Bucharest - in Your Pocket - April-May 2010

Hotels Restaurants Cafs Nightlife Sightseeing Events Maps
BUCHAREST
April - May 2010
Old Town/Lipscani In Your Pocket

In Your Pocket: A cheeky, wellwritten series of guidebooks. The New York Times
A 12-page special on Bucharests Old Town, the area also known as Lipscani
Goran Bregovic
N64 - 12.00 lei
bucharest.inyourpocket.com
Just one of many top acts scheduled to play Bucharest this spring
Contents
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 9 13
Culture & Events

Including Childrens Bucharest, page 11
Where to Stay
From palaces of gold to flea pits
Restaurants 24 Where to eat, and where to get food poisoning

If youd told us two or three years ago that Bucharests Lipscani area would be the hottest part of town for all things coffee, beer, cocktails, food, dancing and general debauchery, then wed 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
So many, weve given them their own chapter
43 46
Nightlife
Clubs, bars, pubs and the like
Sightseeing
What to see Where to spend your days 54 58 70 74
Old Town/Lipscani
The heart and soul of the city
Getting around
Planes, trains & Automobiles
Shopping & Directory

Everything from malls and souvenirs to accountants, realtors to dentists
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.
Maps & Street Register

Northern Bucharest Central & Southern Bucharest Street Register 78 80 82
April - May 2010
Foreword
We looked rather silly last time out, banging on as we did about how we were happy the winter snows 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 Forewords about the weather then... Instead, a word or two on the ongoing revival of Bucharests Old Town, or Lipscani area. Sure, many of Lipscanis 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 theyve been involved in some almighty battle) but who cares? Everybody loves Lipscani, and everybody wants a piece of the action. Thats why it is now such a one-stop-shop for fun, frolics and food. And thats why this hotbed of action has - this issue - been hauled out from the main baulk of our listings and given its own 12page 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 in touch with us at editor@inyourpocket.com, or try our website bucharest.inyourpocket.com, home to loads more listings and features we simply do not have room for here in print. Whatever you do, enjoy Bucharest. It is a city going places. The only problem is that nobody appears to know exactly where that might be...
Europe In Your Pocket
Cover Story
One of a number of expensively-purchased new clocks which have appeared around the Romanian capital this spring. This one is at Universitate.
The year 2010 promises to be another great one here at In Your Pocket. We now publish a record 58 guides and mini-guides across 22 European countries, with more than four million In Your Pocket-branded products printed and distributed annually. The latest to join the list were Kranjska Gora and Otep: winter capitals of Slovenia and Estonia respectively. This year we will also be launching new guides in Venice, Glasgow, Vienna, Kranj, Celje and Bovec, as well as a few other cities we are keeping a secret for now. We welcome enquiries from anyone who would like to take part in our Pocket Revolution, starting up an IYP. Simply send us an email requesting more info: the address is publisher@inyourpocket.com.
Copyright notice
Text, photos and maps copyright IYP Romania Srl 1999-2010 unless otherwise stated. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form, except brief extracts for the purpose of its review, without written permission from the copyright owner. The trademark In Your Pocket is used under license from UAB In Your Pocket (Vokieciu 10-15, Vilnius, Lithuania tel. (+370-5) 212 29 76).
E S S E N T I A L C I TY G U I D E S
Bucharest In Your Pocket Str. Stefan Burileanu 1-3 Bl. 21E, Sc. 1, Ap. 8 014191 Bucuresti, Romania tel. (+4) 021 321 44 18 fax (+4) 021 322 25 22 bucharest@inyourpocket.com www.inyourpocket.com ISSN 1454-5276 IYP Romania Srl Printed at MEGAPress SA, Bucharest Tel. (+4) 021 461 08 08/09 Published six times per year, up to 20,000 copies produced each issue
Editorial Editor Craig Turp Researcher Anca Bucataru Photography Craig Turp/IYP Romania Srl unless otherwise stated. Cover photo courtesy Dreamstime. Sales To contact our sales team send an email to bucharest@inyourpocket .com, or call our office and ask for the sales department.
Editors note
The editorial content of In Your Pocket guides is independent from paid-for advertising. Advertorials are clearly marked as such. We welcome all readers comments and suggestions. We have made every effort to ensure the accuracy of the information at the time of going to press and assume no responsibility for changes and errors.
Bucharest In Your Pocket is a member of the Romanian Audit Bureau of Circulation (BRAT)
Bucharest In Your Pocket
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 easing your way through passport control, youll 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 airports 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 baggage 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 youll 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.
BasiCs
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, Ambulanta/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 citys 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, uica. Most Romanians love to chat about their country, its politics, problems and history. Dont 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
By Train
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
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 Bucharests airports from Gara de Nord, take bus N 780.
April - May 2010
BasiCs
11.05 Tuesday Joshua Bell
CULtUre & events

Classical Music Concerts
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 Taxi Tactics

Bucharests 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 drivers number and call his company to report him. 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 were sold. Q Concert starts 21:00. Tickets 30 lei from www.myticket.ro, Diverta, Control Club tel. (+4) 0733 92 78 61.
08.04 Thursday Covenant
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
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.
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
Money
Romanias 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.
C-5, Str. Academiei 19 (Pasajul Victoriei), www.controlclub.ro. Jazz-rock group founded by poet, saxophonist and puppeteer Ted Milton. Just to be clear, hes 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
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.
Cobalcescu Cristaxi Meridian National Prof Taxi
Trusted taxi companies:
021 9451 Confort 021 9461 Fly Taxi 021 9444 Mondial 021 9484 Occident 021 9422 Speed
021 9455 021 9440 021 9423 021 9413 021 9477
C-5, Str. Academiei 19 (Pasajul Victoriei), www.controlclub.ro. The Netherlands-based band formed in 1980 in the UK, returns to Bucharest with the original and complete lineup, 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, experimental, well.. you get the picture. A little bit of something for everyone. Q Concert starts 21:00. Tickets 45 lei from Control Club, tel. (+4) 0733 92 78 61 (for reservations).
The Legendary Pink Dots
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.
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 citys shopping centres, while you will pay-as-you-pee at Gara de Nord and in the Piata Universitatii underpass.
Toilets
16.04 Friday Joe Lally (of Fugazi)
Water
C-5, Str. Academiei 19 (Pasajul Victoriei), www.controlclub.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.
Population
Romania 21,700,000, Bucharest 2,100,000 (both 2007 estimates). Ethnic composition: Romanian 89.4%, Hungarian 7.1%, Gypsies 2.1%.
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 citys 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.
17.04 SaturdayBrain Damage
Calea Rahovei 196 A (Front Club/The Ark). French dub band. For those who dont 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.
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, Buikas 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. A-5, Str. Plevnei 61 (The Silver Church). The band combines classical music with an extreme form of heavy metal. Dont 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.
CULtUre & events

Venues & Tickets
Arenele Romane Str. Cutitul de Argint 26 (Parcul Ateneul Romn C-5, Str. Franklin 1-3, tel. (+4) 021 315 68 75, www.fge.org.ro.QOpen 12:00 - 19:00, Casa de Cultura a Studentilor Preoteasa A-5,
Carol).
11
18.04 Sunday Haggard
Sat 16:00 - 19:00, Sun 10:00 - 11:00, 16:00-19:00. Closed Mon.
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. 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 T ake My Heart, Wild World, To Be With You. Q Concert starts 20:30. Tickets 49-69 lei from www.myticket.ro.
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 Blcescu 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.
14:00-19:00.
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,
25.04 Sunday Eric Martin
Sala Palatului B-5, Str. Ion Campineanu 28, tel. (+4) 021 315 73 72. Q Box office open Tue-Fri 10:0019:00. Closed Sat, Sun. Sala Polivalenta B-dul Tineretului 1 (Parc Tineretului), 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.
28 (Sala Palatului). The American jazz fusion and Latin jazz guitarist is not at his first visit in Romania, this time joined by the New World Sinfonia group. Q Concert starts 20:00. Tickets 80-250 lei from www.myticket.ro, Diverta.
02.05 Sunday George Dalaras
C-3, Str. Barbu Vacarescu 164 (Zone Arena). Greek singer who has been one of his countrys 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.
great jazz, Latin and classical pianist with superb technical ability, and has played and recorded with many world-famous musicians. Q Concert starts 20:00. Tickets 150-300 lei from www.eventim.ro. B-6, Piata Constitutiei. Two months to go (as we write) and already the country is in a bit of a tiz about this event: could well be the gig of the year. Q Concert starts 18:00. Tickets 127-477 lei from eventim.ro. B-5, Sala Palatului, Str. Ion Campineanu 28. English jazz fusion guitarist and composer, ranked as one of the best guitarists of all time. McLaughlin played with Tony Williamss group Lifetime and then with Miles Davis on his landmark electric jazz-fusion albums In A Silent Way, Bitches Brew, and Jack Johnson. Q Concert starts 19:30. Tickets 50-300 lei from www.myticket.ro. B-5, Str. Ion Campineanu 28 (Sala Palatului), tel. (+4) 021 315 73 72. Multi-award winning Cuban-American singer and songwriter. Will be in town to promote his latest work, Expressions. Q Concert starts 20:00. Tickets 65-250 lei from www.myticket.ro. C-3, Str. Barbu Vacarescu 164 (Zone Arena). Serb musician whose eclectic mis of sounds brings the house down whenever he plays in Romania, and not without reason. A brilliant showman, with a brilliant band and a brilliant night out guaranteed. Q Concert starts 19:30. Tickets 75-350 lei from www.eventim.ro.
25.05 Tuesday Al Di Meola B-5, Str. Ion Campineanu
16.05 Sunday AC/DC
29.05 Saturday Ismail YK
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. (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 90s. Q Concert starts 21:00. Tickets 15 lei from Control Club, tel. (+4) 0733 92 78 61 (for reservations).
17.05 MondayJohn McLaughlin
B-5, Str. Ion Campineanu 28 (Sala Palatului), tel. (+4) 021 315 73 72. A Turkish German pop singer and composer. YK stand for Yurtseven Kardeler, the group he was a member of at the start of his career. Q Concert starts 20:00. Tickets 80-500 lei from www.eventim.ro.
tel. (+4) 021 315 73 72. Foot tapping, high kicking Irish musical and dance production created and choreographed by Irish-American dancer Michael Flatley. Though Flatley remains producer and artistic director, he no longer performs in the show. Q Performance starts 20:00. Tickets 100-350 lei from www.bilete.ro.
31.05 MondayMichael Flatleys Lord Of The Dance B-5, Sala Palatului, Str. Ion Campineanu 28,
Childrens Bucharest
Bucharest is not the greatest city in the world to visit with children. The major problem is that the vast majority of the citys museums are dull, and offer no interactivity and very little to captivate the kids. The exceptions are the outstanding Village Museum, which children love; see page 56. The Peasant Museum will please older children, and Clubul Taranului, around the back of the museum, has puppet shows most Saturday mornings at 11:00). The Circus Globus (C-3, Parcul Circului) has performances most weekends (morning, afternoon and evening). For an action packed day out though, take them to Parc Aventura (Cartier Noua, tel. (+4) 0755 08 55 55, www.parc-aventura.ro) in Brasov, a two and a half hour drive north of the capital. Set over two acres it is the answer to all your what shall we do with the kids prayers. There are trees to climb, swings and slides, tunnels, assault courses and all sorts of other activites. In all there are more than eight different trails (one of which welcomes children as young as four). You will find it opposite Brasovs zoo (follow the signs for the zoo as you come from Bucharest). Q Open 10:00-21:00. Admission (3hrs) adults 33 lei, students 28 lei, children (8-11yrs) 23 lei, children (4-7yrs) 18 lei.
Special Events
10.05 Monday The Toasters Str. Academiei 19
19.05 Wednesday Jon Secada
B-dul Basarabia 35 (Mihai Flamaropol skating rink). Figure skating world champion Evgeni Plushenko meets violinist Edvin Marton for a rather unique show - on ice, of course. Former world ice skating champion Stephane Lambiel will also be taking part. Q Tickets 120-250 lei from www. myticket.ro, Diverta. B-5, Sala Palatului, Str. Ion Campineanu 28, tel. (+4) 021 315 73 72. Exactly what it says: a rendition of the ballet Swan Lake, on ice. Performed by the ice ballet of St. Petersburg. Q Concert starts 19:00. Tickets 70-200 lei from bilete.ro. B-5, Sala Palatului, Str. Ion Campineanu 28. The work of dancer and choreographer Antonio Najarro, this is very much exactly what is says: an electric mix of flamenco dance and jazz music. Q Performance starts 19:30. Tickets 75-190 lei from www.myticket.ro.
11.04 Sunday Kings On Ice - Olympic Tour
11.05 Tuesday
(+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.
Pharoah Sanders Quartet & Yusef Lateef Quartet B-5, Str. Ion Campineanu 28 (Sala Palatului), tel.
14.04 Wednesday Swan Lake on Ice
20.05 Thursday Goran Bregovic
27.04 Tuesday Jazzing Flamenco
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
April - May 2010
12
CULtUre & events

