - May 2010

44 cafÉs
from a position that just screams ‘I’m richer than you.’ Inside
it’s very nice too (good news for the owner’s bank balance
when the weather is not so nice) and is popular with a crowd
somewhat less fitze than congregates in the awful places
on the other side of the square. All in all rather nice. Q Open
09:30-01:00. PLBW
Ferarra Cafe C-4, Calea Dorobantilor 20-28, tel./
fax (+4) 021 321 29 03, www.ferarra.ro. Lower-end of
Dorobanti but no less trendy than any of the other cafes at
the Radu Beller end of the street. We find Ferarra a bit more
real than other cafes, in fact: patrons appear to actually do
stuff, you know, like have jobs as opposed to the idle rich
that congregates elsewhere. Worth an espresso stop at the
very least. Q Open 08:30-02:00, Sat, Sun 09:30-02:00.
PABW
Geisha Cafe C-5, Str. C.A. Rosetti 10, tel. (+4) 021 315
72 98. The Geisha girl pictured on the main wall of this cafe
looks fantastically seductive, and painting her clearly took a
bit of work. Shame the same attention to detail didn’t go into
chair selection: we found them to be a little uncomfortable.
Other than that it is a decent enough place to get a coffee
if you happen to be in the area (it is next to the University’s
library) but otherwise not worthy of any real note. QOpen
09:00 - 24:00, Sun 10:30 - 24:00. PABW
Hobby Cafe
D-5, Str. Negustori 34, tel. (+4) 0724 28 88 50. A genu-
inely brilliant concept and, for once, something that’s actually
new in Romania. Basically this place is a café with space and
desks and other accessories for you to indulge your hidden
artistic desires, be it painting, drawing or photography. All
sorts of courses available too should you wish to get serious.
QOpen 10:00 - 22:00, Sun 14:00 - 02:00.
Bucharest In Your Pocket bucharest.inyourpocket.com
IO Espresso C-5, Str. Demetrie I. Dobrescu 5, tel. (+4)
021 315 60 98, www.iocoffee.ro. Bucharest’s most stun-
ning cafe is housed inside a modern office building (home
to Bucharest’s architects’ guild) itself inside the shell of a
building almost entirely ruined during the 1989 revolution.
The blend of old and new is sensational. The cafe itself is a
quiet, mellow affair great for casual meetings and relaxing.
It is far less showy and therefore a great deal classier than
almost every other cafe in the city. QOpen 08:30 - 24:00,
Sat, Sun 10:00 - 24:00. PGW
Le Bistrot C-5, Str. Episcopiei 1-3 (Athenee Palace Hil-
ton), tel. (+4) 021 303 37 77. For many years this place was
Bucharest In Your Pocket’s kitchen: we had our office close
by and came here for breakfast and coffee almost every day.
Now we’ve moved away, but we still come back whenever we
have to meet someone. For this is Bucharest’s Piccadilly Circus:
everyone meets here, and as far as expats are concerned if you
stick around for ten minutes you are bound to see someone
you know.QOpen 08:00 - 22:00. PAEG
Lolly Pop E-6, B-dul Decebal 13, tel. (+4) 0724 94
88 20, www.lollypop.ro. On a street that is becoming
something of a seriously good alternative to the city centre
is Lolly Pop, an all-in-one type place where you can get coffee,
tea, great fruit juice, eat decent French/Italian food and then
dance the night away to smooth sounds: all without leaving
the building. Oh, and they get added points for reserving the
whole ground floor for non-smokers. QOpen 10:00 - 02:00.
PABSW
Pascucci B-3, Calea Dorobantilor 152, tel. (+4) 021
230 22 95, office@pascucci.ro, www.pascucci.ro.
Enormous new coffee shop on Dorobantilor serving exclusive
bucharest.inyourpocket.com
CAFÉS 45
Pascucci coffee (of which there are no fewer than 12 blends).
Making great use of the space the frontage is entirely glass,
which means that all tables get a great view of the street, not
merely those by the window. Add in terrific big sandwiches,
pastries and cakes, as well as the young, sassy and good
looking staff and you have a winner of a cafe, as fit hosting
gossiping ladies who lunch as it is for a late night espresso. 
QOpen 09:00 - 24:00.    . PABW
Serendipity Tea House
C-4, Str. Dumbrava Rosie 12, MP-ta Romana, tel.
(+4) 021 211 31 00/(+4) 0743 28 33 42, events@
serendipity-tea.ro, www.serendipity-tea.ro. Tea and lots
of it. There are more than 55 types of tea available, including
the trademark Serendipity, an aromatic yet fruity green tea
with more than a hint of strawberries. A quiet location just off
an otherwise busy central street make this a superb choice
for long, peaceful afternoons reading a good book with a
great cup of tea or two. Oh, and we should point out that the
coffee menu is not bad either. QOpen 15:00 - 22:00, Sat,
Sun 12:00 - 22:00. TAGW
Starbucks E-7, Calea Vitan 55-59 (Bucuresti Mall),
www.starbucks.com. Romanians are quickly discover-
ing that Starbucks is not the kind of cafe where you wear
ridiculous clothes, stupid sunglasses and come to pose while
smoking yourself to death. And thank God for that: Starbucks
is therefore a favourite haunt of people who simply like drinking
good coffee in decent, smoke-free surroundings while taking
a break from the shopping. QOpen 10:00 - 22:00. Also at
B-dul Timisoara 26 (Plaza Romania); B-dul Timisoara 27
(Bucharest Training Center); Calea Rahovei (Liberty Center);
Baneasa Shopping City; (A-4) B-dul Nicolae Titulescu 4-8
(America House). PTGW
April - May 2010
46 Nightlife
Bars
Berestroika D-6, Aleea Cauzasi 57, tel. (+4) 0735 08
78 02, www.berestroika.ro. It was about time we had
something like this in Bucharest: a great little micro-brewery
serving some terrific beers, including the closest thing you will
find to real stout in Romania. Decent place to watch football
with a good young crowd of what we might call ordinary locals.
It is a breath of fresh air and probably the best (certainly
the most original) place to open in the city in 2009. QOpen
12:00 - 02:00. PALBW
Biavati Cafe C-5, Str. Benjamin Franklin 16, tel. (+4)
0732 42 82 84, (+4) 0754 74 56 00, rezervari@biavati.
ro, www.biavati.ro. We can’t help liking this place, and we
think you will fall instantly, equally in love with it. Achingly luxuri-
ous it might be a little bit over the top for some, but it’s all
tastefully done and is exclusive without being overtly kitsch.
Is currently styling itself not just as a cafe but as an aperitivo
bar, and it does it well: little snacks on the bar to accompany
your after-work livener. If we had our office anywhere close
we’d be here every night of the week. As the evening goes
on, it becomes more club than bar, with well-dressed locals
enjoying cocktails and each other. Q Open 08:00-02:00.
PALEW
Dark Bar Blå /Light Blå Terrace /Blå Lounge Bar
B-4, Calea Victoriei 63-81 (Radisson Blu), tel. (+4) 021
311 90 00, www.bla-lounge.ro. A collection of bars and
lounges from the Radisson, popular with an after-work crowd
who view it as a decent alternative to the English Bar in the
Hilton across the road. Expect contemporary design, great
bar food (try the duck blinis) and cracking cocktails. Add in
a splendid range of agreeable wines and you have a winner.
We think the Light Blå Terrace (fully enclosed in glass at this
Bucharest In Your Pocket
time of year) is the most stunning smoking room in the city.
Q Blå Lounge Bar/Light Blå Terrace 09:00 - 02:00, Sun
09:00-24:00; Dark Bar Blå 17:00-02:00. PAB
Downtown C-4, Str. Mendeleev 32 - 34, MP-ta Romana,
tel. (+4) 021 314 86 06, www.downtown.ro. An expen-
sive and rather pretentious smaller version of The Office, a
far superior venue just around the corner. This place is about
as exclusive as a supermarket, however, and full of the kind
of people impressed by drinking and dancing in the same
location as C-list celebs. Has in the past held bikini parties:
enough said. Q Open 24hrs. Also at (C-5) B-dul Magheru 33,
Open 09:00-21:00. PAE
English Bar C-5, Str. Epicopiei 1-3 (Athenee Palace Hil-
ton), tel. (+4) 021 303 3777 ext. 6759. This little corner
of the Hilton that will forever be associated with intrigue and
spies is today a classy bar serving the most expensive glass
of champagne in the city (Veuve Clicquot, at 80.00 lei a pop; a
bottle is 550.00 lei). Yet for all its expense this place is off the
list of the leather trouser brigade. Instead expect only decent,
civilised people. QOpen 11:00 - 02:00. AG
Fourteen C-5, Str. Benjamin Franklin 14, tel. (+4) 0723
50 06 83, www.fourteen.ro. English-owned and run bar
stroke club for a more discerning crowd: one fed up with the
regular, fitze dominated Bucharest nightlife scene. Expect
a very good mix of music (1980s pop and electro and Brit
Pop being the staples) and plenty of theme parties, such as
the Lux Noctis party, a night which sets new standards for
decadence and damn fine sounds. Popular venue for private
parties. QOpen 19:00 - 05:00. Closed Mon. PARL
Fratelli C-5, Str. Nicolae Golescu 5, MUniversitate, tel.
(+4) 021 311 66 76, www.fratelli.ro. Calling itself a bar
and lounge, there are certainly enough comfy sofas here to
qualify it in the lounge category. That is if you can get in of
course. Though we can usually blag our way past the fellas
on the door, we know people who have been told it’s full
even though they knew it damn well wasn’t. What’s more it
isn’t really a fitze kind of place. It has its Starck furniture and
resident posers of course but in general the crowd that makes
it in is more business than biznes. Worth trying to get in. Not
wearing a cap or trainers will help. QOpen 12:00 - 23:00, Fri,
Sat, Sun 12:00 - 01:00. PAB
La Margine D-5, Str. Horei 2, tel. (+4) 0733 76 35 16,
www.lamargine.ro. One of gorgeous those little places that
Bucharest simply does not have enough off. Tiny, intimate,
it is a cafe/bar that on Saturday nights puts on a small gig,
which usually begins with one girl on a guitar but ends up
involving everyone else present. It is a very in-the-know place
but the crowd is welcoming and the drinks very reasonably
priced. For a low-key good time it’s hard to beat. QOpen
12:00 - 24:00. PEB
Ramayana Cafe A-5, Str. Baldovin Parcalabul 11, tel.
(+4) 021 317 16 81, www.ramayana.ro. Looking like a
cross between a Maharaja’s bedroom and the most luxuri-
ous hotel in Delhi, this cafe and cocktail bar is quite frankly
unique. You will not find anywhere in Bucharest quite so star-
tling in design, nor will you find a better place to bring a secret
date for a little tete-a-tete. With more nooks and crannies
than your grandmother’s country house, pull up a cushion,
sup on a hookah pipe and drink a green tea. Exceptional. Q
Open 24 hrs. PW
Tephra B-5, Str. Domnita Anastasia 14, tel. (+4) 031
102 06 97, www.tephra.ro. By day this place is popular as a
café and a lunch venue: there is a daily set menu offering three
bucharest.inyourpocket.com
48 Nightlife Nightlife 49

courses for around the 19 lei mark. By night Tephra becomes NEW
a bar and club of some renown. The vaguely kitsch but enjoy- The Londoner B-5, Str. Sf. Constantin 22, tel. (+4)
ably happy décor lends and air of glam rock to proceedings, 021 315 23 89, www.londoner.ro. Maybe its because
which can often involve raucous karaoke sessions. We like. Q the Editor’s a Londoner, that we expected to hate this place.
Open 08:00-24:00, Wed 08:00-01:30, Thu, Fri 08:00-02:00, That we didn’t is a credit to the owners. It’s not exactly all
Sat 11:00-04:00, Sun 11:00-24:00. PJ that much like a London pub, and there are no London beers
on draft, but the service is good, there are plenty of quirks in
Terminus B-5, Str. George Enescu 5, tel. (+4) 021 318 the design to make it more than interesting and the music is
16 67, www.terminus.ro. Pub/bar on the ground floor, while never too loud. A good place for a drink and a chat. QOpen
downstairs there is a basement bar which becomes more 10:00 - 24:00. PLW
a nightclub with an industrial feel as the evening wears on.
There’s a big bar and getting a drink - once not easy - is now Walhalla D-4, B-dul Dacia 62, tel. (+4) 031 105 76 49,
a joy thanks to top staff. The central location right between www.walhallapub.ro. Not new, but you will find it difficult
the Radisson and Hilton gurantees it a steady flow of thirsty to recognise this place from years ago. Now a genuine venue
visitors. Guinness on tap. QOpen 10:00 - 04:00. PA where they make something happen every night, be it karaoke
(usually Tuesdays) classical music (Mondays), muzica usoara
Victoria Club C-5, Calea Victoriei 56, tel. (+4) 0372 (a kind of syrupy 1970s pop: very big in these parts) or general
01 03 06, www.grandhotelcontinental.ro. Elegant bar Friday and Saturday night mayhem. Jump in a taxi and go
and cigar lounge that - with its gorgeous leather armchairs - there: it’s well worth the effort.   QOpen 12:00 - 04:00, Sun
immediately reminded us of our favourite hotel bar in Vienna 18:00 - 04:00. PALEW
(which shall rename nameless, but one in which we can assure
we passed far more time than we ever meant to). And that’s Whispers B-5, Str. Ion Brezoianu 4, tel. (+4) 021 314
exactly what we’ve found ourselves doing here: it’s a great 29 01, www.whispers.ro. Popular with expats who come
place to get away from the city for a bit, if only to sip a glass to watch the football that’s shown live via satelite, Whispers
of champers and read the newspaper. QOpen 10:00 - 02:00. is far more than you expect from your standard expat pub. It’s
PALBW got great food - massive portions of international, Romanian
and even British favourites at tip top prices - and the staff
are just the right side of freindly. Well worth a visit. QOpen
Pubs 10:00 - 01:00, Sat, Sun 12:00 - 01:00. PA
Cafeneaua Actorilor C-5, B-dul Nicolae Bălcescu 2,
MUniversitate, tel. (+4) 0721 90 08 42, cafeneauaac- White Horse B-3, Str. George Călinescu 4A, tel.
torilor@yahoo.com, www.cafeneauaactorilor.ro. Eter- (+4) 021 231 27 95, fax (+4) 021 230 21 51, office@
nally popular late night choice of the actors who work in the whitehorse.ro, www.whitehorse.ro. The White Horse has
National Theatre next door, this legendary bar remains a been around so long it should probably consider going out

favourite of ours too. Loads of quiet corners for secret tete- to stud. Or should it? On a recent visit we found it to be in
a-tetes, you could conduct all sorts of affairs from down here. surprisingly good shape, and packed with both locals of the
Not easy to find, the entrance is on the northern side of the ‘ordinary people’ variety, as well as group of rowdy expats.
National Theatre (opposite the InterContinental). QOpen There is still good food in the more formal part upstairs,
09:00 - 03:00, Fri, Sat, Sun 09:00 - 05:00. PE with bar snacks served down, and though we have always
loved the square bar it would be better if it didn’t so run dry
Charlatans C-5, B-dul Regina Elisabeta 11-13, tel. (+4) of Guinness. That aside it remains a decent pub. QOpen
0721 10 44 51. It’s officially now raining Irish pubs in Bucha- 11:00 - 01:00. PAB
rest. This latest of the genre is found opposite Bucharest’s
main university building, where once was a cafe. It looks very
much like the Irish pubs which have recently opened up, and Irish Pubs
in our book its biggest asset is the wonderfully long bar (the Dubliner A-4, B-dul N. Titulescu 18, tel. (+4) 021 222
down side of which is the fact that the pub is not the widest in 94 73, www.irishpubs.ro. Is there football on? Dubliner.
town). It has a decent food menu and the pub grub is not bad Rugby? Dubliner. Cricket? Dubliner. It’s not that there aren’t
at all: what is a fair crack at fish and chips certainly warrants now other pubs to go to (there have been for quite some time)
a mention. QOpen 08:00 - 01:00. PEW but the question is, why would you go anywhere else? All your
mates are probably here, both the best steak and kidney pie
Dreamer’s B-5, Str. Gen. Berthelot 111, tel. (+4) 0723 in town is here, the best Guinness in Bucharest is poured here,
11 22 00/(+4) 0744 36 63 50, www.dreamers.ro. As and the widest choice of foreign television channels is here.
Spock might say, ‘it’s Dreamers Jim, but not as we know it.’ Think about going somewhere else by all means - even talk
For if you remember the old location as always being a bit about it - but then do what’s sensible and get yourself here.
cramped (though we have to admit it was not without its QOpen 09:00 - 02:00. PAEBW
charms) then you are in for a nice shock at the new place.
Everything you would expect from a pub is here, from football NEW
on the television to Guinness in the taps. QOpen 10:00 - James Joyce Pub B-5, Str. Valter Maracineanu 1-3,
02:00, Sat, Sun 14:00 - 05:00. P tel. (+4) 021 311 41 77/(+4) 0761 55 38 57, www.
joyces.ro. You may remember this place - right on the edge
Edgar’s Pub C-5, Str. Edgar Quinet 9, MUniversitate, of Cismigiu Park, in a wonderful setting - as Raymond’s. If you
tel. (+4) 021 314 18 43. At lunchtime office boys and do, forget it. For it is now James Joyce, a very good pub owned
students mix happily as they tuck into great sandwiches and and run hands-on by an Irishman who describes himself as
salads, while in the evening a similarly mixed crowd of good ‘a Paddy in exile selling beer to the masses.’ Besides selling
time people enkoys the laid back atmosphere always on offer beer he will also - soon - be selling food, though at press time
here. It gets crowded downstairs at weekends, but that just the kitchen had yet to go fully operational. If you try the food
adds to the fun. Recently given a thorough makeover. QOpen before we do, let us know how it is. QOpen 10:00 - 01:00.
10:00 - 02:00, Sat 14:00 - 02:00, Sun 17:00 - 02:00. P PALBXW

Bucharest In Your Pocket bucharest.inyourpocket.com bucharest.inyourpocket.com April - May 2010

50 Nightlife Nightlife 51

Molly’s Irish Pub D-6, Calea Calarasi 96, tel. (+4)

021 320 05 04, www.irishpubs.ro. Molly’s is no longer
the newest Irish pub in the city, but it still carries the by now
almost sainted hallmark of David Larkin (The Dubliner, The
Harp). So you can expect much of the same: a real Irish pub
short on crap and long on high standards, from good pub grub
to drinks that don’t cost a fortune. See you there. QOpen
09:00 - 02:00. PAW

The Harp C-6, Str. Bibescu Voda 1, MP-ta Unirii, tel.

