The back story 1
Romanian food.
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The back story
Sarmale, mici and papanași: Bucharest on a plate
Sour soups, cabbage rolls, grilled mici and doughnuts with sour cream: a guide to Romanian food.
46 of the best · Bucharest, Romania
45 of the Best Restaurants in Bucharest
From the tasting menus of the new Romanian cooking to a beer hall of 1879, an inn of 1808 and the bistros where Bucharest meets its friends, these are the tables worth booking.
Our 46 favourites, listed A–Z · Updated October 2026
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Insiders' picks
Three of our favourites from this list, vetted by people who know and love Bucharest.
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Since 1879
Caru’ cu Bere
Bucharest’s most famous beer hall, founded in 1879, with a dazzling carved and painted neo-Gothic interior and hearty Romanian food.
Strada Stavropoleos 5Explore View on map
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A villa on Calea Victoriei
The Artist
Creative tasting menus in a 19th-century villa on Calea Victoriei, where Dutch chef Paul Oppenkamp plays with modern techniques and Romanian flavours.
Calea Victoriei 147Explore View on map
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An evening to remember
Kaiamo
An intimate, dinner-only restaurant with seasonal tasting menus, among the most ambitious tables in the city.
Strada Ermil Pangratti 30AExplore View on map
The full list: Restaurants, A–Z
Show 42 of 46 places on a map
Neighbourhood
Fine dining 4
Bucharest’s most ambitious dining rooms and tasting menus.
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An evening to remember
Kaiamo
An intimate, dinner-only restaurant with seasonal tasting menus, among the most ambitious tables in the city.
Strada Ermil Pangratti 30AExplore View on map
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Fine dining
Kané
A modern fine-dining restaurant with tasting menus built on careful sourcing and precise cooking, open in the evenings from Tuesday to Saturday.
Strada Tunari 60Explore View on map
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Chef Alex Petricean
NOUA
Chef Alex Petricean’s neo-Romanian dining room, where forgotten recipes, wild ingredients and small producers become precise, inventive tasting menus.
Strada Popa Nan 7Explore View on map
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A villa on Calea Victoriei
The Artist
Creative tasting menus in a 19th-century villa on Calea Victoriei, where Dutch chef Paul Oppenkamp plays with modern techniques and Romanian flavours.
Calea Victoriei 147Explore View on map
Romanian classics 20
Sarmale, ciorbă and papanași: Romanian cooking in historic halls, villas and gardens.
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A giant beer hall
Berăria H
A vast beer hall in Kiseleff Park, with long tables, Romanian food, house beers and live music.
Șoseaua Pavel Dimitrievici Kiseleff 32Explore View on map
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Since 1879
Caru’ cu Bere
Bucharest’s most famous beer hall, founded in 1879, with a dazzling carved and painted neo-Gothic interior and hearty Romanian food.
Strada Stavropoleos 5Explore View on map
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A historic villa and garden
Casa Doina
Romanian cuisine in a historic villa on Kiseleff Avenue, with one of the loveliest restaurant gardens in Bucharest.
Șoseaua Pavel Dimitrievici Kiseleff 4Explore View on map
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Live music and a terrace
Casa Jienilor
A traditional Romanian restaurant near the Old Town, with live music.
Strada Făinari 5Explore View on map
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A villa with a garden
Casa Oamenilor de Știință
The restaurant of the scientists’ club in a Belle Époque villa on Piața Lahovari, with a lovely garden.
Piața Alexandru Lahovari 9Explore View on map
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A soup kitchen
Ciorbărie
A small chain devoted to ciorbă, the sour Romanian soups.
Calea Dorobanților 73Explore View on map
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Soups and pies
Ciorbe și Plăcinte
Romanian soups (ciorbe) and pies (plăcinte).
Bulevardul Carol I 23Explore View on map
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Old Town grill
City Grill Covaci
A busy grill restaurant on Covaci in the Old Town, with Romanian dishes.
Strada Covaci 19Explore View on map
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At the Grand Hotel
Corso
The restaurant of the Grand Hotel Bucharest, overlooking University Square.
Bulevardul Nicolae Bălcescu 4Explore View on map
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A beer hall in a mansion
Hanu’ Berarilor – Casa Elisabeta
A beer hall and restaurant in a restored Belle Époque mansion, serving Romanian food and house beer.
Strada Colonel Bordea Poenaru 2Explore View on map
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An inn from 1808
Hanu’ lui Manuc
Romanian food in the courtyard of a historic inn built in 1808, with two floors of wooden galleries around a great courtyard.
Strada Franceză 62-64Explore View on map
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Home cooking
La Mama
A Bucharest chain of restaurants serving Romanian home cooking at friendly prices.
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Traditional since 2009
LaCopac
A traditional Romanian restaurant near Piața Romană, since 2009.