Hotel Listings Policy
Aside from the five-star hotels listed in the category Cream 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.
where to stay
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, todays Grand Hotel Continental is the result of more than two years of loving renovation and restoration. Theres 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, its well worth trying out. Q 59 rooms (20 singles/doubles 280-320, 39 suites & apartments 360-920). All taxes included. Prices include breakfast. PHAFGKW 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 morning), 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
13
Cream of the Crop

(+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 legendary 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
Athenee Palace Hilton C-5, Str. Episcopiei 1-3, tel.
Howard Johnson Grand Plaza
Carol Parc Aleea Suter 23-25, tel. (+4) 021 336 33
Opera & Ballet
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 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.
17.04 Saturday & 18.04 Sunday A Balanchine Evening (Opera Romana). Q (Ballet) Performance
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.
09.04 Friday La Cenerentola (Opera Romana).Q
bilet.ro, Opera Romana.
23.04 Friday Le Nozze di Figaro (Opera Romana). Q Performance starts 18:30. Tickets 5.30-53 lei from www. 23.04 Friday Romeo and Juliet C-5, B-dul Nicolae
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
InterContinental
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. 7.42-63.60 lei from www.bilet.ro, Opera Romana. 30.04 Friday Macbeth (Opera Romana). Q Performance starts 18:30. Tickets 5.30-53 lei from www.bilet.ro, Opera Romana.
Crowne Plaza Bucharest A-1, B-dul Poligrafiei 1,
tel. (+4) 021 224 00 34, fax (+4) 021 318 13 02, reservations@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 establishments 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
C-5, B-dul Nicolae Blcescu 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
Symbol Key
P Air conditioning O Casino T Child friendly R Internet (Standard) F Fitness centre K Restaurant C Swimming pool A Credit cards accepted H Conference facilities U Disabled facilities L Guarded parking G Non-smoking rooms D Sauna W WiFi Internet
29.04 Thursday Ballet - International Dance Day (Opera Romana). Q Performance starts 18:30. Tickets
M Nearest metro station J Old Town location
April - May 2010
14
where to stay
JW Marriott Bucharest Grand B-6, Calea 13 Septembrie 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 Bucharests 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 wonderful: 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
Montreal 10, tel. (+4) 021 318 30 00, www.pullmanhotels.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 & apartments 350-800). Prices do not include VAT and breakfast. POTHAR6UFLGKDW
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 swimming pool in the city. If you are looking for a leafier location than the city centre can offer, its 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 stones 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 theres 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
Pullman Bucharest World Trade Center A-1, P-ta
El Greco C-5, Str. Jean Louis Calderon 16, MP-ta Universitatii, 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.
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-bucharest. 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
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 apartments 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 conditioning. 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
Over 150
Angelo Calea Bucurestilor 283, tel. (+4) 021 203 65
00, www.angelo-bucharest.com. The hotel closest to Bucharests Otopeni airport. The Angelo is operated by Vienna 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
16
where to stay
Ramada Plaza Bucharest B-dul Poligrafiei 3-5, tel. (+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
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 Bucharests 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
NEW
where to stay
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. Its 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
17
Christina C-4, Str. Ion Slatineanu 13, tel. (+4) 021
Tulip Inn D-7, Str. Nerva Traian 3A, tel. (+4) 021 200
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 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
100-150
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
Armonia D-4, Calea Mosilor 112, tel. (+4) 021 312
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
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 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 making them feel welcome. Q 78 rooms (14 singles 196, 64 doubles 211). Prices include VAT. Breakfast not included. PHARUGKW
K+K Elisabeta
Parliament A-6, Str. Izvor 106, tel. (+4) 021 411 99 90, www.parliament-hotel.ro. So named because it is located behind Romanias 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 weve 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 dcor 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)
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 Bucharests 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 Majestics 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.inyourpocket.com bucharest.inyourpocket.com April - May 2010
18
where to stay
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 Iliescus National Salvation Front (FSN) which had, when taking power during the revolution of 1989, stated that it would be nothing more than a transitional government to become a political party and field candidates in the countrys 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 FSNs 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 Romanias 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 fraudulent way the election had been carried out: international observers were visibly shocked at the goings on they witnessed, from multiple voting to voter intimidation. Yet condemnation was all that came: sanctions against the Iliescu government were never a serious option. Unhappy with what they viewed as one dictatorship replacing another, and angered that the international community couldnt apparently care less for Romanian democracy, groups of protesters led by students at Bucharest University - began demonstrating against Iliescu and the FSN in Piata Universitii on May 21, the day after the general election. Many went on hunger strike. Their primary demand was the strict application of item number eight of the Timisoara Proclamation (a list of demands drawn up by Timisoaras revolutionaries during December 1989). Item eight stated that all former communists (including Iliescu) should be forbidden from holding political office. Within days the students had occupied the entire square, declaring it the only part of Romania genuinely free of communism. As support for the protest grew, it became another serious embarrassment to Iliescu and his regime. On June 13, 1990, Iliescu appealed again to the miners of the Jiu Valley for assistance in reoccupying the square in the name of the revolution. They did, and over the course of three days killed seven people and injured thousands. After Piata Universitatii had been cleared, and the revolts leaders arrested, Iliescu then went on television to thank the miners for their revolutionary zeal and spirit. Though indicted a number of times in connection with the Mineriada, Iliescu was formally and finally cleared of all charges regarding his role in events by Romanias highest court in 2009.
where to stay
19
(+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
Le Boutique Hotel Moxa B-4, Str. Mihail Moxa 4, tel.
for families with children to stay when visiting the capital. Not cheap, we think that you get value for money, especially given the size of the rooms and the terrific breakfast spread they lay on every morning for guests. Staff happy and smiley too. Q 33 rooms (26 singles/doubles 140-160, 7 suites 199). Prices include VAT and breakfast. PTHARLGKW
Ramada Bucharest North C-6, Str. Daniel Danielopolu
big and have stunning bathrooms. It also has a fantastic spa, complete with sauna, steam bath and enormous jacuzzi, perfect for tired business types in need of evening relaxation. The rooftop terrace has fine views of what is the citys best residential area. Q 33 rooms (15 singles/doubles 90-100, 18 suites & apartments 110-120). VAT not included. Prices include breakfast. PTHARLGKDW
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 business 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 establishment 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 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
44A, tel. (+4) 021 233 50 00, www.ramadanorth.ro. Well named, for it is indeed in the north of the city. It has great rooms - amongst the biggest, on average, in Bucharest - and the bathrooms are tremendous: all have bathtubs. The hotel boasts a good spa centre (with excellent Turkish bath), big fitness room with loads of equipment and has a good lobby bar. The on-site dining is decent too. Q 232 rooms (219 singles/ doubles 111-129, 13 suites 156). Prices include VAT and breakfast. PTHARUFLGKDW tel. (+4) 021 223 19 78, www.residencehotels.com.ro. Fantastic hotel in a good area of the capital, offering large, excellent value rooms and super services. There are little touches of class all over the hotel that suggest they really care. The wrought iron beds, for example, are fabulous, as is the newly added spa, complete with sauna and jacuzzi. The restaurant is also worth a visit, serving good international cuisine. Q 35 rooms (25 singles/doubles 90-100, 10 suites & apartments 110-120). VAT not included. Prices include breakfast. PTHARLGBKDW
Residence Arc de Triomphe A-3, Str. Clucerului 19,
Starlight B-4, Str. Grigore Alexandrescu 89-97, tel. (+4) 021211 34 13, www.starlighthotels.com. At the bustling junction of B-dul Iancu de Hunedoara and glitzy Calea Dorobantilor is Starlight, the first hotel of its kind in Romania. Every room is a suite, complete with seperate living and sleeping areas. All have air conditioning, the latest in home entertainment systems, and kitchenettes complete with microwaves. The fitness centre is free to guests. Q 78 rooms (62 suites 75, 16 apartments 105). Prices include VAT and breakfast. PTAR6UFLGKDW
Symbol Key
P Air conditioning O Casino T Child friendly R Internet (Standard) F Fitness centre K Restaurant C Swimming pool A Credit cards accepted H Conference facilities U Disabled facilities L Guarded parking G Non-smoking rooms D Sauna W WiFi Internet
Opera B-5, Str. Ion Brezoianu 37, tel. (+4) 021 312 48
33, tel. (+4) 021 224 50 44, www.residencehotels.com. ro. A wonderful villa, this place offers real luxury and a quiet, understated atmosphere. Its a classy place for classy people, basically. All the rooms, studios and apartments are bright,
Residence Domenii Plaza A-2, Str. Al. Constantinescu
M Nearest metro station J Old Town location
April - May 2010
20
where to stay
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
where to stay
21
Under 100
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
Charter
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
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
Confort Traian D-5, Str. Traian 55, tel. (+4) 021 308 31
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
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
www.hoteldan.ro. Smart three-star. The location is central without being noisy, and the rooms themselves are all wellsized 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
Dan B-4, B-dul Dacia 125, tel. (+4) 021 210 39 58,
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
Vila Arte C-5, Str. Vasile Lascar 78, tel. (+4) 021 210
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
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 gorgeous Herastrau Lake, in the middle of the citys 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
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 (+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
260 06 82, www.piccolomondo.ro. The Piccolo Mondo has long been recognised as the home of Bucharests 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 nights sleep. Q 20 rooms (20 singles/doubles 78-89). Prices include VAT and breakfast. PHAR6GKW 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 Bucharest (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 celebrated 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 Str. Odaii 137A, tel. (+4) 021 315 16 66, w w w. residencehotels.com.ro. Its 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
Piccolo Mondo A-3, Str. Clucerului 9, tel. (+4) 021
Ibis Gara de Nord
Rembrandt
Ibis Palatul Parlamentului B-6, Str. Izvor 82-84, tel.
Residence Club Palace
April - May 2010
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where to stay
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 breakfast. PTAR6ULGW
where to stay
23
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, its brought to you by the people behind the La Historia bar/restaurant downstairs, as well as the now legendary El Comandante club. A backpackers 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 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 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 311 49 27, www.hoteltrianon.ro. If location really is everything then you cant 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 Secession 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
Trianon B-5, Str. Grigore Cobalcescu 9, tel. (+4) 021
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
(+4) 031 822 02 50/(+4) 0733 88 88 00, www.miragehotel.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 highspeed 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
Mirage Snagov Sos. Bucuresti-Ploiesti 218, tel.
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