(+4) 021 335 65 08, www.irishpubs.ro. The other half of
the Dubliner. The idea is more or less the same: good food,
drinks, service and a friendly crowd, though with less of an
emphasis on live British sport (as such it is more popular with
locals than expats, who head for the Dubliner). A cavernous
place, with two levels, it’s quaintly decorated with framed
old newspaper front pages and pictures, as well as great
wallpaper. It thus somehow avoids the soulless synthetic feel
of many Oirish pubs abroad. Faultless chicken and mushroom
pies. QOpen 09:00 - 02:00. PAW

Clubs & Discos

Bubbles Club B-5, Str. George Enescu 27-29, tel. (+4)
0730 39 46 38, www.bubblesclub.ro. A happy and dare
we say bubbly kind of place where the walls have been left
white except for a few rather psychadelic murals painted in
odd places. Its problem is that we - and we guess it - is not
quite sure what it is meant to be. It’s like a disco cafe, where
the coffee (and they serve great coffee, about 25 varieties of
the stuff in fact, in the form of iced coffee, coffee coktails etc.)
is taken seriously and so is the funky disco music. A few comfy
sofas would not go a miss. Other than that little to complain
about. Give it a go. QOpen 21:00 - 04:00. PW

Club Front Calea Rahovei 196A, tel. (+4) 0724 20 35
24, www.thefront.ro. Minimalist resident club at The Ark.
A favourite with an arty crowd of would-be rich, famous and
beautiful people you can expect to find divas, artists and
models at every turn. The music is suitably low-key - nothing
too cutting edge here, the delicate souls couldn’t cope - and
the design what might be called ‘kitchen-sink chic’. Hosts live
acts at least a couple of nights per week. QOpen 11:00 -
01:00, Fri, Sat, Sun 12:00 - 05:00. PALEW
Casinos
Control Club
C-5, Str. Academiei 19 (Pasajul Victoriei), tel. (+4) 0733
92 78 61, rezervari@control-club.ro, www.control-club.
ro. This place tops our list of ‘clubs for people who do not
like clubs.’ It’s big, bigger than most in the city, and the two
different zones (one especially for live music) have been laid
out well. The music in the evenings is always live, be it a band
or DJ, and it is always a pleasing, non-clubby mix of indie hits,
a bit of rock and 70s disco. Where else in Bucharest will you
see a Joy Division tribute band? Recent improvements
in bar efficiency also now mean it does not take all night
to get a drink. We love it. QOpen 14:00 - 06:00, Sat, Sun
Cuando
C-5, Str. Academiei 35-37, tel. (+4) 0722 50 50 85,
www.cuando.ro. Always oversubscribed (because it’s good)
this basement venue rocks at the weekends to only the very
best dance sounds around provided by a reliable team of DJs.
The crowd is unpretentious yet invariably good looking, the
funky bar stools are wonderfully, almost impractically trendy
and original, and what’s more it’s slap bang in the city centre.
For a great night out that doesn’t involve travelling to the ends
of the city there are few places better. QOpen 23:00 - 06:00.
Closed Mon, Tue, Wed, Sun. PLNW

16:00 - 06:00. PE Deja-vu

Casino Bucharest C-5, B-dul Nicolae Bălcescu 4
(InterContinental Hotel), MUniversitate, tel. (+4)
021 310 20 20 ext 7592, www.casinobucharest.
ro. QOpen 18:00 - 06:00. PALK
Grand Casino B-6, Calea 13 Septembrie 90 (JW
Marriott Bucharest Grand Hotel), tel. (+4) 021 403
08 01, fax (+4) 021 403 08 08. Q Open 24 hrs.
Havana Princess Casino C-5, B-dul Regina Elisa-
beta 13, MUniversitate, tel. (+4) 021 313 98 23,
fax (+4) 021 310 39 16, www.worldofprincess.com.
Q Open 24 hrs. P
Palace Casino B-4, Calea Victoriei 133, MVictoriei,
tel. (+4) 021 311 97 44/(+4) 0722 66 57 88, fax
(+4) 021 311 16 45, office@casinopalace.ro, www.
casinopalace.ro. Q Open 24hrs. PALGK
Platinum Casino B-4, Calea Victoriei 63-81, tel.
(+4) 031 710 22 34/(+4) 0720 22 74 66, www.
platinumcasino.ro. Q Open 24 hrs. PL
Queen Casino B-3, Calea Dorobantilor 5-7, MP-ta
Romana, tel. (+4) 021 599 11 26, www.queen-
casino.ro. Q Open 24 hrs. PARULEK
Coyote Cafe
B-4, Calea Victoriei 48-50 (Pasajul Victoriei), MUniver-
sitate, tel. (+4) 021 311 34 87, www.coyotecafe.ro.
Coyote is a loud, proud music bar which sets new standards
for live music and good times. A huge warren of a venue, good
rock music - sometimes provided by the owners themselves
- and the right kind of crowd. Very nice indeed. QOpen 21:00 -
06:00, Thu, Fri, Sat 22:30 - 06:00. Closed Mon. PAE
For details of restaurants, cafes,
bars and clubs in Bucharest’s
Old Town (Lipscani), see the
feature on pages 58-69.
C-5, B-dul Nicolae Balcescu 25, MUniversitate, tel. (+4)
021 311 23 22, www.dejavu-club.ro. Not a place for a
quiet night out. This is the best cocktail bar in Bucharest,
with the best bar staff this side of the River Prut. They serve
a few cocktails here involving fire, as well as a few which
involve wearing a World War II Russian army helmet. They
also serve at least one which involves a young Russian girl
squeezing lemon into your mouth with her teeth. At weekends
it is packed and the small dancefloor is the sweatiest place
in Bucharest. The music is as bizarre but enjoyable as the
drinks. QOpen 20:00 - 04:00. PA
Eleven C-5, B-dul Nicolae Balcescu 18, tel. (+4) 0751
11 11 15, www.eleven.com.ro. City-centre club lauding
itself as an oasis of luxury. Leather sofas, purple cushions,
Svarovski crystal, clever lighting: it’s that sort of luxury. Music
is fairly mainstream, clubby house, provided by a live Dj. There
are special events at least once a week, whether it’s a theme
night or a guest DJ shipped in from Italy. Given the luxury angle
drink prices are accessible and there’s no entrance fee. Try a
bit with your dress though. Trainers a no-no. QOpen 23:00 -
05:00. Closed Mon, Tue, Wed, Sun. PAW

Bucharest In Your Pocket bucharest.inyourpocket.com bucharest.inyourpocket.com April - May 2010

52 Nightlife Nightlife 53

Kristal Glam Club C-2, Str. J. S. Bach 2, tel. (+4) 0722

79 51 84, www.clubkristal.ro. It was renovated this summer,
but its interior design still resembles the Crystal Ballrooms,
Dagenham, circa 1977, if you ask us. Still, who cares? This
place is good. Top club music played by Europe’s finest DJs. A
big name plays here at least once a week, and we mean the
biggest names, like Seb Fontaine, Pete Tong, Steve Mac and
the like. QOpen 22:00 - 05:00. Closed Mon, Tue, Wed.

Shade Club C-5, B-dul Magheru 24, tel. (+4) 0731 06

06 06, www.clubshade.ro. Hip, trendy and very cool, though
the crowd is older than you might expect: no kiddlywinks here.
Besides DJs playing funky sounds there are regular live events,
with top local and even foreign bands. Off to a good start it is to
be hoped that this place lasts the distance. So many like it have
come and gone in the past. Q Open Thu (announced events
only), Fri, Sat 23:00-05:00. Closed Sun, Mon, Tue, Wed. P

Studio Martin B-4, B-dul Iancu de Hunedoara 61, tel.

(+4) 0722 39 92 28, www.studiomartin.ro. Legendary
cinema and night spot now operated by the lovely people at
The Mission. There’s high quality music from serious DJs for
serious people most Friday and Saturday nights. More often
than not you’ll find a top name European DJ on the bill. So popu-
lar is this place now that getting in can be a challenge. QOpen
22:00 - 05:00. Closed Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Sun. P

NEW
The Gang C-3, Calea Floreasca 111-113, tel. (+4)
0733 97 52 77, www.thegang.ro. You wanna be in my
gang? Newest uber-club in Bucharest. It’s the usual mix of
luxury and chic, attracting a cashed-up crowd of young party
people listening to standard club sounds provided by local
and international DJs. There is live music now and again too,
as well as a regular selection of theme nights. A taxi ride
from the city centre. QOpen 23:00 - 06:00. Closed Mon,
El Grande Comandante D-4, Str. Viitorului 26, tel. Tue, Wed, Sun. PAL
(+4) 0728 55 60 43, www.elcomandante.ro. Murdering
socialists with an interest in rock music of the world unite! Che The Player Str. Primo Nebiolo 5-7, tel. (+4) 0720 73
is cool this year, and all those useful idiots who wear his t-shirt 47 34, www.theplayer.ro. There are terraces, there are
will love this little rock club, dedicated to the man’s memory, clubs, and then there is this place. Packed in the right weather
with portraits at 10, 12 and 2 o’clock. If you can leave aside from one dawn to the next, this is as close as you get to a
the politics and forget you are in a place named for someone genuinely 24 hour party-central venue in Bucharest. Packed
who killed so many people, then it’s actually quite good. It with beautiful, successful people dancing to top sounds or
is nice to hear music which doesn’t thump, thump, thump, chilling on the chic, comfy sofas, it’s the kind of place that
and the warren of little rooms is probably great for plotting puts the hedonism back into Bucharest nightlife. QOpen
terrorist attacks. Drinks are cheap. Revolutionary! QOpen 23:00 - 06:00. Closed Mon, Tue, Thu, Sun. Terrace Open
20:00 - 06:00. PALW 09:00-23:00. PLNBW

Expirat/Other Side B-5, Str. Ion Brezoianu 4/Str. Lip- The Silver Church A-5, Calea Plevnei 61, MIzvor, tel.
scani 5, tel. (+4) 0726 80 41 42, www.expirat.org. Two (+4) 0723 37 90 26, www.tscarena.ro. Looking (inside)
clubs (almost) in one. There are two entrances to the same very much like a, well. silver church (albeit one which has
building (on the corner of Brezoianu and Lipscani, underneath dropped plenty of acid), it’s a cavernous venue with terrific
Whispers), both of which are enjoyable venues that are a real acoustics and it is this mix of big club/small concert hall that
hit with young party goers of all backgrounds. For the record gives it the edge over some other venues. So good is the
Expirat 1 (entrance on Lipscani) is the more mainstream sound that the biggest local bands are playing here simply
club, popular with girls still in their teens and men who like to for the hell of it. A winner. QOpen 22:00 - 05:00. Closed Mon,
chat them up, while The Other Side of Expirat (entrance on Tue, Wed, Sun. Entrance 20 lei. PUE
Brezoianu) is more edgy, funky and simply - in our opinion -
better. See you there. QOpen 22:00 - 05:00. PE Tribute B-4, Calea Victoriei 118, tel. (+4) 0728 74 28
83, www.tribute.ro. Besides a fantastic resident band,
Jukebox Club E-6, Str. Turturelelor 11, tel. (+4) 021 Tribute is also regularly host to a number of the best live
322 66 10, www.jukeboxclub.ro. The live music club acts in the business, who love the atmosphere provided
formerly known as Becker Brau. Much the same as before: by a great crowd and wonderful acoustics. Basically, if the
live acts most nights of the week, with a reasonably big name excitement of live music is what you are looking for, this is
- often from abroad - at least once or twice a month. Good one first class venue. Bang in the city centre (it’s on Calea
beer, good atmosphere and a favourite of big groups of friends Victoriei) it’s a great choice if you are stuck in a downtown
looking for a great night out. You can eat here too: there’s a pub thinking about where to move on to. Plan on staying late.
restaurant serving standard Romanian food on site. QOpen Q Open 21:00-05:00, Wed 21:00-02:00, Sun 20:00-02:00.
22:00 - 02:00. Closed Mon, Tue, Wed, Sun. PAE Closed Mon, Tue. PJAE

Bucharest In Your Pocket bucharest.inyourpocket.com bucharest.inyourpocket.com April - May 2010

