Bucharest Bar Guide
30+ bars across Bucharest's drinking neighbourhoods, curated by editors who know the city.
Bucharest's bar scene exploded after 2010. The Lipscani Old Town went from abandoned to one of Eastern Europe's coolest drinking districts in a decade. Linea/Closer to the Moon has held a World's 50 Best position multiple years. The drinks lean țuică (Romanian plum brandy), Romanian-rye, and rosé from the Cotnari hills.
Five neighbourhoods cluster the action. The Old Town (Lipscani) is the cocktail-and-speakeasy spine. Floreasca runs the polished hotel-rooftop district. Centrul Vechi covers the heritage cafe district. Dorobanți holds the restaurant-bar quarter. Old-and-new layered drinking culture defines everything.
Cocktails run RON 35 to RON 60 ($8 to $13). Țuică shots RON 10 to RON 18. Cheap by European standards. Tipping is 10 percent. Most bars run to 4am, weekend bars to 6am.
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Cocktail Bars in Bucharest
World-class cocktail rooms
Rooftop Bars in Bucharest
Skyline drinks
Date Night in Bucharest
Romantic spots
After Work in Bucharest
Apéro-hour bars
Live Music in Bucharest
Bands and DJs
Craft Beer in Bucharest
Microbreweries and taprooms
Hidden Gems in Bucharest
Unmarked doors
Sports Bars in Bucharest
Watch parties
Top Picks This Week
Linea / Closer to the Moon
Bucharest's most awarded cocktail bar. World's 50 Best regular. Two adjacent rooms (Linea and Closer to the Moon). Long marble counter, classic-cocktail menu. Reserve.
Beca's Kitchen
Restaurant-bar with a tight cocktail menu and Romanian-ingredient-leaning kitchen. Best for a long Friday-evening dinner.
Sissi Restro Bistro
Belle-époque-themed cocktail bar inside a converted nineteenth-century building. Marble counter, candle-lit, and a romantic evening atmosphere.
J'ai Bistrot
French-influenced wine-and-cocktail bar with one of Bucharest's tightest natural-wine lists. Best on a Wednesday or Thursday.
Carrussel Café
Cocktail-and-bookshop bar inside a heritage Carrussel-themed building. Three floors of bookshelves, a coffee bar by day, cocktails by night.
Cărturești Carusel
Heritage bookshop with a cocktail-bar attached. Six floors of books, a coffee-and-cocktail bar in the middle, and the most photogenic Bucharest drinking room.
Neighbourhood Guide
Old Town (Lipscani)
The cocktail-and-speakeasy spine. Heritage palace cellars, awarded cocktail rooms, and the loudest weekend nights in Bucharest.
Floreasca
The polished hotel-rooftop district north of the centre. Hotel cocktail bars, restaurant-bars, and a dressed-up evening crowd.
Centrul Vechi
The heritage cafe district. Belle-époque cafes, heritage cocktail rooms, and the most photogenic old-Bucharest drinking.
Dorobanți
The restaurant-bar quarter east of the centre. Wine bars, neighbourhood cocktail rooms, and a thirty-something dressed-up crowd.
Drumul Taberei
The residential western district. Cheap pours, neighbourhood pubs, and the most authentic working-Bucharest local drinking.
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