Flowers 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
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American
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 weve 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 childrens 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
Champions B-6, Calea 13 Septembrie 90 (JW Marriott
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
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 Bucharests best live acts. Seriously good. QOpen 12:00 - 23:00, Thu, Fri, Sat 12:00 - 24:00. . PAUEBW
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 Jings claim to fame is that its 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 hotels lobby). Q Open 07:00-10:00, 12:00-24:00 . PALBS
47 47/(+4) 0733 50 07 50, rezervari@orasul-interzis. ro, www.orasul-interzis.ro. Bucharests 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
Belgian
La Belle Epoque B-2, Str. Radu Beller 6, tel. (+4) 021 230 07 70, fax (+4) 021 230 21 51, office@labelleepoque.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
Orasul Interzis D-5, Str. Silvestru 3, tel. (+4) 031 425
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
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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
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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
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Templul Soarelui D-4, Str. Mihai Eminescu 151,
Casa Vernescu B-4, Calea Victoriei 133, tel. (+4) 021
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 surroundings. 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 Hilton), 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 Hiltons 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 Hiltons
311 97 44, fax (+4) 021 212 54 87, office@casavernescu.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 countrys best chefs, it does so with ease. Goose liver with truffles, sea bass marinated in Pernod, chocolate and orange mousse: mouthwatering 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 moneys worth. QOpen 18:30 - 01:00. . POALE
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 weve 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
Escargot Bistro
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 goods time after time yet does so in an atmosphere that begs you to spend more time here. The menu features a number of simple, new-wave French cuisine which - for this city - is very well-priced. The tasty duck dishes stood out for us, as did the desserts and the excellent wine list which - while featuring a great list of French grape - for once acknowledges that the New World can make decent wine too. In short, this place a mini-revolution on the Bucharest dining scene and worthy of your time. QOpen 12:00 - 24:00. Also at (B-4) B-dul Lascar Catargiu 4, tel. 021 313 61 03, Open 12:00-24:00 and (B-4) B-dul Nicolae Titulescu 4-8, East Wing, et. 1 (America House) tel. 021 311 44 72, Open 09:00-21:00. . PA
not award-winning) food and also doubles up (or triples-up) as a good bar, with prices a wee bit lower than a few other places on the street. QOpen 10:00 - 23:00. Closed Sun. . PAW
Heritage C-4, Str. Polona 19, tel. (+4) 021 210 88
50, fax (+4) 021 210 88 52, fine.dining@heritagerestaurant.eu, www.heritage-restaurant.eu. There is still 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. It is quite simply one of Bucharests best restaurants, and as such attracts a mixed crowd of people who like fantastic food in a classy atmosphere, be they business partners, or families enjoying a weekend dinner. Prices are not as high as you might think, and given the standard of the food you are guaranteed value for money. Q Open 12:30-24:00. Closed Sun. . PALGB
Traiteur Petit Heritage B-3, Str. Radu Beller 13, tel. (+4) 031 710 41 51/(+4) 0735 77 77 44, fax (+4) 031 710 41 50, www.heritage-restaurant.eu. What you might call Heritage-light, this is a less formal version of top-peoples restaurant of the same name, though where you can still get the same excellent, high quality food that has been the hallmark of Heritage for years. With an eye on the lucrative Dorobanti breakfast, lunchtime and after work market, we think that they are on to something here. And make a note: you can take it all away, perfect for impressing guests without doing any actual cooking... QOpen 07:30 - 21:30, Sun 09:00 - 12:00. . PASW
Fusion
B-3, Calea Dorobantilor 5-7 (Howard Johnson Grand Plaza), MP-ta Romana, tel. (+4) 021 201 50 30, fax (+4) 021 201 18 88, www.hojoplaza.ro/ro/avalonrestaurant. Another restaurant goes totally non-smoking. Slowly, but surely, the smoke-free revolution is taking hold in Bucharest. At Avalon, the fresh air is welcome as it allows diners to really enjoy the flavours and smells of the superb Fusion cuisine. Every time we visit (and we visit as often as we can) we find something new and interesting - and usually inventive - on the menu, and a good wine to go with our meal. The Sunday Brunch is excellent value and a good introduction to the place for those on a bit of a budget. Q Open 12:00-15:00, 19:00-23:00. Sun 12:00-16:00, 19:00-23:00. . PAGB
Avalon
Ici et La
C-4, Str. Mendeleev 43, tel. (+4) 0731 45 36 08/(+4) 0763 50 47 24, contact@eventsicietla.com, www. eventsicietla.com. In an area already bursting at the seems with places to eat and drink, heres another. Its difficult to know what to make of this place. It looks more like a cafe than anything else, yet actually serves some substantial (though
April - May 2010
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Dup Revoluie
Dup Revoluie (After the Revolution) is a film by Laurentiu Calciu that captures the mood on Bucharests streets in the immediate aftermath of 1989s revolution. The film very loosely tells the story of the first six months of 1990, from the announcement on February 6 by the National 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 document than documentary per se. An endlessly fascinating, intriguing, disturbing and genuinely unique document. The footage of the public arguments taking place in Piata Universitatii 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 ara (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 shouldnt be allowed in it. The people from abroad were, specifically, Ion Raiu and Radu Cmpeanu, 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: Raiu 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, Cmpeanu spent years in Romanias 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 didnt know that already). The press conference at which he defends the FSNs 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, its 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 cant 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 Dup Revoluie at the films 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 handwritten report for the next days 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?
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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 its good value and packed each night. Its cheap if you dont 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 doesnt 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. Lets 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
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Indian
Barka Saffron A-2, Str. Av. Sntescu 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
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, its 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
Balthazar C-4, Str. Dumbrava Rosie 2, tel. (+4) 021
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.grandhotelcontinental.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
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 thats 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 setting 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
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very good food of the steaks, fish and fresh veggies variety. Theres a pub upstairs too, open till 03:00; last food order is at midnight. QOpen 12:00 - 23:00. . PAB 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 Mediterranean 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 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 Marriotts excellent buffet breakfast (open to non-hotel guests) and for the hotels Sunday Brunch. Q Open 06:30-11:00; Sunday Brunch 12:00-16:00. . PA
Centre Ville Le Bistro B-5, Str. Luterana 2-4, tel. (+4)
Cupola B-6, Calea 13 Septembrie 90 (JW Marriott
open up in the Pullman, and is the best eatery weve 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
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 Radissons 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
Sos. Nordului 1, tel. (+4) 0745 99 92 22, www.mcclub. ro. We didnt 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
Marie Celeste
Brasserie Crowne Plaza A-1, B-dul Poligrafiei 1,
tel. (+4) 021 224 00 34. Perhaps the most relaxed of the dining rooms at Bucharests 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 citys 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 22 24 44, www.doncafe-brasserie.ro. Brought to you by the same people who run Arcade, for years one of our favourite 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 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 terrace is great, while inside its a lovely coquette affair serving
Brasserie DonCafe B-3, Str. Ankara 7, tel. (+4) 0746
(+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 whats 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 theres no space. The kind of place Bucharest needs loads more of. QOpen 10:00 - 22:00. Closed Sun. . PALEBSW
Omnivores Dilemma B-4, Calea Victoriei 214, tel.
NEW
Carre A-4, Str. Dinicu Golescu 3, tel. (+4) 021 311 84
211 90 35/(+4) 021 230 00 17. A Belgian place a long time ago, Smarts 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
Smarts C-5, Str. Alexandru Donici 14, tel. (+4) 021
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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 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 couldnt 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
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The Harbour
Times (Golden Tulip Times Hotel) E-6, B-dul Decebal
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 citys wealthiest people come here to eat. The real draw is the enclosed terrace which means you can eat al fresco when its 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
Byblos C-5, Str. N. Golescu 14-16, tel. (+4) 021 313 20 91, fax (+4) 021 310 11 51, www.byblos.uv.ro. Its been around for a long, long time Byblos, but it remains a good choice for a cant 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 Bucharests 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 cant 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 021 233 06 35. A bustling Italian restaurant and pizzeria whose menu is a veritable dictionary of pizza. They even do truffles and, lets face it, you dont 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 dont have to be fitze. QOpen 12:00 01:00. . PABS
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
Cucina B-6, Calea 13 Septembrie 90 (JW Marriott Bu-
De Gustibus D-4, Str. Marcel Iancu 10, tel./fax (+4) 021 211 14 49, tel. (+4) 0744 52 01 06, www.degustibus.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,
Italian
Angels B-3, Str. Paris 52, tel. (+4) 021 231 90 44/(+4)
0723 26 43 57, fax (+4) 021 231 90 45, www.angelsrestaurant.eu. An enormous villa in wealthy Dorobanti, surrounded (when the weather allows, of course) by a terrace that seems to go on forever, Angels 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
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).
28 20. Since 1994 its 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 shouldnt put you off what now has to be classed as a Bucharest legend. Rather expensive. QOpen 12:30 23:30. . PAL
Aquarium C-4, Str. Alecu Russo 4, tel. (+4) 021 211
Capricciosa B-dul Ion Ionescu de la Brad 2, tel. (+4)
(+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.
Jewish History Museum (Muzeul de Istorie a Evreilor din Romania) C-6, Str. Mmulari 3, tel.
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 Bucharest In Your Pocket bucharest.inyourpocket.com
B-1, Sos. Nordului 7-9, tel. (+4) 021 232 47 15, www. casadidavid.ro. You can say what you like about this highclass 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, thats the only fault we have. Staff are good and the wine list a cracker. QOpen 12:00 24:00. . PALEB
Casa di David
Holocaust Memorial B-6, Str. Ion Brezoianu/Str.
Ilfov, MEroilor. Unveiled in October 2009, Romanias Holocaust Memorial finally recognises the countrys role in the genocide of Europes Jews, a role ignored by the Communists, and minimized by subsequent governments 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, Romanias chief rabbi, at its opening.
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groves, and where rich use of local olive oil and fish evoke the Mediterranean. You can also expect plenty of beans, aubergines 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 trattoria 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 (its 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 - theres 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 www.lobbs.ro. This place has been packing them in for a decade. The legendary Antipasto Misto, featuring Lobbs 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
Lobbs A-1, P-ta Montreal 2, tel. (+4) 021 319 11 64,
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
Madrigal C-5, B-dul Nicolae Blcescu 4 (Hotel Inter-
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 citys 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 Bucharest 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 days business. Good selection of wines, and friendly, helpful staff. Q Open 11:30-23:30. . PALBW
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
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
Restaurant 41 A-3, Str. Clucerului 41, tel. (+4) 021
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
Ristorante Il Calcio A-3, Str. Clucerului 7, tel. (+4) 0729 57 48 02, www.trattoriailcalcio.ro. As opposed to T rattoria Il Calcio? Yes. For this is a ristorante, a notch up from trattoria. Expect a more refined menu and surroundings, but the same warm, friendly service and great value (if pricier) food youve 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
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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
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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. Theres 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
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 chefs 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
Piccolo Mondo A-3, Str. Clucerului 9, tel. (+4) 021
Mediterranean
Robertos
C-5, Str. Episcopiei 1-3 (Athenee Palace Hilton), tel. (+4) 021 303 37 77. Though it now probably (by most peoples 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 Italys 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 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
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 whats 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
Trattoria Il Peperoncino C-4, Str. Dionisie Lupu 88,
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.
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
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
Oliviers A-3, Str. Clucerului 19, tel. (+4) 0722 23 81
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
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(Radisson Blu), tel. (+4) 021 311 90 00, www.primerestaurant.ro. When you are asked if you would like your bread light or dark you know theyre 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 youve 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
Prime Steaks & Seafood B-4, Calea Victoriei 63-81
Romanian
Bistro Atheneu C-5, Str. Episcopiei 3, tel. (+4) 021 313 49 00. Also known as the thinking mans 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, its 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 citys 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 consistency. QOpen 12:00 - 01:00. Also at (A-1) B-dul Poligrafiei 3-5 (Ramada Bucharest Parc), tel. (+4) 021 549 25 41. . PALEB
021 315 78 97, www.casaveche.ro. Best known as being 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 citys 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 C-5, B-dul Nicolae Blcescu 4 (Hotel InterContinental), MUniversitate, tel. (+4) 021 310 20 20. Breakfast, lunch or dinner on the boulevard; Magheru, that is. If this place doesnt occupy the best people-watching spot in the whole of the city, then we dont 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
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
Casa Veche B-5, Str. George Enescu 15-17, tel. (+4)
Modern European
Aqua Chique
Sos. Nordului 7-9, tel. (+4) 0731 88 89 99, www. aquachique.ro. For Bucharests 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 hows 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
Corso Brasserie & Terrace
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 Continentals showcase dining room, a match for any other in the city. Creative dishes of both everyday and unusual flavours, a long list of the worlds finest wines and a setting to die for make this yet another great place in the city to treat a meal as an event. Bucharests gourmands are now indeed spoilt for choice. QOpen 18:00 23:30. . PALGW
Concerto
For details of restaurants, cafes, bars and clubs in Bucharests Old Town (Lipscani), see the feature on pages 58-69.
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bean stew that packs something of a kick and proof that Romanian does do vegetarian food. QOpen 11:00 - 23:30. . PAGS 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
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Violetas Vintage Kitchen
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 restaurant 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 C-5, Str. J.L. Calderon 49, tel. (+4) 021 313 49 51, 021 317 13 55, www.mesogios.ro. A businessmans dream. While Mesogios certainly doesnt 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
Excalibur - Locul Cavalerilor C-5, Str. Academiei 3941, 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 Arthurs Dinner or Sir Lancelots Lunch direct from a wooden platter. Its 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
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 Romanian restaurant serving the kind of food you only usually get in peoples 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 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
La Mama C-3, Str. Barbu Vcrescu 3, tel. (+4) 021
Hanu Berarilor Interbelic
212 40 86, www.lamama.ro. Not exactly a Romanian McDonalds - 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 usually 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
Mesogios
La Cocosatu Str. Neagoe Voda 52 A, tel. (+4) 021
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 Romanian 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, MUniversitate, tel. (+4) 031 805 91 99, www.rossetya.ro. Romanian food is never going to win any awards for originality, 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 tomatoes. Also worth trying is the Iahnie de fasole: a Romanian bucharest.inyourpocket.com bucharest.inyourpocket.com
Thai
A-2, Str. Petre Creu 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
Thai Moods
April - May 2010
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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
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(+4) 0721 32 24 08, www.turkuazrestaurant.ro. If you dont 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 Romanian for less adventurous locals. Open early for breakfast they do some cracking, cheap-as-chips omelettes. QOpen 09:00 - 24:00. . PAB
Turkuaz A-2, Str. Kiseleff 22, tel. (+4) 031 105 20 83/
Vegetarian
78 81 11, www.satya.ro. Where do you start when reviewing 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
Casa Satya A-3, B-dul Banu Manta 25, tel. (+4) 0788
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
(+4) 021 314 38 34, fax (+4) 021 314 38 70, office@ caffelatte.ro, www.caffelatte.ro. If it aint broke, dont try to fix it, seems to be the ethos of this king of cafs. The staff, the food, the coffee and the dcor 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
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 Caf is now the far, far better Coffee & You. During the summer theres 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, MPiaa 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 couldnt 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
Caffe & Latte B-5, B-dul Schitu Mgureanu 35, tel.
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, its 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 Bucharest In Your Pocket bucharest.inyourpocket.com bucharest.inyourpocket.com
NEW
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. Its 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 April - May 2010
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from a position that just screams Im richer than you. Inside its very nice too (good news for the owners 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
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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 didnt 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 Universitys library) but otherwise not worthy of any real note. QOpen 09:00 - 24:00, Sun 10:30 - 24:00. PABW
D-5, Str. Negustori 34, tel. (+4) 0724 28 88 50. A genuinely brilliant concept and, for once, something thats actually new in Romania. Basically this place is a caf 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.
Hobby Cafe
IO Espresso C-5, Str. Demetrie I. Dobrescu 5, tel. (+4) 021 315 60 98, www.iocoffee.ro. Bucharests most stunning cafe is housed inside a modern office building (home to Bucharests 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 Hilton), tel. (+4) 021 303 37 77. For many years this place was Bucharest In Your Pockets kitchen: we had our office close by and came here for breakfast and coffee almost every day. Now weve moved away, but we still come back whenever we have to meet someone. For this is Bucharests 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
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 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 www.starbucks.com. Romanians are quickly discovering 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
Serendipity Tea House
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
Starbucks E-7, Calea Vitan 55-59 (Bucuresti Mall),
April - May 2010
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Bars
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
Berestroika D-6, Aleea Cauzasi 57, tel. (+4) 0735 08
time of year) is the most stunning smoking room in the city. Q Bl Lounge Bar/Light Bl Terrace 09:00 - 02:00, Sun 09:00-24:00; Dark Bar Bl 17:00-02:00. PAB
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 cant help liking this place, and we think you will fall instantly, equally in love with it. Achingly luxurious it might be a little bit over the top for some, but its 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 wed 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
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 Bl Terrace (fully enclosed in glass at this
Downtown C-4, Str. Mendeleev 32 - 34, MP-ta Romana, tel. (+4) 021 314 86 06, www.downtown.ro. An expensive 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 Hilton), 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 its full even though they knew it damn well wasnt. Whats more it isnt 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
Dark Bar Bl /Light Bl Terrace /Bl Lounge Bar
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 its hard to beat. QOpen 12:00 - 24:00. PEB
(+4) 021 317 16 81, www.ramayana.ro. Looking like a cross between a Maharajas bedroom and the most luxurious hotel in Delhi, this cafe and cocktail bar is quite frankly unique. You will not find anywhere in Bucharest quite so startling 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 grandmothers country house, pull up a cushion, sup on a hookah pipe and drink a green tea. Exceptional. Q Open 24 hrs. PW
Ramayana Cafe A-5, Str. Baldovin Parcalabul 11, tel.
Tephra B-5, Str. Domnita Anastasia 14, tel. (+4) 031 102 06 97, www.tephra.ro. By day this place is popular as a caf and a lunch venue: there is a daily set menu offering three Bucharest In Your Pocket bucharest.inyourpocket.com
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courses for around the 19 lei mark. By night Tephra becomes a bar and club of some renown. The vaguely kitsch but enjoyably happy dcor lends and air of glam rock to proceedings, which can often involve raucous karaoke sessions. We like. Q Open 08:00-24:00, Wed 08:00-01:30, Thu, Fri 08:00-02:00, Sat 11:00-04:00, Sun 11:00-24:00. PJ 021 315 23 89, www.londoner.ro. Maybe its because the Editors a Londoner, that we expected to hate this place. That we didnt is a credit to the owners. Its not exactly all 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 the design to make it more than interesting and the music is never too loud. A good place for a drink and a chat. QOpen 10:00 - 24:00. PLW
nightLiFe
The Londoner B-5, Str. Sf. Constantin 22, tel. (+4)
NEW
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Terminus B-5, Str. George Enescu 5, tel. (+4) 021 318 16 67, www.terminus.ro. Pub/bar on the ground floor, while downstairs there is a basement bar which becomes more a nightclub with an industrial feel as the evening wears on. Theres a big bar and getting a drink - once not easy - is now a joy thanks to top staff. The central location right between the Radisson and Hilton gurantees it a steady flow of thirsty visitors. Guinness on tap. QOpen 10:00 - 04:00. PA Victoria Club C-5, Calea Victoriei 56, tel. (+4) 0372
01 03 06, www.grandhotelcontinental.ro. Elegant bar and cigar lounge that - with its gorgeous leather armchairs immediately reminded us of our favourite hotel bar in Vienna (which shall rename nameless, but one in which we can assure we passed far more time than we ever meant to). And thats exactly what weve found ourselves doing here: its a great place to get away from the city for a bit, if only to sip a glass of champers and read the newspaper. QOpen 10:00 - 02:00. PALBW
Walhalla D-4, B-dul Dacia 62, tel. (+4) 031 105 76 49,
www.walhallapub.ro. Not new, but you will find it difficult to recognise this place from years ago. Now a genuine venue where they make something happen every night, be it karaoke (usually Tuesdays) classical music (Mondays), muzica usoara (a kind of syrupy 1970s pop: very big in these parts) or general Friday and Saturday night mayhem. Jump in a taxi and go there: its well worth the effort. QOpen 12:00 - 04:00, Sun 18:00 - 04:00. PALEW
Pubs
Cafeneaua Actorilor C-5, B-dul Nicolae Blcescu 2,
MUniversitate, tel. (+4) 0721 90 08 42, cafeneauaactorilor@yahoo.com, www.cafeneauaactorilor.ro. Eternally popular late night choice of the actors who work in the National Theatre next door, this legendary bar remains a
Whispers B-5, Str. Ion Brezoianu 4, tel. (+4) 021 314 29 01, www.whispers.ro. Popular with expats who come to watch the football thats shown live via satelite, Whispers is far more than you expect from your standard expat pub. Its 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 10:00 - 01:00, Sat, Sun 12:00 - 01:00. PA White Horse B-3, Str. George Clinescu 4A, tel.
(+4) 021 231 27 95, fax (+4) 021 230 21 51, office@ whitehorse.ro, www.whitehorse.ro. The White Horse has been around so long it should probably consider going out
favourite of ours too. Loads of quiet corners for secret tetea-tetes, you could conduct all sorts of affairs from down here. Not easy to find, the entrance is on the northern side of the National Theatre (opposite the InterContinental). QOpen 09:00 - 03:00, Fri, Sat, Sun 09:00 - 05:00. PE
Charlatans C-5, B-dul Regina Elisabeta 11-13, tel. (+4) 0721 10 44 51. Its officially now raining Irish pubs in Bucharest. This latest of the genre is found opposite Bucharests main university building, where once was a cafe. It looks very much like the Irish pubs which have recently opened up, and in our book its biggest asset is the wonderfully long bar (the down side of which is the fact that the pub is not the widest in town). It has a decent food menu and the pub grub is not bad at all: what is a fair crack at fish and chips certainly warrants a mention. QOpen 08:00 - 01:00. PEW Dreamers B-5, Str. Gen. Berthelot 111, tel. (+4) 0723
11 22 00/(+4) 0744 36 63 50, www.dreamers.ro. As Spock might say, its Dreamers Jim, but not as we know it. For if you remember the old location as always being a bit cramped (though we have to admit it was not without its charms) then you are in for a nice shock at the new place. Everything you would expect from a pub is here, from football on the television to Guinness in the taps. QOpen 10:00 02:00, Sat, Sun 14:00 - 05:00. P
to stud. Or should it? On a recent visit we found it to be in surprisingly good shape, and packed with both locals of the ordinary people variety, as well as group of rowdy expats. There is still good food in the more formal part upstairs, with bar snacks served down, and though we have always loved the square bar it would be better if it didnt so run dry of Guinness. That aside it remains a decent pub. QOpen 11:00 - 01:00. PAB
Irish Pubs
Dubliner A-4, B-dul N. Titulescu 18, tel. (+4) 021 222
94 73, www.irishpubs.ro. Is there football on? Dubliner. Rugby? Dubliner. Cricket? Dubliner. Its not that there arent now other pubs to go to (there have been for quite some time) but the question is, why would you go anywhere else? All your mates are probably here, both the best steak and kidney pie in town is here, the best Guinness in Bucharest is poured here, and the widest choice of foreign television channels is here. Think about going somewhere else by all means - even talk about it - but then do whats sensible and get yourself here. QOpen 09:00 - 02:00. PAEBW
Edgars Pub C-5, Str. Edgar Quinet 9, MUniversitate, tel. (+4) 021 314 18 43. At lunchtime office boys and students mix happily as they tuck into great sandwiches and salads, while in the evening a similarly mixed crowd of good time people enkoys the laid back atmosphere always on offer here. It gets crowded downstairs at weekends, but that just adds to the fun. Recently given a thorough makeover. QOpen 10:00 - 02:00, Sat 14:00 - 02:00, Sun 17:00 - 02:00. P Bucharest In Your Pocket bucharest.inyourpocket.com bucharest.inyourpocket.com
tel. (+4) 021 311 41 77/(+4) 0761 55 38 57, www. joyces.ro. You may remember this place - right on the edge of Cismigiu Park, in a wonderful setting - as Raymonds. If you do, forget it. For it is now James Joyce, a very good pub owned and run hands-on by an Irishman who describes himself as a Paddy in exile selling beer to the masses. Besides selling beer he will also - soon - be selling food, though at press time the kitchen had yet to go fully operational. If you try the food before we do, let us know how it is. QOpen 10:00 - 01:00. PALBXW
James Joyce Pub B-5, Str. Valter Maracineanu 1-3,
NEW
April - May 2010
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Mollys Irish Pub D-6, Calea Calarasi 96, tel. (+4) 021 320 05 04, www.irishpubs.ro. Mollys 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 dont cost a fortune. See you there. QOpen 09:00 - 02:00. PAW
(+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, its 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
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The Harp C-6, Str. Bibescu Voda 1, MP-ta Unirii, tel.
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. Its 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 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. Its 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 16:00 - 06:00. PE B-4, Calea Victoriei 48-50 (Pasajul Victoriei), MUniversitate, 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
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 couldnt 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
Control Club
Cuando
Casinos
Casino Bucharest C-5, B-dul Nicolae Blcescu 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 Elisabeta 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.queencasino.ro. Q Open 24 hrs. PARULEK
C-5, Str. Academiei 35-37, tel. (+4) 0722 50 50 85, www.cuando.ro. Always oversubscribed (because its 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 whats more its slap bang in the city centre. For a great night out that doesnt involve travelling to the ends of the city there are few places better. QOpen 23:00 - 06:00. Closed Mon, Tue, Wed, Sun. PLNW
Deja-vu
Coyote Cafe
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
For details of restaurants, cafes, bars and clubs in Bucharests Old Town (Lipscani), see the feature on pages 58-69.
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: its 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 its a theme night or a guest DJ shipped in from Italy. Given the luxury angle drink prices are accessible and theres 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 April - May 2010
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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 Europes 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
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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. Theres high quality music from serious DJs for serious people most Friday and Saturday nights. More often than not youll find a top name European DJ on the bill. So popular is this place now that getting in can be a challenge. QOpen 22:00 - 05:00. Closed Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Sun. P The Gang C-3, Calea Floreasca 111-113, tel. (+4)
NEW
0733 97 52 77, www.thegang.ro. You wanna be in my gang? Newest uber-club in Bucharest. Its 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 (+4) 0728 55 60 43, www.elcomandante.ro. Murdering socialists with an interest in rock music of the world unite! Che is cool this year, and all those useful idiots who wear his t-shirt will love this little rock club, dedicated to the mans memory, with portraits at 10, 12 and 2 oclock. If you can leave aside the politics and forget you are in a place named for someone who killed so many people, then its actually quite good. It is nice to hear music which doesnt thump, thump, thump, and the warren of little rooms is probably great for plotting terrorist attacks. Drinks are cheap. Revolutionary! QOpen 20:00 - 06:00. PALW
El Grande Comandante D-4, Str. Viitorului 26, tel.
from the city centre. QOpen 23:00 - 06:00. Closed Mon, Tue, Wed, Sun. PAL
The Player Str. Primo Nebiolo 5-7, tel. (+4) 0720 73 47 34, www.theplayer.ro. There are terraces, there are clubs, and then there is this place. Packed in the right weather from one dawn to the next, this is as close as you get to a genuinely 24 hour party-central venue in Bucharest. Packed with beautiful, successful people dancing to top sounds or chilling on the chic, comfy sofas, its the kind of place that puts the hedonism back into Bucharest nightlife. QOpen 23:00 - 06:00. Closed Mon, Tue, Thu, Sun. Terrace Open 09:00-23:00. PLNBW The Silver Church A-5, Calea Plevnei 61, MIzvor, tel. (+4) 0723 37 90 26, www.tscarena.ro. Looking (inside) very much like a, well. silver church (albeit one which has dropped plenty of acid), its a cavernous venue with terrific acoustics and it is this mix of big club/small concert hall that gives it the edge over some other venues. So good is the sound that the biggest local bands are playing here simply for the hell of it. A winner. QOpen 22:00 - 05:00. Closed Mon, Tue, Wed, Sun. Entrance 20 lei. PUE Tribute B-4, Calea Victoriei 118, tel. (+4) 0728 74 28
83, www.tribute.ro. Besides a fantastic 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 (its on Calea Victoriei) its 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
Expirat/Other Side B-5, Str. Ion Brezoianu 4/Str. Lip-
scani 5, tel. (+4) 0726 80 41 42, www.expirat.org. Two clubs (almost) in one. There are two entrances to the same building (on the corner of Brezoianu and Lipscani, underneath Whispers), both of which are enjoyable venues that are a real hit with young party goers of all backgrounds. For the record Expirat 1 (entrance on Lipscani) is the more mainstream club, popular with girls still in their teens and men who like to chat them up, while The Other Side of Expirat (entrance on Brezoianu) is more edgy, funky and simply - in our opinion better. See you there. QOpen 22:00 - 05:00. PE
322 66 10, www.jukeboxclub.ro. The live music club formerly known as Becker Brau. Much the same as before: live acts most nights of the week, with a reasonably big name - often from abroad - at least once or twice a month. Good beer, good atmosphere and a favourite of big groups of friends looking for a great night out. You can eat here too: theres a restaurant serving standard Romanian food on site. QOpen 22:00 - 02:00. Closed Mon, Tue, Wed, Sun. PAE
Jukebox Club E-6, Str. Turturelelor 11, tel. (+4) 021
April - May 2010
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what to see
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 admiring 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 citys 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 capitals newspapers, it today carries out pretty much the same function. Ziua and Jurnalul Naional, two of the countrys most popular dailies, are just two newspapers produced here. The impressive archive of Rompres, the state press and photo agency, is also housed here. 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.
CEC (Palatul Casei de Economii si Consemnaiuni)
Buildings with a history