54 What to see
Buildings with a history
Atheneum (Ateneul Român) C-5, Str. Benjamin Frank-
lin 1-3, tel. (+4) 021 315 25 67, www.fge.org.ro. Possibly
the finest building in the city, the Romanian Atheneum, with
its sublime baroque cupola, stands proudly at the flux of the
city’s busiest public square, competing with the Athenee
Palace Hilton hotel, the Royal Palace and the old national
library for attention. The work of French architect Albert Gal-
leron, who also designed the National Bank of Romania, the
building was inaugurated on February 26, 1888, and was built
almost entirely with money donated by ordinary citizens of
the capital, after the original patrons ran out of funds. Today
the seat of the Romanian Philharmonic George Enescu,
the auditorium can seat 800 spectators comfortably, and is
renowned worldwide for its outstanding acoustics. QOpen
10:00 - 18:00.
Casa Centrala a Armatei (Military Club) B-5, Str.
Constantin Mille 1. Standing guard, imposingly, at the
head of B-dul Kogalniceanu, the Casa Centrala a Armatei,
usually known to all as Cercul Militar, was built in 1912 on
the site of the former Sarindar Monastery (the name of which
is preserved in the name of the fountain directly in front of
the building). This neo-classic masterpiece, designed by
Romanian architect Dimitrie Maimaroiu, was built to host the
social, cultural and educational needs of the Romanian army.
Banquets and regimental balls are still hosted in the main
function rooms, while upstairs are the army’s library, offices
and classrooms for officer instruction.
Casa Presei Libere (Casa Scânteii) A-1, Piata Presei
Libere 1. An impressive edifice standing somewhat menac-
ingly at the entrance to the capital, Casa Scanteii (as it is still
universally known) was designed by architect Horia Maicu and
Bucharest In Your Pocket
Sightseeing Essentials
It will take a couple of days to properly see all of the
the sights we list in our Essential Bucharest section,
on page 56, as well as the Lipscani district, so if time
is short, here are a couple of itineries: If all you have
is an afternoon, visit the Peasant Museum, before
walking through Lipscani to Piata Unirii, and admir-
ing the Palatul Parlamentului from the outside. If you
have a full day, start off with the guided tour of Palatul
Parlamentului, enjoy a leisurely stroll around Lipscani
before heading uptown to visit both the Peasant and
Village Museums and viewing the Arc de Triumf. In
all cases, do not miss the Communist Iconography
Exhibition, inside the Peasant Museum. It is a the
city’s one ‘must-see’: a small but stunning cellar room
featuring a collection of communist-era busts, paintings
and nostalgic memorabilia.
completed in 1956, one year after the strikingly similar Palace
of Science and Culture in Warsaw, Poland. Originally housing
the editorial offices of almost all of the capital’s newspapers,
it today carries out pretty much the same function. Ziua and
Jurnalul Naţional, two of the country’s most popular dailies,
are just two newspapers produced here. The impressive
archive of Rompres, the state press and photo agency, is
also housed here.
CEC (Palatul Casei de Economii si Consemnaţiuni)
B-4, Calea Victoriei 13. The home of the National Savings
Bank is one of the most fabulous Neo-Classical facades in
the city: the enormous arch that houses the entrance, with its
mighty Corinthian columns, is a highlight of any architectural
tour of the city. Built during the last decade of the nineteenth
century, to the designs of French architect Paul Gottereanu,
the building is alas less impressive on the inside. Admire from
outside and move on.
Palatul din Piata Victoriei (Palatul Victoriei) B-4,
B-dul Ilie Pintilie 1, MPiata Victoriei. Today the home
of the Romanian government, this linear construction, with
its marble facade, was built in 1937 to the designs of Duiliu
Marcu, originally to house the Foreign Ministry (which is now
elsewhere, on Aleea Alexandru, in far less grand building).
Note that entrance to the building is granted only to those on
government business, and to the various groups of protesters
who gather here almost daily to argue their case.
Palatul Justitiei (Tribunalul Capitalei) B-6, Splailul
Independentei 5, MPiata Unirii. Romania’s supreme court,
host to any number of libel trials involving our good selves,
is housed in a monumental but rather run down building on
the banks of the Dambovita. Dating from 1890, the Palace
of Justice was designed by Romanian architect Adrian Ballu in
the style of the French renaissance. The recently renovated,
and impressive facade is almost 100 metres long.
Sala Palatului B-5, Piata Palatului, www.salapalatului.
ro. Sala Palatului, with its concave roof, was designed by
Tiberiu Ricci (also responsible for the TVR building) and built
in 15 months from January 1959 to April 1960. The massive
auditorium, which seats 3,000, was originally used to host
the five-yearly communist party congress. It today plays host
to exhibitions and concerts, including, last year, a visit from
the Chippendales, performing on the very stage that Nicolae
Ceausescu once used to deliver his vision of a multi-laterally
developed socialist society. The poor man must be turning
in his grave.
bucharest.inyourpocket.com
56 What to see
Essential Bucharest
Arcul de Triumf A-2, Piata Arcul de Triumf. Bucharest’s
Arc de Triumf was built in 1922 to commemorate Romania’s
Great War dead. The original was made of wood, it being re-
placed by the present concrete structure in 1935. Standing
25 metres high, the Arc has a staircase that allows visitors
to climb to the terrace on the top of the monument, though
is opened only on special occassions. The sculptures and
reliefs that decorate the monument (and which need serious
restoring) were created by the leading artists of the day,
including Ion Jalea and Constantin Baraschi.
George Enescu Museum (Muzeul National
George Enescu) B-4, Calea Victoriei 141, tel. (+4)
021 318 14 50, fax (+4) 021 312 91 82. Mistak-
enly believed to be the great Romanian composer George
Enescu’s former home, this outstanding Secession house
was in fact built for landowner George Cantacuzino in 1905,
and many older Bucharest residents still refer to it as the
Cantacuzino Palace. It became state property in 1955,
the year of Enescu’s death, and a year later opened as a
musuem dedicated to his life and work. You will find rooms
full of the usual memorabilia and artefacts from the eventful
life of Romania’s most famous composer, as well as a full
telling of the story of Romanian music in general. QOpen
10:00 - 17:00. Closed Mon. Admission 1.50 lei.
National Art Museum (MNAR; Muzeul National
de Arta; Former Royal Palace) B/C-5, Calea
Victoriei 49-53, tel. (+4) 021 313 30 30/021 314 81
19, www.mnar.arts.ro. The country’s largest, and most
impressive art collection is housed inside the splendid
former Royal Palace, first built in 1812 as a private home
by the wealthy trader Dinicu Golescu. When his sons fell into
financial ruin some years later, they were forced to sell the
building to the state, which carried out huge modifications,
adding a number of new wings. It became a royal residence
in 1859, when it became the site of the court of the first
prince of the united principalities, Alexandru Ion Cuza. Al-
though slightly remodelled in the late 1930s, the building we
see today is more or less the original, revolutionary damage
notwithstanding. Indeed, some parts of the building have
only recently been reopened after the mindless vandalism
of those mad days in December 1989, when the building
was ransacked by the iconoclastic mob, which saw the
building (named the Palace of the Socialist Republic during
the communist period) as a symbol of the regime. There are
three permanent exhibitions, one on each of the three floors
of the main building: Medieval Romanian Art, featuring
icons, carved altars, illustrated manuscripts and bibles, and
fragments of frescoes; Modern Romanian Art, with all of
Romania’s greatest 20th century artists well represented,
including Theodor Aman, Constantin Brancuşi, Gheorghe
Patraşcu, and Gheorghe Tatarescu; and European Paint-
ings and Sculpture, which plays host to a fine collection
of Old European Masters. Q Open 10:00-18:00. Closed
Mon, Tue. Admission 8 lei. PA
Palatul Parlamentului (Parliament Palace; Casa
Poporului) B-6, Calea 13 Septembrie 1, intrarea A3,
tel. (+4) 021 311 36 11, fax (+4) 021 312 09 02,
cic@camera.ro. What is unquestionably Romania’s most
famous building, Palatul Parlamentului (known universally
as Casa Poporului) was built during the darkest days of the
Nicolae Ceausescu regime. Standing 84m above ground
level on 12 floors, the building has long been shrouded
in mystery, rumour and hyperbole. Originally designed to
Bucharest In Your Pocket
house almost all the organs of the communist state, it today
plays host to the Romanian parliament and a modern, well
equipped conference centre, as well as Romania’s Museum
of Contemporary Art. Much of the building, however, remains
unused. The public tour of the building is thoroughly rec-
ommended (it is the only way to see the building, in fact)
though the commentary consists of little more than a bored
guide reeling off endless superlative statistics. You’ll see
plenty of grand staircases, marble-plated halls and confer-
ence rooms, while you will also have the chance to go on
to the roof, which offers perhaps the best view of central
Bucharest. To join a tour, you need to use the entrance
on the right-hand side of the palace (if you’re looking at it
front-on). Izvor is the nearest metro station, but you get
a better view from Piata Unirii. QOpen 10:00 - 16:00.
Admission 25 lei. An additional fee of 30 lei is payable by
those with cameras.
Peasant Museum (Muzeul Taranului Roman) B-3,
Şos. Kiseleff 3, tel./fax (+4) 021 317 96 60, info@
muzeultaranuluiroman.ro, www.muzeultaranuluiro-
man.ro. In most people’s opinion, the Peasant Museum is
the best museum in Bucharest, and one of the best in the
country. Housed in a wonderful red brick building designed
by Nicolae Ghica-Budeşti, dating from 1912, the museum
offers well laid out and presented exhibits which tell you all
you need to know about the diverse and fascinating history
of life around the country over the past four centuries. There
are exhibitions covering all aspects of Romanian peasant
life, from handpainted Easter eggs to terracotta pottery,
from colourful religious icons to traditional clothing. Replicas
of much of what is on display can be bought in the excellent if
a little pricey museum shop. QOpen 10:00 - 18:00. Closed
Mon. Admission 6 lei. Students and children 2 lei.
Village Museum (Muzeul Naţional al Satului
Dimitrie Gusti) A-2, Sos. Kiseleff 28-30, tel. (+4)
021 317 91 10, www.muzeul-satului.ro. Outstanding.
Founded by Royal Decree in 1936, and covering some 15
hectares on the shores of Lake Herăstrău, Muzeul Satului is
one of the greatest outdoor museums in the Balkans. There
are more than 60 original houses, farmsteads, windmills,
watermills and churches from all of Romania’s historic re-
gions: Transylvania, Oltenia, Dobrogea and Moldavia. Every
exhibit has a plaque showing exactly where in Romania it
was brought from. Some even now have recorded com-
mentary in four languages (if the stickers are missing, press
the second button for English). Most of the houses date
from the mid 19th-century, but there are some, such as
those from Berbeşti, in the heart of Romania - celebrated
for their intricately carved entrances - which date from as
early as 1775. The highlight of the museum is probably the
steep belfry of the wooden Maramureş church, complete
with exquisite but faded icons. You should also not miss
the earth houses of Straja, dug in to the ground and topped
with thatched rooves, or the brightly painted dwellings of
the Danube Delta. Children love the museum, and it makes
for a perfect family day out. However, don’t for one moment
think that this is how the Romanian countryside really is: all
pretty houses and well-kept gardens. Existence - for that is
what it is - for the vast majority of Romanian peasants is
grim at best. Running water remains a luxury, inside toilets
almost unheard of. Enjoy the Village Museum then, but to
see how Romanian villagers really live you will need to visit
the countryside. QOpen 09:00 - 17:00. Admission 6 lei,
students/children 3 lei.
bucharest.inyourpocket.com
What to see 57
Museums
Geology Museum B-3, Sos. Kiseleff 2, tel. (+4) 021
212 89 52, www.geology.ro. Far more than just a collec-
tion of old rocks and fossils, Bucharest’s Geology Museum
is one of the city’s must sees. First off, there is the museum
building itself to admire. Built in 1906 on the orders of King
Carol I to house what was then known as the Royal Roma-
nian Geology Society, the building is a splendid example of
Neo-Brancovenesque architecture.QOpen 10:00 - 18:00.
Admission 6.00 lei, students and children 3.00 lei.
History Museum (Muzeul National de Istorie)
C-5, Calea Victoriei 12, tel. (+4) 021 315 82 07, www.
mnir.ro. The beautiful Neo-Classical building that houses
Romania’s National History Museum was constructed from
1894-1900 and originally served as the headquarters of the
Romanian postal service. The History Museum moved in only
in 1970. The museum’s exhibitions are spread over 60 display
rooms, and include a fine collection of antiquities, including
statues brought from a Bronze Age necropolis close to pres-
ent day Cernavoda. The finest exhibit is the replica of Trajan’s
Column in the central lapidarium. Q Open 09:00-17:00.
Closed Mon, Tue. Admission 7.00 lei, students and children
2.00 lei. Note that the museum is currently undergoing a
major improvement programme, and a number of exhibits
may be closed when you visit.
Military Museum (Muzeul Militar National) B-4,
Str. Mircea Vulcănescu 125-127, www.muzeulmilitar.ro.
Popular with older children, the most interesting sections of
this museum include a range of military hardware (missiles,
helicopters and tanks) as well as an excellent display that
focusses on the army’s role during the revolution. Not to be
missed is the Soyuz-40 capsule in which Dumitru Prunariu
became the first - and so far only - Romanian in space, in
May 1981. QOpen 09:00 - 17:00. Closed Mon. Admission Parks & Gardens
5.00 lei, children, students 2.50 lei. Botanical Gardens (Grădina Botanică) Sos. Cotro-
ceni 32, tel. (+4) 021 410 91 39, www.gradina-botanica.
Minovici Museum of Ancient Western Art Str. Dr. ro. Bucharest’s Botanical Gardens were founded in 1860 with
Minovici 3, tel. (+4) 021 665 73 34, www.minovici.ro. the significant financial backing of Alexandru Ioan Cuza, Prince
This amazing red brick, mock Tudor house holds the small of Wallachia. They were originally in the centre of the city, and
and dusty renaissance art collection of Dumitru Minovici, who moved to their present location in Cotroceni in 1884. The
made barrels of lei in the oil business in the 1930s. Inside are garden has an area of over 17 hectares, and hosts more than
fine collections of Belgian tapestries, Dutch furniture, Swiss 10,000 species of plants. Locals like to use the gardens as a
stained glass, a complete library and Italian paintings from park, and thus can often be far more full with courting couples
the 16th/17th centuries. To get there, walk north-east from than lovers of more floral delights. QOpen 08:00 - 20:00.
Piaţa Presei Libere or take bus No 301 to the Mioriţa Fountain. Admission 5.00 lei, students and children 2.00 lei.
QOpen 09:00 - 17:00. Closed Mon, Tue, Wed. Admission 1.50
lei, students and children 0.50 lei. Cismigiu Gardens (Grădina Cismigiu)
B-5, Between B-dul Regina Elisabeta, Calea Victoriei,
National Museum of Contemporary Art (MNAC) Str. Stirbei Vodă and B-dul Schitu Măgureanu. The most
B-6, Palatul Parlamentului, tel. (+4) 021 318 91 37, central of the city’s public gardens, Cismigiu is a haven of
www.mnac.ro. Making excellent use of the wide open lawns, trees, flowers and lakes. Often mistakenly referred to
spaces on the Parliament Palace, this vast gallery displays the as a park, Cismigiu is actually a large garden, first designed
work of Romania’s finest contemporary artists. There are also and laid out in 1845 by the German landscape architect Carl
works by international artists, and topical exhibitions. QOpen Meyer, but not completed until 1860. More than 30,000 trees
10:00 - 18:00. Closed Mon, Tue. Admission 5.00 lei. and plants were brought in from the Romanian mountains,
while exotic plants were fetched from the botanical gardens
Theodor Pallady Museum (Casa Melik) D-5, Str. in Vienna.
Spătarului 22, tel. (+4) 021 211 49 79. Theodor Pallady
(1871-1953) was an early Cubist artist. Alas the small mu- Herăstrău Park B-3, Sos. Kiseleff 32. This gem of a park
seum that today bears his name has only six of his paintings, a in the north of the city, surrounded by the finest residential
couple of his sketches and assorted other art. The museum’s districts Bucharest has to offer, extends for 187 hectares from
saving grace is the house in which it is hosted: the oldest in the Arcul de Triumf to the Baneasa bridge, and is centered on
Bucharest. Originally called the Casa Melik, it was built around the lake with which it shares its name. Home to numerous
1750 by the rich Armenian Hagi Kevork Nazaretoglu. Q Open attractions, including childrens’ playgrounds, a rather old
10:00-18:00. Closed Mon, Tue. Admission 5.00 lei, students fashioned fairground, an open-air theatre (currently being
and children 2.50 lei. renovated), gardens, promenades and the central lake. The
main entrance is from Piata Charles de Gaulle.
bucharest.inyourpocket.com April - May 2010
58 OLD TOWN (lipscani)
OLD TOWN
Pasajul Macca-Villacrosse
Bucharest’s prototype shopping mall dates from the
late 19th century and was originally built to encourage
commerce on the conduit between Calea Victoriei and
the National Bank. Now home to a number of cafes (Aida
Cafe, Rhapsody in Blue, Valea Regilor) it has become
something of a bohemian hangout, with almost all of the
cafes housed within offering Turkish coffee and hookahs,
those Arab smoking pipes. There is also a Romanian
restuarant (Ana Rustic) and a quirky club, Opium Stage.
Find Pasajul Macca-Villacrosse at (C-6) Calea Victoriei
16-20. Most cafes are open 09:00-01:00.
Bucharest In Your Pocket
Call it Lipscani, call it the Historic Centre (Centru Istoric,
in Romanian), call it what you like. But the area of Bucharest
described by the river to the south, Calea Victoriei to the west,
Brătianu to the east and Regina Elisabeta to the north is more
or less all that’s left of pre-World War II Bucharest. What the
war didn’t destroy (and it destroyed a fair bit: allied bombing
was fierce during the early part of 1944) communism did, most
notably in the form of the grandiose Civic Centre project that saw
almost a fifth of the total area of the city flattened to make way
for Bulevardul Unirii and Casa Poporului. That anything survives
at all is little short of a miracle.
Bucharest was founded, legend has it, by the legendary
Bucur the Shepherd, who built a church somewhere on the
eastern bank of the Dâmboviţa river; nobody is sure exactly
where, or when. What we do know is that by the first reign of
Vlad Ţepeş (1459-1462) there was a palace and court here (the
Palatul Curtea Veche), and that what today we term Historic
Bucharest grew up quickly around the palace. By the middle
of the 17th century the area was recognized as Bucharest
merchant’s district, which it remained until the end of World
War II when the rightful owners of the houses and businesses
which lined the area’s streets were arrested by the communist
authorities, who proceeded to confiscate their property and
hand it to Gypsies, who have by and large occupied the area
ever since.
As we write, much of Lipscani is, if not exactly inaccessible,
then rather difficult to navigate. A number of streets were dug
up ahead of planned street repairs before quite simply being
abandoned. The problem? The discovery of archaelogical ruins,
which delayed work indefinitely, and an almighty row between
Bucharest city council and the contractor, a Spanish company.
As a result the area looks like a bomb has hit it. Indeed, forget
the mythical epithet Paris of East, Lipscani resembles far
more some kind of Bombay of the West. Str. Lipscani itself,
however, was at least repaved in time for Bucharest’s 550th
birthday party in September 2009.
Not that entrepreneurs have been put off; far from it. This
year, more cafes, restaurants, bars and clubs have opened than
ever before in the Old Town area. We counted a grand total of 65
venues (bars, pubs, restaurants, cafes and hotels) on our last
trawl of the area in January. At least a third were new last year.
Even on those streets devastated by excavations, new locales
have sprouted up faster even than the weeds in the mud.
Old Town’s Sights
If you head into the Old Town area from Universitate, the
first sight that will grab your attention is the St. Nicholas
Students’ Church. Built in 1905-09 with a 600,000 gold
rouble donation from Tsar Alexander II, this Russian orthodox
church is topped with seven typically Russian onion domes
and crowned with an orthodox cross. The wooden, gold-gilded
iconostasis (catapeteasmă) is allegedly a copy of the altar
in Arhangelsk Cathedral, in Moscow’s Kremlin.
Right of here is the Czech Cultural Centre (Ceske
Centrum) a lively hive of cultural activity and (for the brave)
Czech language courses. Walk to the end of the street and
you will see in front of you the unmistakably Neo-Classical
exterior of the National Bank of Romania (BNR).
It stands on the site of one of the most famous buildings
in Romania: the Hanul Serban Voda, which from 1678 until
1883 was the home of various things, from a pub, to an
inn to a dormitory for a nearby girl’s school. After two fires
gutted the building, however, the land was levelled and in
1883 work began on the BNR, completed to the designs
of French architects Cassien Bernard and Albert Galleron
in 1885. The building boasts a facade with impressively
large Corinthian columns, and has an enormous central
banking hall. The passing of time has seen the building
become rather hemmed in by others built around it, but it
remains a classic worthy of admiration.
bucharest.inyourpocket.com
60 old town (LIPSCANI) old town (LIPSCANI) 61