Strada Pitar Moș 23Explore View on map
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Romanian, reimagined
Lacrimi și Sfinți
“Tears and Saints”: a warm Old Town restaurant cooking Romanian dishes with produce from small farms, in a room of wood and folk details.
Strada Șepcari 16Explore View on map
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Old-Bucharest charm
Locanta Jariștea
A restaurant in a 1930s villa evoking old Bucharest, with Romanian and Balkan dishes.
Strada George Georgescu 50Explore View on map
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In the Bragadiru Palace
Mahala
A creative Romanian restaurant in the Bragadiru Palace, an old brewery palace in the south of the city.
Calea Rahovei 147-153Explore View on map
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On the lake
Restaurant Pescăruș
A long-established restaurant on the shore of the lake in King Michael I Park, with a big terrace over the water.
Aleea Pescăruș 1Explore View on map
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Home-style cooking
The Old Kitchen
A cosy restaurant near Calea Victoriei with home-style cooking.
Strada Sfinții Voievozi 13Explore View on map
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Traditional Romanian
Vatra
A traditional Romanian restaurant near Cișmigiu Gardens, with folk decor and classic dishes.
Strada Ion Brezoianu 19Explore View on map
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Old Romanian recipes
Zexe Zahana
Traditional Romanian cooking near Aviatorilor Boulevard, with recipes from old Wallachian and Moldavian kitchens.
Bulevardul Aviatorilor 40Explore View on map
Bistros & views 8
Relaxed bistros and a restaurant in the sky.
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Pasta, pizza and wine
Alt Shift
Shift’s sister bistro in the centre, with an industrial-chic room, fresh pasta, pizza and Romanian wines.
Strada Constantin Mille 4Explore View on map
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High above the city
NOR Sky
A casual sky restaurant and bar high above the north of the city, with sweeping views over Bucharest.
Strada Barbu Văcărescu 246CExplore View on map
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Bakery, wine and sharing plates
Pâine și Vin
A gastrobar, wine bar and bakery for sharing.
Strada Ion Brezoianu 4Explore View on map
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A local favourite
Shift
A popular, relaxed bistro on a leafy street near Grădina Icoanei, with a terrace and a varied, international menu.
Strada General Eremia Grigorescu 17Explore View on map
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A bistro in an old house
Simbio
A friendly bistro and bar in an old house on a quiet street near the centre, with a courtyard for summer.
Strada Negustori 26Explore View on map
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Slow-cooked and smoked
Slow
Slow-cooked meat from an artisan smoker.
Strada Colței 50Explore View on map
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Vegan and raw
Sublimmme
A vegan and raw-vegan restaurant and cake shop.
Splaiul Independenței 2FExplore View on map
World flavours 13
Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cooking.
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Fresh and colourful
Aubergine
A brick-walled Old Town restaurant with bright Mediterranean and Middle Eastern plates and plenty for vegetarians.
Strada Smârdan 33Explore View on map
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Old Town courtyard
Bazaar
A colourful Middle Eastern restaurant and lounge on Covaci in the Old Town.
Strada Covaci 10Explore View on map
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Chef Joseph Hadad
Caju by Joseph Hadad
A stylish restaurant by the chef Joseph Hadad, with Mediterranean and Middle Eastern flavours.
Strada Nicolae Golescu 16Explore View on map
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Indian cooking
Haveli
Indian cooking near Mihai Eminescu Street.
Strada Episcopul Radu 3Explore View on map
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Italian in the Old Town
Il Peccato
An Italian restaurant on Strada Franceză in the Old Town.
Strada Franceză 11Explore View on map
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Spanish tapas
La Finca by Alioli
A Spanish restaurant with tapas and paella near Piața Romană.
Strada Grigore Alexandrescu 77Explore View on map
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A French bistro
Les Bourgeois
A French-style bistro on Smârdan in the Old Town, with a terrace on the cobbles.
Strada Smârdan 20Explore View on map
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A celebrity chef
Mace by Joseph Hadad
Chef Joseph Hadad’s restaurant near the Romanian Athenaeum, with generous Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cooking.
Strada Benjamin Franklin 16Explore View on map
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Indian cooking
Namaste
An Indian restaurant in a quiet street near University Square.
Intrarea Mântuleasa 37Explore View on map
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Italian classics
Pane e Vino
A warm Italian restaurant near Unirii.
Strada Nerva Traian 23-25Explore View on map
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A local favourite
Trattoria Il Calcio Floreasca
A popular Italian trattoria in Floreasca.
Calea Floreasca 118-120Explore View on map
Price guide per person: € under about 100 lei (about €20), €€ 100–200 lei, €€€ 200–400 lei, €€€€ over 400 lei. Book ahead for tasting menus.
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