Atheneum (Ateneul Romn) C-5, Str. Benjamin Franklin 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 citys 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 Galleron, 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 armys library, offices and classrooms for officer instruction.
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. Romanias 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.
Casa Presei Libere (Casa Scnteii) A-1, Piata Presei Libere 1. An impressive edifice standing somewhat menacingly 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
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
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what to see
Essential Bucharest
Arc de Triumf was built in 1922 to commemorate Romanias Great War dead. The original was made of wood, it being replaced 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.
what to see
Museums
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 Romanias Museum of Contemporary Art. Much of the building, however, remains unused. The public tour of the building is thoroughly recommended (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. Youll see plenty of grand staircases, marble-plated halls and conference 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 youre 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.
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Arcul de Triumf A-2, Piata Arcul de Triumf. Bucharests
Geology Museum B-3, Sos. Kiseleff 2, tel. (+4) 021 212 89 52, www.geology.ro. Far more than just a collection of old rocks and fossils, Bucharests Geology Museum is one of the citys 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 Romanian 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.
C-5, Calea Victoriei 12, tel. (+4) 021 315 82 07, www. mnir.ro. The beautiful Neo-Classical building that houses Romanias 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 museums exhibitions are spread over 60 display rooms, and include a fine collection of antiquities, including statues brought from a Bronze Age necropolis close to present day Cernavoda. The finest exhibit is the replica of Trajans 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.
History Museum (Muzeul National de Istorie)
George Enescu Museum (Muzeul National George Enescu) B-4, Calea Victoriei 141, tel. (+4)
021 318 14 50, fax (+4) 021 312 91 82. Mistakenly believed to be the great Romanian composer George Enescus 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 Enescus 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 Romanias 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 countrys 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. Although 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 Romanias greatest 20th century artists well represented, including Theodor Aman, Constantin Brancui, Gheorghe Patracu, and Gheorghe Tatarescu; and European Paintings 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
Peasant Museum (Muzeul Taranului Roman) B-3, os. Kiseleff 3, tel./fax (+4) 021 317 96 60, info@ muzeultaranuluiroman.ro, www.muzeultaranuluiroman.ro. In most peoples 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-Budeti, 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 Naional al Satului Dimitrie Gusti) A-2, Sos. Kiseleff 28-30, tel. (+4)
Military Museum (Muzeul Militar National) B-4, Str. Mircea Vulcnescu 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 armys 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 5.00 lei, children, students 2.50 lei. Minovici Museum of Ancient Western Art Str. Dr.
Minovici 3, tel. (+4) 021 665 73 34, www.minovici.ro. This amazing red brick, mock Tudor house holds the small and dusty renaissance art collection of Dumitru Minovici, who made barrels of lei in the oil business in the 1930s. Inside are fine collections of Belgian tapestries, Dutch furniture, Swiss stained glass, a complete library and Italian paintings from the 16th/17th centuries. To get there, walk north-east from Piaa Presei Libere or take bus No 301 to the Mioria Fountain. QOpen 09:00 - 17:00. Closed Mon, Tue, Wed. Admission 1.50 lei, students and children 0.50 lei. B-6, Palatul Parlamentului, tel. (+4) 021 318 91 37, www.mnac.ro. Making excellent use of the wide open spaces on the Parliament Palace, this vast gallery displays the work of Romanias finest contemporary artists. There are also works by international artists, and topical exhibitions. QOpen 10:00 - 18:00. Closed Mon, Tue. Admission 5.00 lei.
Parks & Gardens