Tourist Information
Info Tourist Point A-4, Inside Gara de Nord, tel.
(+4) 0371 15 50 63, www.infotourist.ro. Bucharest
finally has a Tourist Information Office: the first, we are
told, of many (the second will open in the Piata Universitatii
underpass sometime this summer). The prototype is in
Gara de Nord, a small kiosk staffed by friendly young locals
ready to help as best they can with all the questions new
arrivals might have. The kiosk is stocked with leaflets,
maps, brochures etc. and of course: Bucharest In Your
Pocket. Q Open 09:00-21:00.

building opposite, on the other side of Calea Victoriei, is the

On Str. Blanari you will find the St. Nicolas Church,
built in the 1880s as a private chapel for Romania’s first
royal couple, who still have special, reserved seats on the
left and right of the church’s 18th century icon should they
ever return. The icon itself is said by churchgoers to have
magical healing powers. Behind the church is a narrow little
alleyway that takes you past the Interbelic speakeasy (see
p. 55) and out onto Str. Lipscani itself, which dissects the
whole Old Town area neatly in two. Its history aside, the street
has little to recommend it, an exception being the Hanul cu
Tei (Hanul cu Tei; Open 09:00-18:00, Sat, Sun 09:00-14:00),
a wonderful side street (once part of an inn) which houses
art galleries, antique shops, second-hand book shops, gift
shops, studios and portrait artists.
Str. Stavropoleos - named for the eponymous church
found along its length (Biserica Stavropoleos; Open
08:30 - 18:00. Services (in Romanian) on Sunday at 09:30,
10:30) - is far more rewarding. The church was built in 1724
by the Greek monk Ioanikie Stratonikeas, and is currently
under going much-needed restoration. It is characterized
by its beautiful stone and wood carvings, of which the finest
are on the main doors. The courtyard outside (beautiful on
a warm afternoon) has a curious collection of tombstones
dating from the 18th century.
For a beer, coffee, bite to eat or simple jaw dropping
experience (the interior is astonishing) head for Caru cu
Bere, a beer hall and restaurant dating from 1875. It is on
the other side of the road to the church a little further up Str.
Stavropoleos. Church fans might also want to venture out on
to Calea Victoriei. To the right is the Mother of God Church
(Biserica Doamnei) built in 1683 under the orders of Princess
Maria, wife of Prince Serban Cantacuzino. The church was
the first in the city to boast octagonal stone pillars: note the
decorative floral motifs of oriental origin at the foot and top
of each column. They also decorate the door. The ornate
headquarters of CEC, the national savings bank.
The real showpiece street of the Lipscani area is Str.
Smardan, one street which has been completely resurfaced
and which now buzzes with cafes and bars. Str. Smardan is
named for a famous victory the Romanian army won over the
Turks in the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-8. Try and find the
plaque beside the door of No. 42, once the Hotel Concordia.
It was here in January 1859 that Wallachian deputies elected
Alexandru Ioan Cuza as their Prince. As Moldavian deputies
had already done likewise a week earlier, the election that
took place here to all intents and purposes created the first
unified Romanian state since Mihai Bravu’s short-lived reign
of 1600.
At the bottom of Str. Smardan is Str. Franceza, which
in 1860 was one of the first in the city to be fully paved. To
the right is a pleasantly wide pedestrian-only promenade,
while to the left a narrow walkway allows you to reach the
birthplace of Bucharest, the Old Court Palace and Church
(Palatul şi Biserica Curtea Veche; Open 10:00 - 18:00.
Closed Mon). The Old Court, first built on this site in the
second part of the 15th-century by Vlad Ţepeş, was con-
siderably extended during the 17th-century at the hand of
Constantin Brancoveanu, who added a splendid voievodal
palace, decorated with marble and icons. The palace was
destroyed by a series of fires in the 19th-century however,
and its ruins subsequently neglected. Much of what we see
today was uncovered during archeological digs in the 1960s.
There are fragments of the original 15th-century walls, as
well as remnants of the voievodal palace throne room, in
which most of the relics found on the site are exhibited.
Next door to the palace is the Old Court Church, the
oldest in Bucharest, dating from 1545. It was enlarged
in 1715, during the reign of Ştefan Cantacuzino, and the
frescoes inside, painted by maestros Constantin Lecca and
Mişu Papa, were added in 1847.
Directly opposite is the Hanul lui Manuc, the best pre-
served caravanserai (inn) in the city. Built in 1808 it is cur-
rently being restored after a long and often ugly legal battle
finally saw the Romanian state return it to the descendants
of its original owners in 2007. It has yet to be reopened.
Elsewhere in Lipscani, check out the Glassblower’s
Courtyard (Curtea Sticlarilor; Str. Selari 9-11) another former
inn now put to good use as an artisan’s workshop.
Old Town Cafés
Atelier Cafe C-6, Str. Selari 7, tel. (+4) 021 318 28
54, office@ateliercafe.ro, www.ateliercafe.ro. Cafe and
gallery, where you can enjoy an artistic coffee while brows-
ing some fine contemporary Romanian art from the likes of
Ion Silisteanu, Sorin Ilfoveanu and Mihai Cismaru. Q Open
10:30-20:00. PJAG
Bruno Wine & Coffee Shop C-6, Str. Covaci 3, tel. (+4)
021 317 17 41/(+4) 0722 35 19 22, info@brunowine.
ro, www.brunowine.ro. So much more than wine and cof-
fee on offer here you will be forgiven for thinking you have the
wrong place! This is a bistro really, a genuine French style
place, where good wine by the glass is available next to a
decent spread of simple food, with a regularly changing menu.
QOpen 16:00 - 24:00. PJBW
Buen Humor C-6, Str. Smardan 30/7, tel. (+4) 021 313
88 30/(+4) 0744 33 81 43, www.bonhumor.ro. Ques-
tion: Where are you going to get an asparagus omelette in
this city? Answer: At this place. Oh yes, this is a bonny bistro
par excellence, where all sorts of tasty tapas await peckish
punters. There is also good coffee, fine wine and some of the
friendliest regulars in the city. It’s one of those places that
makes Strada Smardan so great. QOpen 11:30 - 02:30.
PJBXW
Cafe de France C-6, Str. Franceza 30, tel. (+4) 021 310
90 13/(+4) 0728 33 44 33. Gets it right where so many
Lipscani (and Bucharest) cafes get it so wrong. A gorgeous
little place on (where else with that name, Strada Franceza)
that has a small terrace which can be covered when it rains,
as it so often does at this time of year. Great coffee is served
by lovely waitresses and for morning pick-ups it’s hard to beat.
QOpen 10:30 - 24:00. PJALEBW
Cafe des Beaux Arts C-6, Str. Franceza 7, tel. (+4)
021 310 86 44. Puts almost every other café in the area to
shame. This tiny little place succeeds in being the perfect
Parisian café without even trying. It does so instead by keep-
ing it simple and offering good coffee, good company, good
service and a sense of the good life. The owners are art
lovers -as the name suggests - and artistic flair screams at
you from every wall. A must. QOpen 14:00 - 24:00. Closed
Mon. PJBW
Chocolat C-5, Calea Victoriei 12A, tel. (+4) 021 314
92 45, www.chocolat.com.ro. Hard to pin this place down.
Is it a cafe serving chocolate, or a chocolate shop serving
a little coffee? In fact, it is neither. It is a brilliant restaurant
serving delicious, well priced light meals (soups, pasta,
salad) of a French and Italian bent. There is chocolate too of
course. Find it next to Caru cu Bere. QOpen 09:00 - 23:00,
Sat, Sun 09:00 - 01:00. Also at (B-3) Str. Radu Beller 13, tel.
(+4) 021 230 23 83 and (D-4) Calea Mosilor 217, tel. (+4)
021 211 44 64. JA
Divan C-6, Str. Franceza 46-48, tel. (+4) 021 312 30 34,
www.thedivan.ro. Two places in one. You have in the first a
good, cheap restaurant serving big portions of Turkish/Middle
Eastern food - perfect at lunchtime - as well as a lounge/tea
house where you can try some exotic brews while smoking a
hookah pipe. They have plenty of different types of tobacco on
offer, and are helpful and patient with beginners who have not
tried smoking one before. Find yourself a comfortable divan
by the big windows and puff away... QOpen 10:00 - 02:00.
PJAEW
Gio Cafe C-5, Str. Toma Caragiu 3, tel. (+4) 021 313
97 40/(+4) 0730 03 07 64, www.giocafe.ro. Big café
opposite Bucharest’s most ornate, and jaw-dropping church.

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62 old town (LIPSCANI)
Popular with business types in the mornings, who come here
to talk big numbers over coffee and pastries, as the day moves
on the clientele gets just a little younger and just a little hipper.
Not merely a very nice cafe in which to spend time, Gio offers
far more, including what we think is Bucharest’s only fondue:
you can indulge cheese or chocolate dipping delights here.
There is another big, colourful and vibrant Gio Cafe on Piata
Alba Iulia. QOpen 07:30 - 24:00, Sat, Sun 09:00 - 24:00.
Also at (E-6) B-dul Burebista 2, tel. (+4) 0730 03 07 64, Open
09:00-24:00, Sat, Sun 10:00-24:00. PJABW
Grand Cafe Van Gogh C-6, Str. Smardan 9, tel. (+4)
031 107 63 71, info@vangogh.ro, www.vangogh.ro.
Quite the best cafe in the city, this place combines the
charm of Bucharest’s Old Town - it is opposite the National
Bank - with the casual elegance of a genuinely grand cafe. It’s
genius is that it’s ideal at every time of day: morning coffee
sat in front of one of the long windows, a business lunch at
one of the wooden tables, late nights at the bar. The food is
good, simple and very reasonably priced. Dutch owned, it is
something of a magnet for the friendly bunch of Dutch expats
who congregate at the bar. A winner. QOpen 08:00 - 24:00,
Sat, Sun 09:00 - 01:00. Wine&Art Bar Open 17:30-24:00,
Sat Sun 12:00-24:00. PJW
Jaya Cafe C-6, Str. Smardan 22, tel. (+4) 021 310 76
30, www.jayacafe.ro. Another Smardan café opens its
doors. Honestly, this street is in serious trouble of becoming
quite wonderful. There’s coffee, tea of the exotic, fruity kind,
cocktails. Girls in sunglasses and some light food, though
you have to order that from Switch next door. At weekends
people tend to stay very, very late here. During the summer
the terrace is one of the biggest on the street, although the
seats are not, it has to be said, the most comfortable. QOpen
11:00 - 01:00, Fri, Sat 11:00 - 03:00. PJEB
Bucharest In Your Pocket
Les Bourgeois
C-6, Str. Smardan 20, tel. (+4) 021 310 60 52/(+4)
0720 13 29 94, www.lesbourgeois.ro. A fantastic cafe, bar
and restaurant on a street now full of them: Strada Smardan.
Whisper it, but this might just be the best of the lot. The
corner location gives it an imposing quality from outside,
while the interior is a brilliant mix of old and new: the way
they have worked the sepia photo of Centru Vechi into the
bar is little short of genius. Go now and stay late. QOpen
10:00 - 03:00. PJA
The Coffee Store
C-5, Str. Toma Caragiu 3, tel. (+4) 0749 99 63 88,
www.thecoffeestore.ro. Modern espresso bar on the
edge of Old Town, just behind Piata Universitatii. Zillions of
different coffees on the menu, displayed in what could be
called genuine Italian style with prices above the counter.
Opens early, so it’s a good morning coffee choice. Q Open
07:30-24:00. PJA
Turabo Cafe C-6, Str. Halelor 17, tel. (+4) 0740 01
11 01, www.turabo-cafe.ro. There are several Turabo
cafes around town, but the newest location of all, right on
Piata Unirii, is now the best. On the corner of the Hanul
lui Manuc building, it has huge glass walls meaning that
everyone who walks by (and this is one of the busiest
strips of pavement in the land) will be able to see you as
you drink your coffee. It is a paradise for those who want
to be seen. QOpen 08:00 - 01:00. Also at (C-5) Episcopiei
6, tel. (+4) 0748 11 00 00, (C-3) B-dul Magheru 43, tel.
(+4) 0747 50 77 50; (D-5) Str. Ion Ghica 3, tel. (+4) 313 66
22, (+4) 0722 73 21 41; (B-2) Str. Radu Beller 6, tel. (+4)
0752 13 33 31; (B-4) Calea Victoriei 155, tel. (+4) 0740
01 11 01. PJALB
bucharest.inyourpocket.com
old town (LIPSCANI) 63
NEW
Unique Bistro Cafe C-6, Str. Franceza 13, tel. (+4) 021
311 00 50. Coffee, tea (a vast selection) and cocktails on Str.
Franceza in Old Town. It is at its best in the warmer months
when you can sit outside on the terrace (of all the terraces
in Lipscani it has perhaps the comfiest chairs, if you can bag
one), while when the weather is a bit colder head inside. It
can be a bit smoky when it gets full so be warned. Other than
that, we recommend it, if only because prices are good for Old
Town. QOpen 10:00 - 24:00. PJAEBW
French
NEW
La Bonne Bouche C-6, Str. Franceza 30, tel. (+4)
0731 24 78 76, www.bistrovin.ro. A wonderful new French
bistro that both looks the part (check out the wonky tables,
chairs that don’t match and well-thumbed volumes on the
bookshelves) and is the part, given the bistro French food
of ever changing options, chalked up daily on a blackboard.
Look out for the house speciality, a rather convincing coq
au vin. Occupying a double-fronted old house on Franceza,
this could well be our favourite Old Town opening of the
year so far. QOpen 12:00 - 23:00, Mon 18:30 - 23:00, Fri,
Sat, Sun 12:00 - 23:30. Wine Bar open 12:00-02:30. €€€.
PJALBSW
NEW
Old Town Bistro
C-6, Str. Smardan 25, tel. (+4) 021 311 32 29, www.
oldtownbistro.ro. A very nice attempt at creating a real
French bistro - as big on wine as on it is on food - in the heart
of the city’s, well, Old Town. A Smardan location will make
sure they get tons of passing trade, and given the range and
quality of the simple, home cooked food we think it will be a
raging success. A number of wines are available by the glass:
a very good thing (if rare in Bucharest). QOpen 10:00 - 24:00.
€€. PJABW
Hungarian
St. George C-6, Str. Franceză 44, tel. (+4) 021 317
10 87, www.stgeorge.ro. This has long been one of our
favourite restaurants, a place that had the vision to open
up a good year or two before Old Town became fashionable.
The food is excellent, authentic Hungarian cuisine, featuring a
wealth great dishes - try the mutton stew with dumplings - and
a wine list that offers the very best Hungary’s vineyards have
to offer. Cracking open a bottle of Tokaji Aszu is the perfect
way to end an evening here. Live music is provided by a happy,
table wandering troupe every night. QOpen 11:00 - 23:00.
€€€. PJAE
International
NEW Gallienus C-6, Str. Doamnei 21, tel. (+4) 0732 72
50 52. It took them two years to renovate this place, with
the kind of love and attention usually spared for churches. No
wonder it looks as fantastic as it does. As we went to press
the restaurant had yet to open, though if the food is half as
good as the surroundings we expect it to be immediately
installed as one of the best places in town. Tell us what you
think if you get there before we do. QOpen 11:00 - 05:00.
€€€€. PJALBW
NEW
Malagamba C-6, Str. Sf. Dumitru 2, tel. (+4) 021 313
33 89, www.malagamba.ro. What a name, what a place.
An Italian (with a twist) restaurant of the old school (in that
the food is what counts first and foremost), this Irish-owned
bucharest.inyourpocket.com April - May 2010
64 old town (LIPSCANI) old town (LIPSCANI) 65

come across in Bucharest, right down to the warm welcome

and great service. Expect good food at a decent price: it might
well be the best place to eat in the whole of Lipscani. QOpen
11:00 - 23:00. €€. PJAEBXW

