The best bars and cafés Bucharest

Bistro à l'étage" is located at the very top of the Hotel Cismigiu. The place looks like a bonbonnière, all powder pink. It takes you back to the days when Bucharest was known as "Petit Paris", with its gilding and retro elegance. The drinks menu offers a variety of cocktails and Romanian wines, as well as smoothies, lemonades and more. You can also dine here, with a French-style menu. From the narrow terrace, you'll have an unobstructed view of the Parliament Palace and the surrounding rooftops.

This Scandinavian-designed haven of peace is very popular. M60 offers one of Bucharest's best coffees, excellent brunches and fine Romanian craft beers. It also serves healthy snacks at very reasonable prices: salmon wraps, avocado toast, omelettes of all kinds, vegetarian quiches, salads, soups... Not forgetting the various sweet treats. No wonder it's a favorite with young hipsters and expats, as well as freelancers.

A little way from downtown, in a charming neighborhood, Coftale offers one of the capital's finest coffee lists. The latte is perfectly crafted, not to mention the marshmallow hot chocolate. Snacks such as quesadillas and apple-caramel pie are equally excellent. You can also enjoy an egg breakfast at any time of day, or a good craft beer. The coffee shop is housed in an elegant former villa with a lovely terrace.

The facade of the "Beer Cart" is one of the most photographed in the city (see "Points of Interest"). Its location, in the historic area and near the prestigious Victoriei buildings, is no longer pleasant. But the real surprise is inside: woodwork, arms, stained glass windows and frescos. A warm and chargé decor, where writers and intellectuals clashed at the time of «Micul Paris». The location is perfect for a drink.

In summer, we climb onto the vast roof of the National Theatre and you settle on wooden benches to drink a beer with local, noisy and living youth, to listen to music (sometimes live) or to watch games projected on the upper wall of the building. In winter, we change our floor to fit into the metallic and somewhat dark decor of a bar in the long distance, where you can pay attention to photos, memories of Brancusi, Dada and Tristan Tzarades. The atmosphere and originality of this place attract many students.

A reasonably cheap bar, extremely popular and really nice.

An unusual place that will take you... to the moon! The concept is clear as soon as you step out of the elevator, with spherical lunar lights. You first pass through the restaurant, serving mainly kebabs and salads. Climb another floor and you're on the roof, home to one of the city's most popular rooftops. In summer, the bar is packed. In winter, big bubbles are installed to keep your cocktails warm. The view over the city is breathtaking.

This beer bar, located in an old villa near the Jewish Quarter, produces its own foam: a natural, unfiltered beer, available in white, blonde, red or brown. You can also take a tour of the microbrewery between draughts. You can also dine in: grilled meats, soups, pasta, traditional Romanian dishes and numerous Indian specialties are all on the menu. The decor is rustic and the welcome charming.

Whether it's for breakfast, a daytime break or an early evening drink, this address is a sure bet. The place is charming: the colorful Persian decor plunges you into another continent, the welcome is warm and the drinks are delicious. The house offers a wide selection of teas, as well as fresh fruit juices, homemade lemonades and specialty coffees. If you're feeling peckish, you'll find a selection of home-made pastries and savoury tarts. A true oasis of tranquillity in the heart of the city.

A true local institution. Located in an underground cellar on Calea Victoriei, Green Hours is one of the oldest jazz clubs in the country. It offers a solid weekly jazz, blues or funk music program, and even organizes a jazz festival every spring. It also hosts the performances of the Monday Theatre (Teatrul luni), probably the oldest and best known of the independent theatres. When the weather is nice, the terrace in the inner courtyard is very pleasant. A place you can't miss.

You'll find these stores all over the city, and even elsewhere in the country: this Romanian franchise has over 300 outlets, including more than a hundred in Bucharest. Coffee specialties, pastries, cold drinks, smoothies, milkshakes, on the spot or to take away. Prices are low, and a single order rarely costs more than €2. The shops are easy to spot, with their bright green facades. Inside, the design, with its Scandinavian accents, is meticulous. A good option for a quick, good, inexpensive coffee.