ceni 32, tel. (+4) 021 410 91 39, www.gradina-botanica. ro. Bucharests Botanical Gardens were founded in 1860 with the significant financial backing of Alexandru Ioan Cuza, Prince of Wallachia. They were originally in the centre of the city, and moved to their present location in Cotroceni in 1884. The garden has an area of over 17 hectares, and hosts more than 10,000 species of plants. Locals like to use the gardens as a park, and thus can often be far more full with courting couples than lovers of more floral delights. QOpen 08:00 - 20:00. Admission 5.00 lei, students and children 2.00 lei. B-5, Between B-dul Regina Elisabeta, Calea Victoriei, Str. Stirbei Vod and B-dul Schitu Mgureanu. The most central of the citys public gardens, Cismigiu is a haven of lawns, trees, flowers and lakes. Often mistakenly referred to as a park, Cismigiu is actually a large garden, first designed and laid out in 1845 by the German landscape architect Carl Meyer, but not completed until 1860. More than 30,000 trees and plants were brought in from the Romanian mountains, while exotic plants were fetched from the botanical gardens in Vienna.
Botanical Gardens (Grdina Botanic) Sos. Cotro-
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 Romanias 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
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 Herstru, 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 Romanias historic regions: Transylvania, Oltenia, Dobrogea and Moldavia. Every exhibit has a plaque showing exactly where in Romania it was brought from. Some even now have recorded commentary 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 Berbeti, 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 Maramure 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, dont 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.
Cismigiu Gardens (Grdina Cismigiu)
National Museum of Contemporary Art (MNAC)
Theodor Pallady Museum (Casa Melik) D-5, Str. Sptarului 22, tel. (+4) 021 211 49 79. Theodor Pallady (1871-1953) was an early Cubist artist. Alas the small museum that today bears his name has only six of his paintings, a couple of his sketches and assorted other art. The museums saving grace is the house in which it is hosted: the oldest in Bucharest. Originally called the Casa Melik, it was built around 1750 by the rich Armenian Hagi Kevork Nazaretoglu. Q Open 10:00-18:00. Closed Mon, Tue. Admission 5.00 lei, students and children 2.50 lei. bucharest.inyourpocket.com
Herstru Park B-3, Sos. Kiseleff 32. This gem of a park in the north of the city, surrounded by the finest residential districts Bucharest has to offer, extends for 187 hectares from the Arcul de Triumf to the Baneasa bridge, and is centered on the lake with which it shares its name. Home to numerous attractions, including childrens playgrounds, a rather old fashioned fairground, an open-air theatre (currently being renovated), gardens, promenades and the central lake. The main entrance is from Piata Charles de Gaulle. April - May 2010
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OLD TOWN
Pasajul Macca-Villacrosse
Bucharests 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.
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, Brtianu to the east and Regina Elisabeta to the north is more or less all thats left of pre-World War II Bucharest. What the war didnt 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 Dmbovia river; nobody is sure exactly where, or when. What we do know is that by the first reign of Vlad epe (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 merchants district, which it remained until the end of World War II when the rightful owners of the houses and businesses which lined the areas 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 Bucharests 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. 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 (catapeteasm) is allegedly a copy of the altar in Arhangelsk Cathedral, in Moscows 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 girls 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.
Old Towns Sights
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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.
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On Str. Blanari you will find the St. Nicolas Church, built in the 1880s as a private chapel for Romanias first royal couple, who still have special, reserved seats on the left and right of the churchs 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
building opposite, on the other side of Calea Victoriei, is the 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 Bravus 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 i 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 epe, was considerably 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 tefan Cantacuzino, and the frescoes inside, painted by maestros Constantin Lecca and Miu Papa, were added in 1847. Directly opposite is the Hanul lui Manuc, the best preserved caravanserai (inn) in the city. Built in 1808 it is currently 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 Glassblowers Courtyard (Curtea Sticlarilor; Str. Selari 9-11) another former inn now put to good use as an artisans workshop.
Old Town Cafs