Japanese
Sushi Ko C-6, Str. Stavropoleos 8, tel. (+4) 021 316
63 01, www.sushiko.ro. Big and bold, the opening of this
superb Japanese restaurant in mid-2009 was perhaps the
biggest vote of confidence in the Old Town area since Amster-
dam first leapt on the scene all those years ago. Occupying
the corner of Smardan and Stavropoleos, Ground Zero in
Old Town, it does what it does - Japanese food, both sushi
and tepanyaki - very well indeed. So successful that another
outlet will be opening soon at Baneasa Shopping City. QOpen
11:30 - 24:00. €€€€. PJALW

Mediterranean
Charme C-6, Str. Smardan 12, tel. (+4) 021 311 19 22,
www.charme.ro. Right then, what you are actually getting
at this super place is some of the finest food in Bucharest’s
Old Town, served in one of the most elegant and classiest
locations around. Check out the nice little touches such as
high quality bread and olives, the high ceilings and airy atmo-
sphere, then order some fine, light Californian-inspired cuisine.
It’s a winner from start to finish. QOpen 09:00 - 23:00, Sat,
Sun 09:00 - 24:00. €€€€. JAB

eatery next to the Comedy Theatre is terrific. Wanting to
stand out form the crowd the team behind it have gone to
great lengths to do so, coming up with all sorts of treats,
such the as lime and basil sorbet: already a legend amongst
Bucharest foodies. Malagamba by the way was a Romanian
lush who frequented these parts in the 1930s and 40s.
QOpen 11:00 - 24:00. €€€. PJXS
Italian
Bellini C-5, Str. Ion Ghica 2, MUniversitate, tel. (+4)
021 310 29 78, www.bellini.ro. Packed out with the
pre-cinema crowd heading over to Cinema Pro for the latest
premiere, Bellini has a great location, and its covered terrace
is lovely in spring and summer. As with most Italians in this
city the food is not really worth writing home about, but is
fine, is not overpriced and they make OK pizzas. Q Open
12:00 - 24:00. Also at Str. Lanariei 5, tel. (+4) 0723 10 01
01. €€€. PJAB
Jaya Maison C-6, Str. Franceza 17, tel. (+4) 0722 88
77 64, www.jayamaison.com. Something of an all-in-one,
casa-di-tutti on Lipscani’s second nicest street (Franceza).
On the top floor is an Italian restaurant currently pulling
in the punters with its standard food and 25 lei lunchtime
deal, while downstairs is a cafe/bar for relaxing post food.
Run by the same people who have the great little Jaya cafe
just around the corner on Selari. QOpen 13:00 - 01:00. €€.
PJALBW
NEW
Trattoria Fedelini C-5, Str. Academiei 1A, tel. (+4) 0727
39 67 37, www.trattoriafedelini.ro. We’re suckers for che-
quered tablecloths: they remind us of the fact that restaurants
used to be about the food. And that is the kind of place Fedelini
is: the food is king. It is as close to a real trattoria as we’ve
Romanian
Caru’ cu Bere C-6, Str. Stavropoleos 5, tel. (+4) 021
313 75 60, www.carucubere.ro. Should be the first stop
on the list of any visitor to Bucharest. Wonderful interiors
- painted ceilings, ornate woodwork - make the place an at-
traction in itself, but do not leave without trying some food.
The breakfast is worth getting up early for, the sarmale with
mamaliga terrific, and the baked apple a simple, tasty treat.
Good beer, good service (now: it never used to be) and a
great terrace in summer.  Q Open 08:00-24:00, Fri, Sat
08:00-02:00. €€€. AEBW
City Grill C-6, Str. Lipscani 12, tel. (+4) 021 233 98 18,
www.citygrill.ro. They call these places ‘your dining room
in the city,’ and given the homely food and cheap prices (the
lunchtime deals are just about unbeatable) they might just be
right. Don’t expect haute cuisine, but do expect big portions of
simple Romanian food. We like the carnati de plescoi, tasty
smoked sausages made with mutton and pork. There’s a good
selection of local beers to choose from too. Q Open 10:00-
02:00, Fri, Sat 10:00-04:00. Also at (F-2) Carrefour Orhideea,
tel. (+4) 021 318 87 18; (B-2) B-dul Primaverii 3, tel. (+4) 021
233 98 18 and many other locations. €€. PJABW
Crama Domneasca C-6, Str. Selari 13-15, tel. (+4)
0726 32 20 04, www.cramadomneasca.com. Right in
the heart of Bucharest’s historic centre, this is Romanian
food of indeed historic proportions. You can expect right
royal portions of all your Romanian favourites, from spare
ribs and mutton to tender pork steaks. The home baked
bread is always served warm (if it is not, send it back) and
the wine flows copiously as evenings get longer and longer.
It’s the kind of place where you will be discretely but content-
edly loosening your belt before the night is done.  QOpen
12:00 - 24:00. €€. PJAE
Hanul Hangitei C-6, Str. Gabroveni 16, tel. (+4) 021
314 70 46, www.hanulhangitei.ro. Good Romanian res-
taurant that does a particularly good line in game: venison,
boar and pheasant can all be found on the menu is season. If
they have it, you should definitely try the game stew (tocaniţa
vanatoreasca). They also serve good sarmale (just about
the country’s national dish). Has a very good wine cellar which
is a great place to eat on cold nights.  Q Open 12:00-24:00.
€€. PJAEB
South American
La Historia
C-6, Str. Sf. Dumitru 3, tel. (+4) 0722 62 60 43, www.
lahistoria-restaurant.ro. Probably the most instantly suc-
cessful bar/bistro to open in Bucharest for years. Found
opposite the Teatru de Comedie in a side-street off Smardan,
it carries the seal of approval of the El Comandante gang,
who run it. Expect a Latin American-influenced drinks menu,
bistro-ish food (they serve a good spicy chicken with roast
potatoes) and a crowd of young, successful, advertising/
media types.Q Open 24hrs. Also La Historia 2 at (D-5) Str.
Sf. Stefan 13 (corner with Str. Plantelor) tel. (+4) 0724 53 33
36, Open 10:00-24:00. €. PJB
Wine Club
NEW
Van Gogh Wine Bar & Shop
C-6, Str. Smardan 9, tel. (+4) 031 107 63 71, info@
vangogh.ro, www.vangogh.ro. Just walking down the
stairs from Van Gogh Grand Café you will find a century-old
vault room. Here you can enjoy great Romanian and foreign
wines complimented by a selection of fine Dutch cheeses.
All in an exclusively non-smoking space that enhances the
tasting experience. All wines available for sale with delivery
options. QOpen 17:30 - 24:00, Sat, Sun 12:00 - 24:00.
PJGW
Old Town Bars
Cantina Sport Bar C-6, Str. Franceza 52, tel. (+4)
0733 11 04 64. On the southern tip of Old Town, where
Strada Selari meets the river embankment, this enormous
sports bar is a bright and breezy place to watch the match
and get your hands on some decent grub. Decent pizza costs
very little, but most popular of all appears to be the pui la
rotiserie, served up with copious amounts of beer. We like
the bar stools too. QOpen 08:00 - 02:00, Fri, Sat 08:00 -
04:00. PJLW
Deko Cafe C-6, Str. Smardan 30, tel. (+4) 0733 10 22
88, www.dekocafe.ro. Up a rather tricky flight of stairs
inside a house at the bottom end of Strada Smardan, Cafe
Deko is a comedy club that features live stand-up (almost
always in Romania, of course) most nights of the week. En-
trance is usually a pittance, and the friendly crowd usually
stays behind after the show for a chat and a beer or two. If
you have one too many make sure you mind those stairs on
the way down. QOpen 08:00 - 24:00, Fri, Sat 19:00 - 02:00.
PJNW
Dharma C-6, Str. Blanari 9, tel. (+4) 021 319 09 93/
(+4) 0723 57 41 18, www.dharmabar.ro. Lost? Take the
initiative and head for Dharma. You could end up losing more
than your shirt given the liberties that get taken with the prices
and the creative billing at the end of the night. Decent art on
the walls hardly makes up for a total lack of atmosphere and
surly staff. Do yourself a favour and head for Club A directly
opposite instead. QOpen 09:00 - 01:00. PJ
Dolce C-6, Str. Selari 28. Small bar and café opposite
Curtea Sticlarilor offering something just a bit different from
the Lipscani norm. There’s no terrace, but there is instead

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66 old town (LIPSCANI) old town (LIPSCANI) 67

than that expect a good crowd of young locals enjoying drinks

a bit cheaper than may other places elsewhere in Old Town.
QOpen 14:00 - 24:00, Sat 14:00 - 04:00. PJ
Pals C-6, Str. Smardan 21, tel. (+4) 0727 24 36 40/
(+4) 0724 89 97 72. Another little place on Str. Smardan,
serving reasonably priced drinks and simple Romanian food
at prices a little more expensive than you might expect.
Loads of televisions just about everywhere should make it
popular for football and such like, while smokers get banished
upstairs: that gets them an extra mark in our book. Q Open
10:00-01:00. PJB

NEW
Pub 41 Brauhaus C-6, Str. Smardan 41, tel. (+4) 0725
52 30 81. If you like a tasty bit of German sausage (and
let’s face it, who doesn’t?) then this is the place to head for
if you are in Old Town. Add in tremendous beer, good prices
and a terrace out on the street in the right weather and you
have another reason to hail Strada Smardan as the city’s top
entertainment street. QOpen 18:00 - 05:00. PJW

Revenge C-6, Str. Selari 9-11, tel. (+4) 0722 33 12 26,

www.revenge.ro. It is the music that we like best about
this pub and club in the heart of the Lipscani area. A mix of
everything from the sublime to the ridiculous, it hardly mat-
ters that you might not like what’s playing: you will not have to
wait long to hear an old favourite. Add in a casually-dressed,
non-fitze crowd and you have a winner. QOpen 17:00 - 07:00,
Fri, Sat 17:00 - 09:00. PJ

Shakespeare C-6, Str. Blanari 21, tel. (+4) 021 311

a super raised seating area perfect for long evenings with a
beer in front of the big television screen. It’s just like being
at home. Q Open 08:00-01:00. PJBW
Gara Lipscani C-6, Str. Lipscani 38, tel. (+4) 021 311
23 69. Cheap, central and small place with a casual, studenty
vibe. If you’re wondering about the name, they have pictures
of trains on the wall. A refreshing alternative in a city of iden-
tikit venues aching to be trendy. QOpen 10:00 - 22:00, Sat
12:00 - 22:00, Sun 14:00 - 22:00. J
Harley Bar C-6, Str. Lipscani 82, tel. (+4) 0734 30 75
09. Where once there was Mes Amis, friends of motorbikes
can now congregate at this bar, named we assume in tribute
of the eponymous bikes. While not the biggest bar in town,
for Lipscani it offers a decent amount of elbow room, serves
a relatively well-priced pint and can be a lively place to kick of
long evenings. QOpen 14:00 - 02:00. JAX
Interbelic C-6, Str. Selari 1, tel. (+4) 0722 10 01 93,
www.interbelic.ro. A cosy little speakeasy in a well-hidden
location (find it in the alleyway which links Str. Blanari to Str.
Lipscani) and the perfect place to conduct all sorts of secret
business, affairs and anything else that springs to mind.
Drinks and coffees are reasonably priced, the staff are friendly
and it’s worth checking out: if only to show off to someone just
how well you know Bucharest and its backstreets. QOpen
13:00 - 01:00. PJ
La Prieteni C-6, Str. Selari 9-11, tel. (+4) 021 314 20
69/(+4) 0752 14 34 02, www.laprieteni.ro. Bar/pub/club
rolled into one inside the Curtea Sticlarilor. There is a differ-
ent vibe every night, with the night to avoid being Tuesdays,
devoted exclusively to what is known as Ro Hip Hop (yes, that
means hip hop - bad enough - of the Romanian variety). Other
19 91/92/(+4) 0723 88 63 71, www.shakespearebar.
ro. A cracking new pub on Strada Blanari, right opposite the
big church, where from day one they appear to have got it
right. A bit spacier and a bit more comfortable than your
average Lipscani venue, expect to find comfy sofas in the
windows, strange but rather fetching art on the walls and
decent staff who know how to pull a decent beer. The crowd
tends to be studenty during the day, getting a bit smarter and
sophisticated as the evening wears on. We like it. QOpen
11:00 - 04:00. PJABXW
NEW
The Elbow Room C-6, Str. Lipscani 82, tel. (+4) 0752
55 09 86, www.elbowroom.ro. This little cafe is not big,
but it does have a decent amount of elbow room, and - what
we really like about it - alcoves at the windows stuffed with
cushions that you can sit on. That’s the kind of thing we look
out for, and which always gets a cafe top marks: thinking
outside the box (or window). And they play the music at a level
that allows you to talk to people at the same table without
shouting. QOpen 10:00 - 24:00. PJABXW
Old Town Pubs
Curtea Berarilor C-6, Str. Selari 9-11, tel. (+4) 021 313
75 32/(+4) 0723 27 96 20. Once upon a time the whole of
the Curtea Sticlarilor was given over to artisans - especially
glassmakers, from whence the name. Now only a few survive
and no less than four bars have opened here. This one has
given itself the rather cheeky name Curtea Berarilor (Brew-
ers’ Courtyard), though there is no brewing done on the site.
Instead make do with plenty of on-tap pints. QOpen 12:00
- 24:00, Fri, Sat 12:00 - 04:00. J
Half Time C-6, Str. Gabroveni 14, www.halftimepub.
ro. Half-hearted attempt at creating a football-themed pub,
not helped by the street outside being little more than an
open rubbish tip (it is on Gabroveni). Still, if you can make it
inside it is not bad, good service, good beer and plenty of
screens to watch whatever match is on, though note that in
our experience Romanian football takes priority: if you want
proper football nip round to Bordello’s. Q PJA
Lost Society C-5, Str. Ion Ghica 21, tel. (+4) 0769 63
54 93, www.lostsociety.ro. A pub and, well, theatre we
guess opposite Cinema Pro. A decent place to have a drink,
especially if sat in one of the comfy red velvet sofas in the
windows, but there is more than drink to this place. It hosts
live comedy of the stand-up variety, theatre and music: there
is usually an event on every night. QOpen 09:00 - 04:00.
PJLEBW
Old City C-6, Str. Lipscani 45, tel. (+4) 0722 21 96 21.
Looking at this place from Lipscani it appears tiny. Believe
us, it is not. At the front you have a standard pub, with a
long bar and plenty of bar stools, then it just goes on, and
on. And out the back there is a beer garden: as shady and
cool as anywhere in Old Town. There’s some light food of
the pasta/Italian variety of you’re hungry, and they have a
cracking selection of alcoholic coffees. QOpen 09:00 - 05:00.
PJALEW
S. A. L. T. C-6, Str. Blanari 21, tel. (+4) 021 314 22
14, www.saltpub.ro. S. A. L. T. stands for Societea de
Asigurare a Libertatii Sale (impossible to translate but
something along the lines of ‘The Society to Insure your
Freedom). This is a sports bar serving decent salads, pizza
and finger food (chicken wings, etc.). If you judge a place by
the number of plasma screens it has, then you will like it here.
QOpen 11:00 - 01:00. PJW
Team Pub C-6, Str. Lipscani 36, tel. (+4) 0760 32 34
17, www.caffebordo.ro. Decent enough pub on the corner
of Lipscani and Selari, with good proper bar stools and a
decent range of beers. Efficient waitresses in red tops serve
the customers well. It’s popular too: first time we came here
(just after they had opened) it was empty: now (especially
on a Friday or Saturday night) you can barely get through the
door for revelers. Q Open 13:00-02:00. PJ
Vintage Pub C-6, Str. Smardan 43, tel. (+4) 0722 21
96 21. Another freshly-opened Smardan drinking den. And
it’s not bad. Staff are incredibly hospitable, and the interior
décor is pub-ish without overdoing it. The Vintage aspect
is provided by the hanging of various antiques on the walls.
Cheapish drinks, salads, sandwiches and a big terrace attract
a young, studenty crowd. Q Open 10:00-01:00. JB
Old Town Irish Pubs
Bordello’s C-6, Str. Selari 9-11, tel. (+4) 0748 88
10 84/(+4) 021 317 90 99, info@bordellos.ro, www.
bordellos.ro. Why Bordellos? Read the spiel in the drinks
menu and you will find out why. This is a great pub, complete
with excellent bar food, Guinness on tap and Sky Sports
(the Italian version of - don’t worry, it shows English football)
on three screens. Great food: a convincing English breakfast
by day, tapas by night; the ribs are just about the best we’ve
ever had in Bucharest. You can’t miss it: just look for the ‘tarts’
in their underwear beckoning you in. QOpen 10:00 - 02:00,
Fri, Sat 10:00 - 04:00. PJAW
NEW
Dirty Harry’s Irish Pub C-6, Str. Franceza 3, tel. (+4)
0727 39 67 37, www.dirtyharrypub.ro. Now what about
this for confirmation that Bucharest is a cosmopolitan capital:
an Irish pub in Romania owned by Lithuanians. Slightly different
to the other Irish pubs, the bar is in the middle of the pub,
and there is a cellar hosting various events, from stand-up
comedy to theatre. Plenty of screens for watching football,