This café is located in a building that once housed Universul, one of Romania's first daily newspapers, founded in 1884. In this industrial setting with its large bay windows, you'll find a boutique featuring local designers, as well as a coworking space. But if you appreciate this hipster and artistic community spirit, don't forget the excellent coffee served here. Last but not least, beyond the pies and salads available for snacking, you can enjoy more elaborate menus created by different chefs for special events.

Once you've passed through the gates of this beautiful residence and crossed a small courtyard, you'll be surprised to arrive in a veritable oasis of greenery. Indeed, Sera Eden's main asset is its outdoor terrace, which is the largest and certainly the most pleasant in Bucharest. In the middle of the garden of this long-abandoned mansion stands a magnificent large glass hall housing the bar and numerous tables. The menu offers a selection of cocktails as well as well-crafted dishes. Be warned: the place gets very crowded in fine weather!

An astonishing place: this bar occupies the former villa of an early ^20th-century merchant family, nationalized under Communism and subsequently abandoned. Purposely left in its original state, the beautiful residence exudes the same decadent atmosphere that makes Bucharest so charming: inside, the old stoves and mismatched period furniture give the impression of squatting in an abandoned house, frozen in the past. At the front, the garden also cultivates a certain nonchalance, with its abundant vegetation and scattered pallet terraces.

This is one of those tea bars nestled in a mansion in the Icoanei district, more precisely in an outbuilding at the end of a beautiful garden. The shaded terrace, surrounded by greenery, is a haven of coolness in summer, and the excellent lemonade will refresh you, unless you prefer a milkshake, fresh fruit juice, iced tea or beer. You'll also find a wide selection of teas and infusions. A colorful place, where you can also nibble on snacks such as bruschettas, salads and grilled meats.

This concept store in the heart of Lipscani is a streetwear boutique, bar and snack bar in one. Here, you can enjoy a good breakfast with freshly squeezed orange juice and hot pastries, a good coffee, a cocktail or a Romanian craft beer, all set to a background of electro music. The decor is urban, with a mix of metal and plants. The staff are young, smiling and very pleasant. The place regularly hosts DJ sets. Pleasant terrace on the cobblestones.

This French-sounding bistro is an oasis of calm and greenery in the heart of the city, halfway between Gare du Nord station and Piața Romană. Enjoy a coffee, lemonade or socata (natural elderflower soda), seated in the large garden or slumped in a hammock in summer. In the evening, go for cocktails - they're excellent! J'ai Bistrot is also a restaurant serving burgers, pastas, grilled meats and other dishes based on the finest produce. It's also a great place to stop for breakfast. In fact, the place is often packed.

Housed in a former printing works, this trendy bar, decorated in an industrial and vintage style, is also a place for cultural experimentation: events, workshops, debates and exhibitions in all kinds of fields are regularly organized, as well as concerts. The drinks on offer include beers, gins, wines and smoothies, as well as infusions and homemade lemonades. If you're feeling peckish, you can satisfy your hunger with a soup, salad, main course or burger. The lunchtime menu is particularly attractive.

This was Bucharest's first Irish pub, opened in 1994. Its slightly off-center location and drab decor may discourage some, but the pub remains a favorite with expatriates, particularly for soccer and rugby nights, but also for the delicious chicken or sausage pies washed down with authentic Guinness, which can also be drunk by the pint, as can its amber compatriot, Kilkenny, all at very reasonable prices. Live Irish music sessions and quiz nights are organized regularly.

A nugget nestled in the meandering Icoanei district, just a stone's throw from Piața Romană. This ultra-design bistro occupies a beautiful ^19th-century villa. Inside, light tones dominate and the walls are covered in places with natural moss. Outside, the paved courtyard hosts a superb terrace immersed in greenery. Young, trendy crowds flock here for a drink or a meal. You can eat fajitas, pasta, creamy soups or meat and fish dishes in sauce. Service can be long.