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 browsing some fine contemporary Romanian art from the likes of Ion Silisteanu, Sorin Ilfoveanu and Mihai Cismaru. Q Open 10:30-20:00. PJAG 021 317 17 41/(+4) 0722 35 19 22, info@brunowine. ro, www.brunowine.ro. So much more than wine and coffee 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
Cafe des Beaux Arts C-6, Str. Franceza 7, tel. (+4)
Bruno Wine & Coffee Shop C-6, Str. Covaci 3, tel. (+4)
021 310 86 44. Puts almost every other caf in the area to shame. This tiny little place succeeds in being the perfect Parisian caf without even trying. It does so instead by keeping 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
88 30/(+4) 0744 33 81 43, www.bonhumor.ro. Question: 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. Its one of those places that makes Strada Smardan so great. QOpen 11:30 - 02:30. PJBXW
Buen Humor C-6, Str. Smardan 30/7, tel. (+4) 021 313
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
Chocolat C-5, Calea Victoriei 12A, tel. (+4) 021 314
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 its hard to beat. QOpen 10:30 - 24:00. PJALEBW
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
Divan C-6, Str. Franceza 46-48, tel. (+4) 021 312 30 34,
Gio Cafe C-5, Str. Toma Caragiu 3, tel. (+4) 021 313
97 40/(+4) 0730 03 07 64, www.giocafe.ro. Big caf opposite Bucharests most ornate, and jaw-dropping church.
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NEW
oLd town (LipsCani)

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
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French
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 dont 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
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 Bucharests 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
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 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 its a good morning coffee choice. Q Open 07:30-24:00. PJA 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
Les Bourgeois
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 citys, 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
Old Town Bistro
NEW
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. Francez 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 Hungarys 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
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 Bucharests Old Town - it is opposite the National Bank - with the casual elegance of a genuinely grand cafe. Its genius is that its 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
30, www.jayacafe.ro. Another Smardan caf opens its doors. Honestly, this street is in serious trouble of becoming quite wonderful. Theres 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
The Coffee Store
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
Turabo Cafe C-6, Str. Halelor 17, tel. (+4) 0740 01
Jaya Cafe C-6, Str. Smardan 22, tel. (+4) 021 310 76
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
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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
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Japanese
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 Amsterdam 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
Sushi Ko C-6, Str. Stavropoleos 8, tel. (+4) 021 316
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 Bucharests 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 atmosphere, then order some fine, light Californian-inspired cuisine. Its a winner from start to finish. QOpen 09:00 - 23:00, Sat, Sun 09:00 - 24:00. . JAB
Romanian
Caru cu Bere C-6, Str. Stavropoleos 5, tel. (+4) 021
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 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 attraction 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 boar and pheasant can all be found on the menu is season. If they have it, you should definitely try the game stew (tocania vanatoreasca). They also serve good sarmale (just about the countrys 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
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 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. Entrance 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
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
City Grill C-6, Str. Lipscani 12, tel. (+4) 021 233 98 18,
South American
C-6, Str. Sf. Dumitru 3, tel. (+4) 0722 62 60 43, www. lahistoria-restaurant.ro. Probably the most instantly successful 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
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 Lipscanis 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 Trattoria Fedelini C-5, Str. Academiei 1A, tel. (+4) 0727
39 67 37, www.trattoriafedelini.ro. Were suckers for chequered 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 weve
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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. Dont 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. Theres a good selection of local beers to choose from too. Q Open 10:0002:00, 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
La Historia
Deko Cafe C-6, Str. Smardan 30, tel. (+4) 0733 10 22
Crama Domneasca C-6, Str. Selari 13-15, tel. (+4) 0726 32 20 04, www.cramadomneasca.com. Right in the heart of Bucharests 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. Its the kind of place where you will be discretely but contentedly 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 restaurant that does a particularly good line in game: venison, bucharest.inyourpocket.com
Wine Club
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 Caf 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
Van Gogh Wine Bar & Shop
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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 Curtea Sticlarilor offering something just a bit different from the Lipscani norm. Theres no terrace, but there is instead
Dolce C-6, Str. Selari 28. Small bar and caf opposite
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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
oLd town (LipsCani)
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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
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52 30 81. If you like a tasty bit of German sausage (and lets face it, who doesnt?) 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 citys top entertainment street. QOpen 18:00 - 05:00. PJW
Pub 41 Brauhaus C-6, Str. Smardan 41, tel. (+4) 0725
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 matters that you might not like whats 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
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
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. Its just like being at home. Q Open 08:00-01:00. PJBW
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 Bordellos. Q PJA
Gara Lipscani C-6, Str. Lipscani 38, tel. (+4) 021 311 23 69. Cheap, central and small place with a casual, studenty vibe. If youre wondering about the name, they have pictures of trains on the wall. A refreshing alternative in a city of identikit 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
Lost Society C-5, Str. Ion Ghica 21, tel. (+4) 0769 63
decent range of beers. Efficient waitresses in red tops serve the customers well. Its 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
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. Thats 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
The Elbow Room C-6, Str. Lipscani 82, tel. (+4) 0752
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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
Vintage Pub C-6, Str. Smardan 43, tel. (+4) 0722 21
96 21. Another freshly-opened Smardan drinking den. And its not bad. Staff are incredibly hospitable, and the interior dcor 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
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 its 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
Interbelic C-6, Str. Selari 1, tel. (+4) 0722 10 01 93,
Old Town Pubs