Bucharest In Your Pocket bucharest.inyourpocket.com bucharest.inyourpocket.com April - May 2010

68 old town (LIPSCANI)
and they claim to be able to pick up via their many satellite
dishes any match you can think of. QOpen 12:00 - 24:00.
PJAEBXW
O’Hara’s C-6, Str. Franceza 13, tel. (+4) 0724 23 95
77. Amazingly, this place has already been around for two
years. (Feels like only yesterday that it opened). Expect a
decent pint of Guinness, live Irish music and a grand welcome
from some fine staff make this very much the thinking man’s
Irish pub in Bucharest. The Lipscani venue (on one of the
area’s pedestrian streets that has actually been finished) is
a bonus. QOpen 15:00 - 01:00, Fri, Sat, Sun 16:00 - 02:00.
PJEB
St. Patrick C-6, Str. Smardan 23-25, tel. (+4) 021 313
03 36, www.bucharest-irishpub.ro. Big, well located and
quite frankly cracking pub in Lipscani. Looking every inch just
like a proper Irish boozer, it’s a real pub all right with decent
grub, Guinness and Kilkenny on tap, and more than efficient
staff. Shiny and new it’s a brilliant addition to the area and is
already as popular as any of the city’s other pubs. QOpen
11:00 - 01:00, Sat, Sun 11:00 - 02:00. PJABW
Old Town Clubs & Discos
Arcade Cafe C-6, Str. Smardan 30, tel. (+4) 021 314
50 66/(+4) 0727 25 70 22, www.arcade-cafe.ro. One
more reason to hail Strada Smardan as the new Messiah of
nightlife destinations. This little place is a cool mix of cafe,
DJ bar and deadly serious club, though the music is always
at the right volume and never stifles conversation. Basically
there are two parts to this place: upstairs is the cafe (serving
hot milk: our kids liked it!) and downstairs is the club. The cafe
is open from (around) 10am. QOpen 19:00 - 01:00, Fri, Sat,
Sun 19:00 - 03:00. PJ
Bucharest In Your Pocket
Club A C-6, Str. Blănari 14, tel. (+4) 021 313 55 92,
fax (+4) 021 315 47 86, office@cluba.ro, www.cluba.ro.
Selling the cheapest Red Bull vodka in the world, this place
is a legend. If you want a local, unpretentious, up-for-a-laugh
studenty crowd getting down to classic songs that you won’t
have heard for ages, this is the one place in town you can
be guaranteed to find it, every night of the week. Live music
on most weekend nights, as well as all sorts of events dur- BUCHAREST
BUCHARESTII OTOPENI
II OTOPENI
AIRPORT
AIRPORT
II TIMISOARA
II TIMISOARA
AIRPORT
AIRPORT
II CLUJ
II CLUJ
AIRPORT
AIRPORT
II SIBIU
II SIBIU
II BRASOV
II BRASOV
II CONSTANTA
II CONSTANTA
ing the week, from theme nights to theatre. QOpen 12:00
- 05:00, Fri 12:00 - 06:00, Sat 18:30 - 06:00. Closed Mon,
Tue, Sun. PJ
El Comandante C-6, Str. Stavropoleos 8, tel. (+4) 0728
X-ACTLY
X-ACTLY WHAT
WHAT YOU
YOU NEED
NEED
55 50 43/(+4) 0722 62 60 43, www.elcomandante.ro.
El Comandante moves its mix of live music, a young, raucous
but happy and welcoming crowd and general mayhem to the
site of former concept store Market 8. Drinks are well priced
for the area and there is always something going on. A decent
bet for a good night out any night of the week. QOpen 20:00
- 05:00. PJAEW
El Dictador C-6, Str. Sf. Dumitru 3, tel. +4 0729 04 10
43, www.eldictador.ro. The latest venue in the growing
collection of the El Comandante crowd. You know what to
expect: a young crowd dancing to good, upcoming local DJs
playing a mix of music. Expect a bit of New Wave (Thursdays)
alongside more traditional dancehall sounds (Friday and Sat-
urday). Well priced drinks keep the crowd well-oiled. QOpen
21:00 - 06:00. Closed Mon, Tue. PJW
Goblin C-6, Str. Smardan 30, tel. (+4) 021 312 05 82,
events@goblinclub.ro, www.goblinclub.ro. Basically this
is a bricked-up cellar in Old Town brought back to live with a
lick of white paint and a lively barman. Two bars: one as smoky
as a Greek brothel, the other designated non-smoking but the
effect lingers, this place defines itself by its music - no house
or disco here, well, hardly any - and by the bizarrely placed
table football game. QOpen 17:00 - 05:00. PJ
Mojo C-6, Str. Gabroveni 14, MPiata Unirii, tel. (+4)
0760 26 34 96, www.mojomusic.ro. For live music in
Bucharest there is now no need to head anywhere else
than this cracking club. Three levels offer three different
vibes: chill out upstairs in the acoustic lounge (where you
can do your karaoke thing when there is no band on), drink
at the bar UK-style on the ground floor, or head down to the
enormous basement where live rock gets belted out by a
decent resident band every night at around 22:00. Rock on.
QOpen 18:00 - 05:00. PJENW
Stamba C-6, Str. Gabroveni 19. A club in the middle of
the disaster zone that is Str. Gabroveni. Not that the lack of
a street appears to have put punters off. There is a mix of
music, based on electro though ranging as far into left field as
old school punk. The décor is the right side of enjoyable kitsch,
and there is space enough to dance, get served at the bar,
drink, chat, canoodle and whatever else goes on Bucharest’s
clubs. We like it. Q Open 24 hrs. PJB
Tribute B-4, Calea Victoriei 118, tel. (+4) 0728 74 28
83, tribute@tribute.ro, www.tribute.ro. Besides a fantas-
tic resident band, Tribute is also regularly host to a number of
the best live acts in the business, who love the atmosphere
provided by a great crowd and wonderful acoustics. Basically,
if the excitement of live music is what you are looking for, this
is one first class venue. Bang in the city centre (it’s on Calea
Victoriei) it’s a great choice if you are stuck in a downtown
pub thinking about where to move on to. Plan on staying late.
Q Open 21:00-05:00, Wed 21:00-02:00, Sun 20:00-02:00.
Closed Mon, Tue. PJAE
bucharest.inyourpocket.com
70 Getting around
Public transport
On all forms of public transport children under the age of
seven travel free. After that age they need a full-price ticket.
Local school children and students do get discounts but only
on seasonal tickets.
Buses & Trolleybuses
Even the most remote corners of Bucharest are served by
bus or trolleybus, and most main roads in the city centre
benefit from three or four different routes. Most buses are
overcrowded, however, and travelling on them is a less than
pleasant experience. Flat-fare tickets cost 1.30 lei, and
have to be bought in advance from the little silver booths
at main stops and crossroads (look for the sign Bilete si
Abonamente RATB). Once on the bus, you need to punch
your ticket in the little machines: the fine for travelling with
no ticket, or an unpunched ticket, is 50 lei. Note that the bus
out to the airport (N° 783) requires a special ticket, which
has to be bought in advance.
Trams A blessing to some and a curse to others,
Bucharest’s trams skirt the city centre, often blocking traffic
as they trundle along narrow roads. Unless you are visiting
somewhere outside of the city centre it is unlikely that you
will use a tram. If you do, the drill is the same as for buses:
buy a ticket before boarding, then frank it in the machines
on the tram. Tickets for buses, trolleybuses and trams are
the same, costing 1.30 lei.
Metro Bucharest’s metro was primarily built to ship workers
from the vast housing estates of Titan, Berceni and Militari
out to the huge industrial plants at Pipera, IMGB, Republica
and Industriilor. That’s all very well if you are resident of Titan
Bucharest In Your Pocket
Getting around 71
Agentia de Voiaj SNCFR
B-5, Str. Domnita Anastasia 10-14, tel. (+4) 021 313
26 42, www.cfr.ro. CFR’s advance booking offices. You
can make reservations for all kinds of trains, from aceler-
ats to sleepers, but only up to 24 hours before departure.
Tickets for same-day travel can only be purchased at
the station. Q Open 07:30 - 19:30, Sat 08:00 - 12:00.
Closed Sun.
Wasteels A-4, Gara de Nord, tel. (+4) 021 317 03
70/021 300 27 30, marketing@wasteels.eunet.ro,
www.triptkts.ro. Advance reservations for all types of
trains, national and international. Helpful staff, western cur-
rencies accepted. QOpen 08:00 - 19:00, Sat 08:00 - 14:00.
Closed Sun. A
Budget airlines
A number of budget airlines now operate from Baneasa
Airport These include local outfit Blue Air (www.blueairweb.
com; flights to Barcelona, Berlin, Bergamo, Bologna, Catania,
Cologne, Istanbul, Lisbon, London, Lyon, Madrid, Malaga,
Paris Orly, Rome, Stuttgart, Turin, Valencia, Verona and
Vienna); Wizz Air (www.wizzair.com; flights to Barcelona,
Budapest, Cluj, Dortmund, Dusseldorf, Liverpool, London,
Parma, Rome, Valencia, Venice). German Wings (www.
germanwings.com) serves Berlin and Stuttgart. EasyJet
(www.easyjet.com) has flights to MIlan and Madrid from
Otopeni, while Ryan Air flies from Constanta to Pisa in Italy.
Airline offices
Air France/KLM
B-4, Calea Buzesti 85, et. 2, tel. (+4) 021 206 92 00,
www.airfrance.com/ro. www.klm.com QOpen 09:00 -
17:00. Closed Sat, Sun.
working at IMGB, but useless to almost everybody else. The
city centre is poorly served by the metro and only the north-
south M2 line, from Pipera to IMGB, which passes through
Piatas Victoriei, Romana and Unirii, and the M1 branch to the
Gara de Nord, is likely to be of any use to visitors.
Tickets are stupidly cheap: they cost either 2.20 lei (valid
for two trips) or 8 lei (ten trips) and can be bought from any
metro station.
For more on the Bucharest metro see our special
feature online at bucharest.inyourpocket.com.
Trains
There are four types of train in Romania: Personal, Acelerat,
Rapid, InterCity. Personal trains are living hell. Stopping at
all stations and halts they are slow and tortuous, dirty and
crowded. These trains should be avoided at all costs, unless
imminent bankruptcy demands otherwise. They are, after all,
undeniably cheap. Acelerat trains serve larger towns and
cities, but remain slow and dirty.
Do not think that buying a first class ticket will ensure
comfortable accommodation. While sometimes it will, often
it will not. Rapid trains are much better, and usually consist
of much better rolling stock than Acelerats. Stopping only
at major cities they are slightly quicker too, but all this is
relative.
Of toilets on Romania’s trains, even Acelerats, we
can say little except make sure you go before getting on
board. InterCitys and Rapids are usually (but not always)
the exception.
Note that you can now - finally! - book train tickets
online, at www.cfr.ro/calatori.
bucharest.inyourpocket.com bucharest.inyourpocket.com April - May 2010
72 Getting around