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 (Brewers 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
Curtea Berarilor C-6, Str. Selari 9-11, tel. (+4) 021 313
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. Theres some light food of the pasta/Italian variety of youre 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
Old Town Irish Pubs

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 - dont 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 weve ever had in Bucharest. You cant 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
Bordellos C-6, Str. Selari 9-11, tel. (+4) 0748 88
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 different 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
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
Half Time C-6, Str. Gabroveni 14, www.halftimepub.
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
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,
Dirty Harrys Irish Pub C-6, Str. Franceza 3, tel. (+4)
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Club A C-6, Str. Blnari 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 wont 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 during 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
BUCHAREST II OTOPENI AIRPORT II TIMISOARA AIRPORT II CLUJ AIRPORT II SIBIU II BRASOV II CONSTANTA BUCHAREST II OTOPENI AIRPORT II TIMISOARA AIRPORT II CLUJ AIRPORT II SIBIU II BRASOV II CONSTANTA
El Comandante C-6, Str. Stavropoleos 8, tel. (+4) 0728 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 Saturday). 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 dcor 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 Bucharests clubs. We like it. Q Open 24 hrs. PJB
X-ACTLY WHAT YOU NEED X-ACTLY WHAT YOU NEED
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 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 mans Irish pub in Bucharest. The Lipscani venue (on one of the areas pedestrian streets that has actually been finished) is a bonus. QOpen 15:00 - 01:00, Fri, Sat, Sun 16:00 - 02:00. PJEB
OHaras C-6, Str. Franceza 13, tel. (+4) 0724 23 95
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, its a real pub all right with decent grub, Guinness and Kilkenny on tap, and more than efficient staff. Shiny and new its a brilliant addition to the area and is already as popular as any of the citys other pubs. QOpen 11:00 - 01:00, Sat, Sun 11:00 - 02:00. PJABW
Old Town Clubs & Discos

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
Arcade Cafe C-6, Str. Smardan 30, tel. (+4) 021 314
Tribute B-4, Calea Victoriei 118, tel. (+4) 0728 74 28
83, tribute@tribute.ro, www.tribute.ro. Besides a fantastic 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 (its on Calea Victoriei) its 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
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Agentia de Voiaj SNCFR
B-5, Str. Domnita Anastasia 10-14, tel. (+4) 021 313 26 42, www.cfr.ro. CFRs advance booking offices. You can make reservations for all kinds of trains, from acelerats 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. 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 currencies accepted. QOpen 08:00 - 19:00, Sat 08:00 - 14:00. Closed Sun. A
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Wasteels A-4, Gara de Nord, tel. (+4) 021 317 03
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
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.
Air France/KLM
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. 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.
Buses & Trolleybuses
working at IMGB, but useless to almost everybody else. The city centre is poorly served by the metro and only the northsouth 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 Romanias 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.
Trams
A blessing to some and a curse to others, Bucharests 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. from the vast housing estates of Titan, Berceni and Militari out to the huge industrial plants at Pipera, IMGB, Republica and Industriilor. Thats all very well if you are resident of Titan
Metro Bucharests metro was primarily built to ship workers
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Train Schedule
From Bucharest To Bucharest Dep. Arr. City Dep. Arr. IC 13:00 23:40 ARAD IC 12:00 22:55 R 08:30 11:32 BRASOV R 11:20 14:07 A 09:50 12:58 BRASOV R 14:05 17:02 IC 13:00 15:51 BRASOV A 15:50 19:00 R 15:15 18:25 BRASOV IC 19:47 22:55 R 16:00 18:48 BRASOV R 21:29 00:35 IC 13:00 21:41 CLUJ-NAPOCA IC 13:53 22:55 R 09:19 13:11 CONSTANTA R 16:39 20:28 IC 15:45 18:48 CRAIOVA IC 11:48 14:45 IC 15:40 19:40 GALATI IC 05:10 08:52 IC 06:00 12:46 IASI IC 05:15 11:47 IC 17:00 23:30 IASI IC 16:12 23:13 IC 13:00 00:38 ORADEA IC 10:58 22:55 R 19:10 08:19 SATU MARE R 21:11 10:34 R 15:15 22:24 SIBIU R 04:16 12:10 IC 06:45 14:51 TIMISOARA IC 06:30 14:45 IC 15:45 23:59 TIMISOARA IC 16:00 23:58
Schedule valid until December 12th, 2010. The full Romanian railway timetable is online at www.infofer.ro.
Car rental
AAA Autorent Hertz B-6, Bd. Natiunile Unite 3, bl. 109, Ground Floor, tel. (+4) 021 335 75 33, fax 021 335 75 32, office@hertz.com.ro, www.hertz.com.ro. Also at Henri Coanda Airport, tel. (+4) 021 201 49 54, fax (+4) 021 021 201 49 55, Robuc51@hertz.com.ro, Open 08:00-20:00; JW Marriott Grand Hotel, tel. (+4) 021 403 29 56, fax (+4) 021 021 403 29 57, Robuc63@hertz.com.ro, Open 08:00-20:00; Athenee Palace Hilton, tel./fax 021 303 37 44, robuc64@ hertz.com.ro, Open 08:30-17:30, Closed Sat, Sun; Crowne Plaza, tel. (+4) 021 335 75 33. Avis B-4, Str. Mihail Moxa 9, tel. (+4) 021 9876/(+4) 021 210 43 44, fax (+4) 021 210 69 12, reservations@ avis.ro, www.avis.ro. QOpen 09:00 - 17:30. Closed Sat, Sun. Also at (C-5) InterContinental, tel. (+4) 021 314 18 37, Open 08:00 - 20:00; Henri Coanda International Airport, tel. (+4) 021 204 19 57, Open 07:00 - 02:00; Baneasa Airport, tel (+4) 0731 49 42 15, Open 10:00-22:00. Bavaria Rent Headoffice, Str. Horia, Closca si Crisan 17, Ilfov, tel. (+4) 0730 33 37 07/(+4) 031 802 22 28, fax (+4) 021 201 45 34, office@bavariarent.ro, www. bavariarent.ro. Also at Baneasa International Airport, tel. (+4) 021 200 62 63, Open 09:00-18:00, Sat 09:00-15:0. 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. Budget B-4, Str. Mihail Moxa 9, tel. (+4) 021 210 28 67, fax (+4) 021 210 29 95, reservations@budgetro. ro, www.budgetro.ro. Also at (B-3) Calea Dorobanti 5 - 7 (Howard Johnson Hotel), tel. (+4) 021 201 50 89, Open 09:00-17:00. Closed Sat, Sun and Henri Coanda International Airport, tel. (+4) 021 204 16 67, Open 08:00-20:00. QOpen 09:00 - 18:00. Closed Sat, Sun. Cars4Rent Str. Drumul Odaii 1D (Hotel Charter), tel. (+4) 0723 34 71 92/(+4) 0730 09 39 85, fax (+4) 021 352 87 16, office@cars4rent.ro, www.cars4rent.ro. Q Open 24 hrs. Compact Rent-a-Car A-4, B-dul N. Titulescu 1, bl A7, sc. 1, et. 6, ap. 16, tel. 0744 63 82 92/021 312 98 57, fax 021 312 99 82, office@compact-rentacar.ro, www. compact-rentacar.ro. Europcar D-6, Str. Grigore Mora 17, tel. (+4) 021 310 17 97, office@europcar.com.ro, www.europcar.com.ro. QOpen 09:00 - 17:00. Also at Otopeni Airport tel. (+4) 0374 00 40 57, (+4) 0740 04 49 64, fax (+4) 021 201 49 37 and Baneasa Airport tel. (+4) 0374 00 40 57, (+4) 0744 68 97 73, fax (+4) 021 232 01 39. Sixt New Kopel Calea Bucurestilor 201-203, tel. (+4) 021 9400, reservation@sixt.ro, www.sixt.ro.
Air Moldova B-4, Str. Frumoasa 15, tel. (+4) 021 315 51 14, www.airmoldova.md. Q Open 09:00 - 17:00. Closed Sat, Sun. Alitalia D-4, Str. Louis Blanc 1, tel. (+4) 021 318 76 61/ (+4) 021 318 76 65, bucarest@alitalia.it, www.alitalia. com. QOpen 09:00 - 17:00. Closed Sat, Sun. Otopeni tel. (+4) 021 201 33 83. Austrian Airlines B-3, Aleea Alexandru 9a, tel. (+4) 021 204 45 60, www.aua.com. QOpen 09:00 - 17:00. Closed Sat, Sun. Otopeni tel. (+4) 021 204 22 08 British Airways B-4, Calea Victoriei 15, tel. (+4) 021 303 22 22, www.ba.com. Q Open 09:00-12:00, 12:3017:00. Closed Sat, Sun. Otopeni tel. (+4) 021 204 20 01, fax 201 49 82 Carpatair Otopeni Airport, tel. (+4) 021 204 10 93, www.carpatair.ro. QOpen 08:00 - 18:00. Closed Sun. Czech Airlines B-2, Str. Uruguay 27, tel. (+4) 021 223 09 88, www.czech-airlines.com. QOpen 09:00 - 17:00. Closed Sat, Sun. LOT C-5, B-dul Magheru 41, tel./fax 021 314 10 96, tel. (+4) 021 314 29 46, www.lot.com. QOpen 09:00 - 17:00. Closed Sat, Sun. Otopeni tel. (+4) 021 204 21 94.
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, 10:30 - 17:30. Malev E-7, Calea Vitan 6-6A (PGV Tower), tel. (+4) 021 326 80 72, www.malev.ro. Q Open 09:00 - 17:00. Closed Sat, Sun. Otopeni tel./fax (+4) 021 201 47 08. Swiss Air Lines B-3, Aleea Alexandru 9A, tel. (+4) 021 312 02 38, www.swiss.com. QOpen 09:00 - 17:00. Closed Sat, Sun. Otopeni tel. (+4) 021 204 18 50. Tarom B-6, Spl. Independentei 17, tel. (+4) 021 303 44 44, www.tarom.ro. QOpen 08:00 - 19:30, Sat 09:00 - 13:30. Closed Sun. Also on Str. Buzesti 59, tel. (+4) 021 204 64 64, Open 08:00-20:00, Sat 09:00-14:00, Closed Sun and Henri Coanda Airport, tel. (+4) 021 201 49 79. Turkish Airlines C-5, B-dul Nicolae Blcescu 35A, tel. (+4) 021 311 24 10, www.turkishairlines.com. QOpen 09:00 - 17:00. Closed Sat, Sun. Otopeni tel. (+4) 021 204 20 07.
Lufthansa
Getting Online
For a simple dial-up connection in Bucharest, you can dial the number 0870 222 222 from any telephone line, and use the user name and password clicknet. You pay only the standard rate for a local telephone call.
WiFi Hotspots W
Bucharest is now dotted with more Wifi hotspots than you could wish for (look for the wifi symbol W in our listings), but alas very few are free. McDonalds offers free wifi in almost all of its outlets, as do KFC and Pizza Hut, There is also free Wifi in and around Piata Universitatii, and the Romexpo complex. Other than that, you are at the whim of the venue in question: some do offer free access for clients, the password being divulged as your coffee is served, but most will charge extra.
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shopping
Shopping in Bucharest
Bucharests main shopping areas are the malls and commercial centres listed below, as well as B-dul Magheru 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.
direCtory
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 citys cinemas at www.cinema.ro. C-5, Str. Ion Ghica 3, tel. (+4) 031 824 13 60, office@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.
75
Dentist
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
B.B. Clinic D-6, Str. Ionescu Gion 4, tel. (+4) 021
Cinema Pro
Shopping centres & Malls