Train Schedule Car rental

AAA Autorent Hertz B-6, Bd. Natiunile Unite 3, bl.
From Bucharest To Bucharest 109, Ground Floor, tel. (+4) 021 335 75 33, fax 021 335
Dep. Arr. City Dep. Arr. 75 32, office@hertz.com.ro, www.hertz.com.ro. Also at
IC 13:00 23:40 ARAD IC 12:00 22:55 Henri Coanda Airport, tel. (+4) 021 201 49 54, fax (+4) 021
R 08:30 11:32 BRASOV R 11:20 14:07 021 201 49 55, Robuc51@hertz.com.ro, Open 08:00-20:00;
A 09:50 12:58 BRASOV R 14:05 17:02 JW Marriott Grand Hotel, tel. (+4) 021 403 29 56, fax (+4) 021
IC 13:00 15:51 BRASOV A 15:50 19:00 021 403 29 57, Robuc63@hertz.com.ro, Open 08:00-20:00;
R 15:15 18:25 BRASOV IC 19:47 22:55 Athenee Palace Hilton, tel./fax 021 303 37 44, robuc64@
R 16:00 18:48 BRASOV R 21:29 00:35 hertz.com.ro, Open 08:30-17:30, Closed Sat, Sun; Crowne
IC 13:00 21:41 CLUJ-NAPOCA IC 13:53 22:55 Plaza, tel. (+4) 021 335 75 33.
R 09:19 13:11 CONSTANTA R 16:39 20:28 Avis B-4, Str. Mihail Moxa 9, tel. (+4) 021 9876/(+4)
IC 15:45 18:48 CRAIOVA IC 11:48 14:45 021 210 43 44, fax (+4) 021 210 69 12, reservations@
IC 15:40 19:40 GALATI IC 05:10 08:52 avis.ro, www.avis.ro. QOpen 09:00 - 17:30. Closed Sat,
IC 06:00 12:46 IASI IC 05:15 11:47 Sun. Also at (C-5) InterContinental, tel. (+4) 021 314 18 37,
IC 17:00 23:30 IASI IC 16:12 23:13 Open 08:00 - 20:00; Henri Coanda International Airport, tel.
IC 13:00 00:38 ORADEA IC 10:58 22:55 (+4) 021 204 19 57, Open 07:00 - 02:00; Baneasa Airport,
R 19:10 08:19 SATU MARE R 21:11 10:34 tel (+4) 0731 49 42 15, Open 10:00-22:00.
R 15:15 22:24 SIBIU R 04:16 12:10 Bavaria Rent Headoffice, Str. Horia, Closca si Crisan
IC 06:45 14:51 TIMISOARA IC 06:30 14:45 17, Ilfov, tel. (+4) 0730 33 37 07/(+4) 031 802 22 28,
IC 15:45 23:59 TIMISOARA IC 16:00 23:58 fax (+4) 021 201 45 34, office@bavariarent.ro, www.
bavariarent.ro. Also at Baneasa International Airport, tel.
Schedule valid until December 12th, 2010. The full (+4) 021 200 62 63, Open 09:00-18:00, Sat 09:00-15:0.
Romanian railway timetable is online at www.infofer.ro. Closed Sat; and Otopeni Airport, tel. (+4) 021 201 45 34,
(+4) 0730 33 37 05, Open 08:00-02:00, Sat 08:00-20:00.
QOpen 09:00 - 18:00. Closed Sat, Sun.
Air Moldova B-4, Str. Frumoasa 15, tel. (+4) 021 315 Budget B-4, Str. Mihail Moxa 9, tel. (+4) 021 210 28
51 14, www.airmoldova.md. Q Open 09:00 - 17:00. 67, fax (+4) 021 210 29 95, reservations@budgetro.
Closed Sat, Sun. ro, www.budgetro.ro. Also at (B-3) Calea Dorobanti 5 - 7
Alitalia D-4, Str. Louis Blanc 1, tel. (+4) 021 318 76 61/ (Howard Johnson Hotel), tel. (+4) 021 201 50 89, Open
(+4) 021 318 76 65, bucarest@alitalia.it, www.alitalia. 09:00-17:00. Closed Sat, Sun and Henri Coanda International
com. QOpen 09:00 - 17:00. Closed Sat, Sun. Otopeni tel. Airport, tel. (+4) 021 204 16 67, Open 08:00-20:00. QOpen
(+4) 021 201 33 83. 09:00 - 18:00. Closed Sat, Sun.
Austrian Airlines B-3, Aleea Alexandru 9a, tel. (+4) Cars4Rent Str. Drumul Odaii 1D (Hotel Charter), tel.
021 204 45 60, www.aua.com. QOpen 09:00 - 17:00. (+4) 0723 34 71 92/(+4) 0730 09 39 85, fax (+4) 021
Closed Sat, Sun. Otopeni tel. (+4) 021 204 22 08 352 87 16, office@cars4rent.ro, www.cars4rent.ro.
British Airways B-4, Calea Victoriei 15, tel. (+4) 021 Q Open 24 hrs.
303 22 22, www.ba.com. Q Open 09:00-12:00, 12:30- Compact Rent-a-Car A-4, B-dul N. Titulescu 1, bl A7,
17:00. Closed Sat, Sun. Otopeni tel. (+4) 021 204 20 01, sc. 1, et. 6, ap. 16, tel. 0744 63 82 92/021 312 98 57,
fax 201 49 82 fax 021 312 99 82, office@compact-rentacar.ro, www.
Carpatair Otopeni Airport, tel. (+4) 021 204 10 93, compact-rentacar.ro.
www.carpatair.ro. QOpen 08:00 - 18:00. Closed Sun. Europcar D-6, Str. Grigore Mora 17, tel. (+4) 021 310
Czech Airlines B-2, Str. Uruguay 27, tel. (+4) 021 223 17 97, office@europcar.com.ro, www.europcar.com.ro.
09 88, www.czech-airlines.com. QOpen 09:00 - 17:00. QOpen 09:00 - 17:00. Also at Otopeni Airport tel. (+4) 0374
Closed Sat, Sun. 00 40 57, (+4) 0740 04 49 64, fax (+4) 021 201 49 37 and
LOT C-5, B-dul Magheru 41, tel./fax 021 314 10 96, tel. Baneasa Airport tel. (+4) 0374 00 40 57, (+4) 0744 68 97
(+4) 021 314 29 46, www.lot.com. QOpen 09:00 - 17:00. 73, fax (+4) 021 232 01 39.
Closed Sat, Sun. Otopeni tel. (+4) 021 204 21 94. Sixt New Kopel Calea Bucurestilor 201-203, tel. (+4)
Lufthansa 021 9400, reservation@sixt.ro, www.sixt.ro.
B-3, Aleea Alexandru 9A, tel. (+4) 021 204 84 10, www.
lufthansa.ro. Q Open 09:00 - 17:00. Closed Sat, Sun.
Otopeni tel./fax (+4) 021 204 20 24 Open 04:15 - 07:30, Getting Online
10:30 - 17:30.
Malev E-7, Calea Vitan 6-6A (PGV Tower), tel. (+4) 021 For a simple dial-up connection in Bucharest, you can
326 80 72, www.malev.ro. Q Open 09:00 - 17:00. Closed dial the number 0870 222 222 from any telephone line,
Sat, Sun. Otopeni tel./fax (+4) 021 201 47 08. and use the user name and password ‘clicknet.’ You pay
Swiss Air Lines B-3, Aleea Alexandru 9A, tel. (+4) only the standard rate for a local telephone call.
021 312 02 38, www.swiss.com. QOpen 09:00 - 17:00.
Closed Sat, Sun. Otopeni tel. (+4) 021 204 18 50. WiFi Hotspots W
Tarom B-6, Spl. Independentei 17, tel. (+4) 021 303 Bucharest is now dotted with more Wifi hotspots than
44 44, www.tarom.ro. QOpen 08:00 - 19:30, Sat 09:00 you could wish for (look for the wifi symbol W in our li-
- 13:30. Closed Sun. Also on Str. Buzesti 59, tel. (+4) 021 204 stings), but alas very few are free. McDonalds offers free
64 64, Open 08:00-20:00, Sat 09:00-14:00, Closed Sun and wifi in almost all of its outlets, as do KFC and Pizza Hut,
Henri Coanda Airport, tel. (+4) 021 201 49 79. There is also free Wifi in and around Piata Universitatii,
Turkish Airlines C-5, B-dul Nicolae Bălcescu 35A, and the Romexpo complex. Other than that, you are at
tel. (+4) 021 311 24 10, www.turkishairlines.com. the whim of the venue in question: some do offer free
QOpen 09:00 - 17:00. Closed Sat, Sun. Otopeni tel. (+4) access for clients, the password being divulged as your
021 204 20 07. coffee is served, but most will charge extra.

Bucharest In Your Pocket bucharest.inyourpocket.com

74 Shopping
Shopping in Bucharest
Bucharest’s main shopping areas are the malls and
commercial centres listed below, as well as B-dul Ma-
gheru and Calea Victoriei. The narrow and tiny Str.
Ion Campineanu, between Balcescu and Calea Victoriei,
is also becoming a funky little place to shop, with lots of
boutiques and delicatessens. The Peasant and Village
museums (see page 56) are the best places to pick up
Romanian handicrafts and souvenirs.
Shopping centres & Malls
AFI Palace Cotroceni
B-dul Vasile Milea/B-dul Timisoara, M Politehnica, tel.
(+4) 031 425 75 10, www.aficotroceni.ro. Bucharest’s
biggest mega-mall, this time with added IMAX (see right). It
also has paintball, ice skating (year round) and you can get
here easy: it is just a short walk from the Politehnica metro
station. Q Open 10:00-22:00.
Baneasa Shopping City
Şos. Bucureşti-Ploieşti 42D, www.baneasashoppingcity.
ro. This place is the first real mega-mall in Bucharest. With
more than 220 shops it makes everywhere else look quite
small. Getting here from the city centre is a drag of course.
Q Open 10:00-22:00,
Bucuresti Mall E-7, Calea Vitan 55-59, www.bucures-
timall.com. Recently extended in a major redevelopment,
this is now a real shopping centre, with plenty of stores you
can actually spend money in. Debenhams is the biggest
pull, but Zara, Marks & Spencer, Lacoste, Mothercare, Z and
hundreds of other brands also help to bring the punters in.
QOpen 10:00 - 22:00.
Liberty Center Str. Progresului 151-171, www.liber-
tycenter.ro. Tons of great shops, the usual mix of fast food
outlets, and a seven-screen cinema. Trams 23 and 32 from
Piata Unirii stop right outside. QOpen 10:00 - 22:00.
NEW
Sun Plaza
Calea Vacaresti 391, www.sunplaza.ro. Newest and dare
we say sunniest mall in Bucharest. It is also the only mall
in the city right outside a metro station: in this case, Piata
Sudului, just three stops from Piata Unirii. All the big name
international high street stores are here, as well as a few
local outfits. QOpen 10:00 - 22:00.
Unirea Shopping Centre C-6, Piata Unirii. MPiata
Unirii. Once a showpiece of Socialism, this huge department
store is now the best shopping centre in the centre of the city.
There are fashion stores on the first and second floors while
the electronics and household appliance shops on floors three
and four are also worth a visit. There’s an excellent Mega
Image supermarket can be found in the basement. QOpen
09:00 - 22:00, Sun 09:00 - 20:00.
Frey Wille
C-5, Calea Victoriei 118, www.frey-wille.com. From
Regent Street to Rodeo Drive, Frey Wille boutiques are
found in the most exclusive locations around the world.
And now they have a store on Calea Victoriei. Expect to
find only the finest jewellery and accessories - for men
and women. The pens really are something special.
QOpen 10:00 - 20:00, Sat 10:00 - 18:00. Closed Sun.
Bucharest In Your Pocket
Cinema: Going to the Movies
Films in Romania are shown in their original language
with Romanian subtitles. To find out which films
are showing, check the individual websites of each
cinema, or browse the full programme of the city’s
cinemas at www.cinema.ro.
Cinema Pro
C-5, Str. Ion Ghica 3, tel. (+4) 031 824 13 60, of-
fice@cinemapro.ro, www.cinemapro.ro. City centre,
one-screen cinema behind Universitate, which shows
the latest releases, with the film changing each Friday.
Completely renovated a couple of years ago, the seats
are comfy, sightlines are good and ticket prices OK: from
9.50 to 15 lei depending on the day and time.
Hollywood Multiplex E-7, Calea Vitan 55-59
(Bucuresti Mall), tel. (+4) 021 327 70 20, www.
hmultiplex.ro. The best complex of cinemas in the city,
offering ten screens, good popcorn and comfortable
seats. Q Tickets 11.90 - 23 lei.
IMAX/Cinema City B-dul Vasile Milea/B-dul
Timisoara, MPolitehnica, tel. (+4) 031 425 75 10,
www.aficotroceni.ro. The first IMAX cinema in Romania
is part of the new Cinema City complex in the AFI Palace
shopping centre. Look for the dome and be prepared to
queue: most IMAX shows sell out days in advance.
Movieplex B-dul Timisoara 26 (Plaza Romania),
tel. (+4) 021 407 83 00, www.movieplex.ro. Big,
multi-screen cinema in the Plaza Romania offering up to 25
different films a week. Q Tickets from 10 to 50 lei.
Patria C-5, B-dul Magheru 12-14, tel. (+4) 021
316 92 66. A modern, refurbished one screen cinema
with 1000 seats in the centre of town. Q Tickets from
8 to 10 lei.
The Light Cinema Sos. Progresului 151-171
(Liberty Center), tel. (+4) 021 369 97 97, www.
lightcinemas.ro. The only gripe we would have with this
3D cinema is the creative pricing: tickets never appear to
cost what you expect. Q Tickets 10 - 33 lei.
Markets
Targul Taranului (Peasants’ Market)
B-7, Calea Rahovei 196A. Every Saturday and Sunday
morning peasants come from all over Romania to sell their
wares at this farmers’ market. Find great smoked sausages,
bacon, slana, trout, goats cheese, tuica and honey. Prices
are a bit high to be honest, but the people who shop here
do not seem to mind. There’s a stall selling tasty hot snacks.
QOpen 08:00 - 16:00, Sun 08:00 - 14:00. Closed Mon, Tue,
Wed, Thu, Fri.
Targul Vitan-Barzesti
Sos. Vitan-Barzesti/Splaiul Unirii. An astonishing place.
Every Sunday morning this huge piece of wasteland becomes
Sodom and Gomorrah. From stolen mobile phones and fake
Ralph Lauren shirts to cheap, sandpaper-rough toilet paper
can be found here, all prices negotiable. Incredibly, the police
outside seem more worried about the flow of traffic in the
street outside than the moody goods being sold here. Next
door is an enormous second-hand car market. Bus 123
will get you here. Be brave. Q Open 08:00-16:00. Closed
Mon-Sat.
bucharest.inyourpocket.com
directory 75
Dentist
B.B. Clinic D-6, Str. Ionescu Gion 4, tel. (+4) 021
320 01 51/ (+4) 0723 38 33 27, fax (+4) 021 320 01
51, office@germandentist.ro, www.germandentist.ro.
Unquestionably the best dentist in the city. Special room at
the Dorobanti location equipped especially for kids. Q Open
10:00 - 19:00. Closed Sat, Sun. For emergencies (24hrs) tel.
(+4) 0744 49 91 99. Also at (B-2) Calea Dorobantilor 208,
tel. (+4) 021 231 88 56. PTA
Dry cleaners
Immaculate Cleaners C-4, Str. Polona 76, tel. (+4)
021 211 44 13, www.immaculate.ro. The best dry-clean-
ers in town offers free collection and delivery. QOpen 07:30
- 20:30, Sat 09:00 - 17:00. Closed Sun. Also at Rainbow,
Piata Amzei, Open 09:00 - 23:00; Nic, Piata Cotroceni, Open
Mon - Sat 09:00 - 21:00, Sun 09:00 - 16:00; Mega Image,
Sos. Titulescu 39-49, Open Mon - Sat 08:30 - 21:30, Sun
09:00 - 18:00); Sos. Pantelimon 248-250; Domino Centre,
Str. Maica Domnului 61, tel. (+4) 0729 03 80 52.
Emergencies
Emergency Clinic Hospital (Spitalul de Urgenta
Floreasca) C-3, Calea Floreasca 8, tel. (+4) 021 599
23 00, www.urgentafloreasca.ro. The city’s main casualty
and emergency room. It is the best hospital in Romania. Q
Open 24hrs.
Puls Ambulance Service A-3, Str. Turda 127, bl. 2,
sc. E, ground floor, tel. (+4) 021 224 01 87.
SOS Medical and Ambulance Services C-4, Str.
Caragea Voda 1, tel. (+4) 021 9761 (emergencies).
Foreign representations
Austria C-4, Str. Dumbrava Rosie 7, tel. (+4) 021
201 56 12.
Belgium D-4, B-dul Dacia 58, tel. (+4) 021 210 29
69.
Bulgaria B-3, Str. Rabat 5, tel. (+4) 021 230 21 50.
Canada A-3, Str. Tuberozelor 1-3, tel. (+4) 021 307
50 00.
Croatia D-5, Str. Dr. Burghelea 1, tel. (+4) 021 313
04 57.
Health
Should you fall ill, the local health service is more than
adequate, if not perfect. Hospitals do suffer from a
lack of funds, and the frequent handing over of 10 lei
notes to everyone from the receptionist to the cleaner
is recommended. Romanian doctors, while almost uni-
versally brilliant, are dreadfully, criminally underpaid and
should be tipped heavily. You are recommended to take
out decent health insurance, however, and most of the
private medical centres listed on these pages offer good
schemes for expatriates. If you have no insurance cover,
in an emergency you should call tel. 112 or tel. (+4) 021
9731 for an ambulance.
The best state emergency hospital is Spitalul de
Urgenta, Calea Floreasca 8, tel. (+4) 021 230 01 06.
If your child becomes ill, you should take him or her to
the excellent children’s emergency hospital, found at
(B-4), B-dul Iancu de Hunedoara 30-32, tel. (+4) 021 212
93 64/66. A list of 24 hour pharmacies can be found
on page 76.
bucharest.inyourpocket.com April - May 2010
76 directory
Czech Republic C-5, Str. Ion Ghica 11, tel. (+4) 021
303 92 30.
Denmark D-5, Str. Dr. Burghelea 3, tel. (+4) 021
300 08 00.
Finland B-3, Str. Atena 2bis, tel. (+4) 021 230 75 04.
France B-4, Str. Biserica Amzei 13-15, tel. (+4) 021
303 10 00.
Germany B-3, Cpt. Av. Gh. Demetriade 6-8, tel. (+4)
021 202 98 30.
Ireland B-4, Str. Buzesti 50-52, et. 3, tel. (+4) 021
310 21 61.
Israel C-7, B-dul Dimitrie Cantemir 1, tel. (+4) 021
318 94 17.
Italy B-4, Str. Henri Coanda 9, tel. (+4) 021 305 21 00.
Japan A-4, Sos. Nicolae Titulescu 4-8 (America House
East Wing, et. 8), tel. (+4) 021 319 18 90.
Netherlands B-3, Str. Aleea Alexandru 20, tel. (+4)
021 208 60 30.
Norway B-3, Str. Atena 18, tel. (+4) 021 306 98 00.
Poland B-3, Aleea Alexandru 23, tel. (+4) 021 308
22 10.
Russia B-3, Sos. Pavel Kiseleff 6, tel. (+4) 021 222
31 70.
Serbia B-3, Calea Dorobantilor 34, tel. (+4) 021 211
98 71.
Spain B-3, Aleea Alexandru 43, tel. (+4) 021 318
10 80.
Sweden B-3, Sos. Kiseleff 43, tel. (+4) 021 406 71 00.
Switzerland B-4, Str. Grigore Alexandrescu 16-20,
tel. (+4) 021 206 16 00.
Turkey B-3, Calea Dorobantilor 72, tel. (+4) 021 206
37 00.
UK C-4, Str. Jules Michelet 24, tel. (+4) 021 201 72 00.
USA C-5, Str. Tudor Arghezi 7-9, tel. (+4) 021 200
33 00.
Bucharest In Your Pocket
International Schools
American International School Sos. Pipera-Tunari
196, Comuna Voluntari, tel. (+4) 021 204 43 00.
British School of Bucharest Erou Iancu Nicolae 42,
tel. (+4) 021 267 89 19.
International British School E-5, Str. Agricultori
21-23, tel. (+4) 021 252 37 04.
International School for Primary Education (INS)
Str. Petre Aurelian 72, Green Lake Residence, tel. (+4)
021 380 35 35.
Lauder-Reut C-6, Str. Iului Barasch 15, tel. (+4) 021
320 15 38.
Lycee Francais B-4, Str. Christian Tell 22, tel. (+4)
021 212 58 93.
Scuola Italiana Aldo Moro C-5, Str. Vasile Lascar
52, tel. (+4) 021 210 46 84.
Pharmacies
Help Net A-3, B-dul Unirii 27, www.helpnet.ro. Q Open
24hrs. Also at (B-3) Str. Av. Radu Beller 8, and many other
locations around the city.
Sensiblu A-3, B-dul 1 Mai 92, www.sensiblu.com.
QOpen 24hrs. Also (B-3) Str. Radu Beller 6, tel. (+4) 021
233 89 61; (C-5) B-dul N. Balcescu 7, tel. (+4) 021 305 73
14, and many other locations around the city.
Removals & Storage
AGS Worldwide Movers B-dul Basarabia 256 (Faur
Industrial Park, gate 4, entrance from B-dul 1 Decem-
brie 1918), tel. (+4) 021 345 06 66.
Euro Mini Storage B-dul Theodor Pallady 42 J, tel. (+4)
021 345 03 98, www.euroministorage.com.
bucharest.inyourpocket.com
directory 77
Swimming Pools & Health Clubs
Crowne Plaza Health Club A-1, B-dul Poligrafiei
1, tel. (+4) 021 224 00 34. Swimming pool, sauna,
fitness room, jacuzzi 45 lei/visit (Mon-Fri before 16:00),
75 lei/visit (after 16:00, Sat, Sun), membership 1,260
lei/3 months, 2,340 lei/6 months, 3,600 lei/year (VAT
included). Reductions for spouses and children. QOpen
06:30 - 23:00. Off peak hours Mon-Fri 08:00-16:00.
Hilton Health Club (Hilton Health Club) C-5, Str.
Episcopiei 1-3 (Athenee Palace Hilton), tel. (+4) 021
303 37 77. Indoor pool, sauna, weight room, and a host
of top facilities. Full membership costs 1950 lei/three
months, 3550 lei/six months, 4950 lei/year. QOpen
06:30 - 23:00, Sat, Sun 08:00 - 21:00.
Intercontinental C-5, B-dul Nicolae Balcescu 4,
tel. (+4) 021 310 20 20, fax (+4) 021 312 04 86.
Probably the smallest swimming pool in Romania on top
of what for years was the tallest building (22 floors). Views
are great. QOpen 06:00 - 22:00. Pool, jacuzzi, sauna
and fitness for 70 lei/day from 06:00-16:00 and 115
lei/day from 06:00-22:00. Subscription 350 lei/month
from 06:00-16:00 and 450 lei/month from 06:00-22:00
(pool, fitness, jacuzzi, sauna included). AD
Ramada Majestic Hotel B-4, Calea Victoriei 38-
40, tel. (+4) 021 310 27 20. Tiny but refreshing pool
underneath the Ramada Majestic hotel. Sauna and jacuzzi
too. There are lessons on week days for children and
adults. Q Open 07:00-21:30. Admission 50 lei 1 visit,
220 lei 5 visits/month, 420 lei 10 visits/month. AD
World Class Health Academy B-6, Calea 13
Septembrie 90, tel. (+4) 021 403 09 00, www.
worldclass.ro. Massive fitness centres in the basement
of the JW Marriott and Radisson Blu hotels, with a gym,
pool (the largest in the city, we think), squash courts and
aerobics facilities. Call for special membership packages.
QOpen 06:00 - 23:00, Sat, Sun 08:00 - 21:00. Also at
(B-5) Calea Victoriei 63-81 (Centre Ville Hotel), tel. 021
313 11 04, Jolie Ville Galeria (Pipera) Str. Erou Iancu
Nicolae 103 bis, tel. 021 269 01 60 and Calea Dudesti
188 (InCity Residences). A
Extending Your Stay
Romanian Office for Migration (OFM) C-6, Str.
Eforie 3-5 (Non-EU Citizens); B-4, Str. Nicolae Iorga 29
(EU Citizens). If you plan on staying in Romania for more
than 90 days in any one year, you officially need a residence
permit (legiţimatie de şedere; if you are not an EU citizen),
or a registration certificate (certificat de înregistrare; in
the case of EU citizens). QOpen 09:00 - 17:00, Thu, Sat
09:00 - 19:00. Closed Wed, Sun.
Old Town Conference Suites
Van Gogh Spaces C-6, Str. Smardan 9, tel. (+4)
021 313 93 15, www.vangogh.ro. More than a mere
conference suite, the spaces on the upper floors of the
buildings above the Van Gogh Cafe are multi-purpose
suites available for standard conferences, but also featur-
ing a number of instant offices. You can rent an office for
as little as one day, fully wired up and ready to go so you
can instantly do business when you are in town. A great
idea and a great setting. Q PJW
bucharest.inyourpocket.com April - May 2010
Northern Bucharest
Central & Southern Bucharest
82 Street register
13 Septembrie, Calea B6
21 Decembrie 1989, Piata C5
Academiei, Str.
Alecsandri Vasile, Str.
C5
B4
Alexandrescu Grigore, Intr. C4
Alexandrescu Grigore, Str. B4
Aman Theodor, Str. B5
Amman, Str.
Amzei, Intr.
C3
B4
Apolodor, Str. B6
Argentina, Str. B3
Arghezi Tudor, Str. C5
Atelierului, Str. A4
Atena, Str. B3
Balaban Emil, Str. C4
Balcescu Nicolae, Bd. C5
Baniei, Str. C6
Banului, Str. B5
Baratiei, Str. C6
Batistei, Str. C5
Berna, Str. B3
Berthelot H. M., G-ral., Str. B5
Berzei, Str. A4
Biserica Amzei, Str. B4
Biserica Enei, Str. C5
Bitolia, Intr. B3
Blanari, Str. C6
Blanc Louis, Arh., Str. B3
Blanduziei, Str. C5
Bogdan Ion, Prof., Str. C4
Botez Eugen, Cmdr., Str. C3
Bratianu I.c., Bd. C6
Brazilia, Str. B3
Brebu, Str. E3
Brezoianu Ion, Str. B5
Brutus M.i., Str. B6
Bruxelles, Str. B3
Budisteanu Constantin, G-ral,
Str. B5
Buiestrului, Str. C3
Buzesti, Intr. B4
Buzesti, Piata A4
Buzesti, Str. B4
Buzoiani Iani, Str. C2
Buzoianu Ion, Lt.col., Intr. C6
Caderea Bastiliei, Intr. B4
Caderea Bastiliei, Str. B4
Caderon Jean Louis, Str. C5
Calin Ion, Erou, Str. C4
Cameliei, Str. A4
Carada Eugeniu, Str. C6
Caragea Ioan Voda, Str. C4
Caragiale I.l., Str. C5
Caragiale I.l.,intr. C5
Carol I, Bd. D5
Catargiu Lascar, Bd. B4
Cavafii Vechi, Str. C6
Cazzavillan Luigi, Str. B5
Cernat Alexandru, G-ral, Str. A4
Cioranu Mihai, Str. A6
Clucerului, Str. A3
Clunet, Dr., Str. A6
Coanda Constantin, G-ral., Str. Icoanei, Str. C4
B4
Coanda Henri, Str. B4
Cobalcescu Grigore, Prof., Str. Iorga Nicolae, Str. B4
B5
Coltei, Str. C5
Constantin Daniel, Str.
Constitutiei, Piata
B4
B6
Conta Vasile, Str. C5
Coposu Corneliu, Bd. C6
Coposu Corneliu, Piata D6
Cornescu, Str. C3
Cotiturii, Str. A5
Bucharest In Your Pocket
Covaci, Str. C6
Crisana, Str. A5
Crisului, Str.
Cronicarilor, Str.
C6
C3
Cuza Alexandru Ioan, Bd. A4
Dacia, Bd. D4
Dascalu Nicolae, Serg., Intr. B4
David Emmanuel, Str.
Davila Carol, Dr., Str
C4
A6
Dealul Mitropoliei, Alee C6
Demetriade Gheorghe, Cpt.av.,
Str B3
Dianei, Str. C5
Doamna Oltea, Str. C3
Dona Nicolae, G-ral, Str. B5
Dorobanti, Calea B3
Dorobanti, Piata B3
Dragalina Ion, G-ral., Str. B6
Drobeta, Str. C4
Duca Gheorghe, Bd. A4
Dumbrava Rosie, Str. C4
Eforie, Str. C5
Eftimiu Victor, Intr. B5
Elie Radu, Str. B5
Eminescu Mihai, Intr. C4
Eminescu Mihai, Str. D4
Enescu George, Piata B5
Enescu George, Str. B5
Episcopiei, Str. C5
Eroii Sanitari, Bd. A5
Eroilor, Bd. A5
Eroilor, Piata A6
Felix Iacob, Dr., Str. A4
Filipescu Nicolae, Str. C5
Finlanda, Str. B3
Floreasca, Cale C3
Florescu Ion, G-ral, Str. C5
Franceza, Str. C6
Frumoasa, Intr. B4
Frumoasa, Str. B4
Furtuna Stefan, Intr. A5
Gabroveni, Str. C6
Gara De Nord, Piata A4
Gara De Nord, Str. A4
Georgescu George, Str. B6
Ghica Ion, Str. C5
Golescu Dinicu, Bd. A4
Golescu Nicolae, Str. C5
Greceanu Paul, Str. C4
Grigorescu Eremia, G-ral, Str. C4
Grivitei, Cale B4
Gusti Dimitrie, Str. A5
Gutenberg, Str. B5
Haga, Str. B3
Hagi Moscu Maria, Str. A3
Halelor, Str. C6
Haret Spiru, Str. B5
Hasdeu Iulia, Intr. B4
Hasdeu Iulia, Str. B4
Horatiu, Str. B4
Hristo Botev, Bd. C5
Iancu De Hunedoara, Bd. B4
Ilfov, Str. B6
Iorga Nicolae, Intr. B4
Iosif O. Eugen, Dr., Str.
Iulian Stefan, Str.
A6
A3
Izvor, Str.
Justitiei, Str.
A6
B6
Kiseleff P.d., Bd. B3
Kogalniceanu Mihail, Bd B5
Kogalniceanu Mihail, Piata B5
Lacatusului, Str. C2
Lacul Tei, Bd. D3
Lahovari Alexandru, Piata C4
Lantului, Str. A6
Lascar Vasile, Str.
Lazar Gheorghe, Str.
C5
B5
Lebedei, Str. A3
Libertatii, Bd. B6
Libertatii, Piata B7
Lipova, Str.
Lipscani, Str.
A5
C6
Lisabona, Str. B3
Lister, Dr., Str. A6
Londra, Str. B3
Lupu Dionisie, Str. C5
Luterana, Str. B5
Macedoniei, Str. A5
Magheru Gheorghe, Bd C5
Magiresti, Str. A4
Maltopol, Str. A4
Mamulari, Str. C6
Manolescu Grigore, Str. A3
Manu Gheorghe, G-ral, Str. B4
Maracineanu Walter, Piata B5
Masaryk Thomas, Str. C5
Mendeleev D.i., Str. C4
Mexic, Str. B3
Michelet Julles, Str. C4
Micle Veronica, Str. A4
Mihai Voda, Str. B6
Mihalache Ion, Bd. A3
Mihnea Voda, Str. C6
Mille Constantin, Str. B5
Millo Matei, Str. B5
Mincu Ion, Arh., Str. B3
Mirinescu Mihail, Dr., Str. A6
Miron Costin, Str. A4
Mitropolit Antim Ivireanul, Str. Slavesti, Str. C4
B6
Monetariei, Str. B3
Mosilor, Cale D4
Moxa Mihail, Str. B4
Muresanu Andrei, Poet, Str. B3
Musatescu Tudor, Piata B5
Natiunile Unite, Bd. B6
Natiunile Unite, Piata B6
Neculce Ion, Str. A3
Negri Costache, Str. A6
Negruzzi Iacob, Str. A4
Negulescu Stefan, Str. C3
Occidentului, Str. B4
Oslo, Str. B3
Ostasilor, Str. B5
Otetari,str. C5
Paris, Str. B3
Parvan Vasile, Str. B5
Pasteur Louis, Dr., Str. A6
Patriarhiei, Str. C6
Petrescu Camil, Intr. C4
Philippide Alexandru, Str. C4
Piata Amzei, Str. B4
Pitar Mos, Str. C5
Poenaru Bordea, Str. B6
Poiana Narciselor, Str. B5
Politie, Str. B6
Polizu Gheorghe, Str. A4
Polona, Str. C4
Poni Petru, Str. A4
Popa Tatu, Str.
Popescu-gopo Ion, Str.
B5
A6
Povernei, Str.
Praga, Str.
B4
B3
Praporgescu David,g-ral., Str. C5
Pretorienilor, Str. A6
Putul Cu Plopi, Str. B5
Putul Lui Zamfir, Str. B3
Quinet Edgar, Str. C5
bucharest.inyourpocket.com
Quito, Piata B3
From Dublin to the Kremlin
Rabat, Str. B3
Radu Voda, Str.
Ramniceanu Naum, Str.
C6
C3
how In Your Pocket made Irish dreams come true
Regina Elisabeta, Bd. C5
Regina Maria, Bd. C6
Revolutiei, Piata B5
Rigas, Intr.
Roma, Intr.
B5
B3
Dear Mary,
Roma, Str. B3 Congratulations!
E
Romana, Piata B4 You are the winner of RT
TV’s ‘Random Acts of
Rosetti C.a., Piata C5
Rosetti C.a., Str. C5 Mary Magan
Rosetti Maria, Str. C5 Kindness’ competition Limerick
ury
and will be joining a lux
Rossini Gioachino, Str. C3
Saligny Anghel, Ing., Str. B5 Ireland
Mo sco w to St.
Sapientei, Str. B6 cruise from
Petersburg this summer.
Sarandy Frosa, Str. A3
Scarlatescu, Str. A3
Schitul Magureanu, Bd. B5
Scoala Floreasca, Str. C3 In Your Pocket would like
Scoalei, Str. C5
to thank Volga Dream and
Lufthansa for helping put
Selari, Intr. C6
Selari, Str. C6
Sepcari, Str. C6
together this
once-in-a-lifetime trip.
Sevastopol, Intr. B4
Sevastopol, Str. B4
Sfanta Vineri, Str. C6
Sfantul Constantin, Str. B5
Sfantul Elefterie, Str. A6
Sfintii Apostoli, Str. B6
Sfintii Voievozi, Piata B4
Sfintii Voievozi, Str. B4
Slanic, Str. C5
Slatineanu Ion, Str. C4
Smardan, Str. C6
Sofia, Str. B3
Stahi Constantin, Str. B5
Staicovici Nicolae, Dr., Str. A6
Stavropoleos, Str. C6
Stefan Cel Mare, Sosea D4
Stirbei Voda, Intr. B5
Stirbei Voda, Str. B5
Tirana, Str. B3
Titulescu Nicolae, Sosea A4
Tokio, Str. B3
Tomescu Toma, Dr., Intr. B4
Transilvaniei, Str. B5
Tudor Stefan, Intr. C3
Tunari, Str. C4
Unirii, Bd. C6
Unirii, Piata C6
Universitatii, Piata C5
Vacarescu Barbu, Str. C3
Venezuela, Str. B3
Verona Arthur, Pictor, Str. C5
Victoriei, Calea B4
Victoriei, Piata B4
Visarion I.c., Str. B4
Vladoianu Barbu, G-ral, Str. A3
Vlaicu Aurel, Str. C4
Vulcanescu Mircea, Str. B4
Washington, Str. B3
Witting, Str. A4
Xenopol Alexandru, Str. C4
Zalomit Z. Ion. Str.
Zola Emile, Str.
B5
B3
Read the full story behind this Random Act of Kindness at
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