B-dul Vasile Milea/B-dul Timisoara, M Politehnica, tel. (+4) 031 425 75 10, www.aficotroceni.ro. Bucharests 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.
Dry cleaners
021 211 44 13, www.immaculate.ro. The best dry-cleaners 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.
AFI Palace Cotroceni
Immaculate Cleaners C-4, Str. Polona 76, tel. (+4)
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.
Baneasa Shopping City
os. Bucureti-Ploieti 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.bucurestimall.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.
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.
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. 316 92 66. A modern, refurbished one screen cinema with 1000 seats in the centre of town. Q Tickets from 8 to 10 lei.
Emergencies
23 00, www.urgentafloreasca.ro. The citys 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).
Emergency Clinic Hospital (Spitalul de Urgenta Floreasca) C-3, Calea Floreasca 8, tel. (+4) 021 599
Liberty Center Str. Progresului 151-171, www.liber-
Patria C-5, B-dul Magheru 12-14, tel. (+4) 021
Foreign representations
Austria C-4, Str. Dumbrava Rosie 7, tel. (+4) 021 Belgium D-4, B-dul Dacia 58, tel. (+4) 021 210 29 Bulgaria B-3, Str. Rabat 5, tel. (+4) 021 230 21 50. Canada A-3, Str. Tuberozelor 1-3, tel. (+4) 021 307 Croatia D-5, Str. Dr. Burghelea 1, tel. (+4) 021 313
69. 201 56 12.
Sun Plaza
NEW
The Light Cinema Sos. Progresului 151-171
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.
(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.
50 00. 04 57.
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. Theres a stall selling tasty hot snacks. QOpen 08:00 - 16:00, Sun 08:00 - 14:00. Closed Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri. 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.
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 universally 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 childrens 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.
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. Theres an excellent Mega Image supermarket can be found in the basement. QOpen 09:00 - 22:00, Sun 09:00 - 20:00.
Unirea Shopping Centre C-6, Piata Unirii. MPiata
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.
Targul Vitan-Barzesti
April - May 2010
76
direCtory
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 3840, 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
direCtory
77
Czech Republic C-5, Str. Ion Ghica 11, 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.
Denmark D-5, Str. Dr. Burghelea 3, tel. (+4) 021
303 92 30.
International Schools
American International School Sos. Pipera-Tunari
tel. (+4) 021 267 89 19.
British School of Bucharest Erou Iancu Nicolae 42, International British School E-5, Str. Agricultori International School for Primary Education (INS)
21-23, tel. (+4) 021 252 37 04.
196, Comuna Voluntari, tel. (+4) 021 204 43 00.
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.
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 (legiimatie de edere; if you are not an EU citizen), or a registration certificate (certificat de nregistrare; in the case of EU citizens). QOpen 09:00 - 17:00, Thu, Sat 09:00 - 19:00. Closed Wed, Sun.
Pharmacies
Help Net A-3, B-dul Unirii 27, www.helpnet.ro. Q Open Sensiblu A-3, B-dul 1 Mai 92, www.sensiblu.com. QOpen 24hrs. Also (B-3) Str. Radu Beller 6, tel. (+4) 021
24hrs. Also at (B-3) Str. Av. Radu Beller 8, and many other locations around the city.
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 featuring 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
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 Decembrie 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
Northern Bucharest
Central & Southern Bucharest
82
street register
13 Septembrie, Calea B6 21 Decembrie 1989, Piata C5 Academiei, Str. C5 Alecsandri Vasile, Str. B4 Alexandrescu Grigore, Intr. C4 Alexandrescu Grigore, Str. B4 Aman Theodor, Str. B5 Amman, Str. C3 Amzei, Intr. 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. B4 Coanda Henri, Str. B4 Cobalcescu Grigore, Prof., Str. B5 Coltei, Str. C5 Constantin Daniel, Str. B4 Constitutiei, Piata B6 Conta Vasile, Str. C5 Coposu Corneliu, Bd. C6 Coposu Corneliu, Piata D6 Cornescu, Str. C3 Cotiturii, Str. A5 Covaci, Str. C6 Crisana, Str. A5 Crisului, Str. C6 Cronicarilor, Str. C3 Cuza Alexandru Ioan, Bd. A4 Dacia, Bd. D4 Dascalu Nicolae, Serg., Intr. B4 David Emmanuel, Str. C4 Davila Carol, Dr., Str 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 Icoanei, Str. C4 Ilfov, Str. B6 Iorga Nicolae, Intr. B4 Iorga Nicolae, Str. B4 Iosif O. Eugen, Dr., Str. A6 Iulian Stefan, Str. A3 Izvor, Str. A6 Justitiei, Str. B6 Kiseleff P Bd. .d., 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. C5 Lazar Gheorghe, Str. B5 Lebedei, Str. A3 Libertatii, Bd. B6 Libertatii, Piata B7 Lipova, Str. A5 Lipscani, Str. 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. 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. B5 Popescu-gopo Ion, Str. A6 Povernei, Str. B4 Praga, Str. B3 Praporgescu David,g-ral., Str. C5 Pretorienilor, Str. A6 Putul Cu Plopi, Str. B5 Putul Lui Zamfir, Str. B3 Quinet Edgar, Str. C5 Quito, Piata Rabat, Str. Radu Voda, Str. Ramniceanu Naum, Str. Regina Elisabeta, Bd. Regina Maria, Bd. Revolutiei, Piata Rigas, Intr. Roma, Intr. Roma, Str. Romana, Piata Rosetti C.a., Piata Rosetti C.a., Str. Rosetti Maria, Str. Rossini Gioachino, Str. Saligny Anghel, Ing., Str. Sapientei, Str. Sarandy Frosa, Str. Scarlatescu, Str. Schitul Magureanu, Bd. Scoala Floreasca, Str. Scoalei, Str. Selari, Intr. Selari, Str. Sepcari, Str. Sevastopol, Intr. Sevastopol, Str. Sfanta Vineri, Str. Sfantul Constantin, Str. Sfantul Elefterie, Str. Sfintii Apostoli, Str. Sfintii Voievozi, Piata Sfintii Voievozi, Str. Slanic, Str. Slatineanu Ion, Str. Slavesti, Str. Smardan, Str. Sofia, Str. Stahi Constantin, Str. Staicovici Nicolae, Dr., Str. Stavropoleos, Str. Stefan Cel Mare, Sosea Stirbei Voda, Intr. Stirbei Voda, Str. Tirana, Str. Titulescu Nicolae, Sosea Tokio, Str. Tomescu Toma, Dr., Intr. Transilvaniei, Str. Tudor Stefan, Intr. Tunari, Str. Unirii, Bd. Unirii, Piata Universitatii, Piata Vacarescu Barbu, Str. Venezuela, Str. Verona Arthur, Pictor, Str. Victoriei, Calea Victoriei, Piata Visarion I.c., Str. Vladoianu Barbu, G-ral, Str. Vlaicu Aurel, Str. Vulcanescu Mircea, Str. Washington, Str. Witting, Str. Xenopol Alexandru, Str. Zalomit Z. Ion. Str. Zola Emile, Str. B3 B3 C6 C3 C5 C6 B5 B5 B3 B3 B4 C5 C5 C5 C3 B5 B6 A3 A3 B5 C3 C5 C6 C6 C6 B4 B4 C6 B5 A6 B6 B4 B4 C5 C4 C4 C6 B3 B5 A6 C6 D4 B5 B5 B3 A4 B3 B4 B5 C3 C4 C6 C6 C5 C3 B3 C5 B4 B4 B4 A3 C4 B4 B3 A4 C4 B5 B3
From Dublin to the Kremlin

how In Your Pocket made Irish dreams come true
Dear Mary, Congratulations! E You are the winner of RT TVs Random Acts of Kindness competition ury and will be joining a lux Moscow to St. cruise from Petersburg this summer. In Your Pocket would like to thank Volga Dream and Lufthansa for helping put together this once-in-a-lifetime trip.
Mary Magan Limerick Ireland
Read the full story behind this Random Act of Kindness at inyourpocket.com/kindness

Bucharest - in Your Pocket - April-May 2010

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