Residential north Bucharest, with the city's modern dining anchor Kaiamo on Ermil Pangratti and a small wave of bistros around Piața Dorobanți.
Kané on Tunari runs a Romanian-fusion kitchen in a converted Dorobanți house in Bucharest, with a courtyard garden and a strong modern wine list.
Signature: Tasting plates, House signatures, Romanian wine pairing
Order: The chef's tasting; the house Recaș pairing.
Tip: Sunday closed; the garden runs May through October.
Radu Ionescu's Kaiamo cooks Bucharest's most ambitious modern Romanian tasting menus from a Dorobanți townhouse on Ermil Pangratti, 9 to 20 courses.
Order: The full chef's tasting; pairings are Romanian wines from Cotnari and Recaș.
Tip: Tuesday through Saturday only, dinner from 18:00; book through the site weeks ahead.
Osho Primăverii is the Bucharest dry-aged steakhouse in the diplomatic quarter, with one of the city's deepest selections of dry-aged Romanian beef.
Order: 60-day dry-aged ribeye; the bone-marrow starter.
Tip: The Sunday brunch is a separate booking class; book Thursday or earlier.
Buongiorno Italian Primăverii is the diplomatic-quarter branch of the Bucharest trattoria chain, with imported buffalo mozzarella and daily pasta.
Signature: Pizza Napoletana, Carbonara, Burrata starter
Order: Pizza Margherita; carbonara without cream.
Tip: Terrace closes at 23:00; bookings via the website.
Shift Eatery is the Bucharest all-day brunch room near Piața Victoriei, the kind of modern casual menu that arrived with the third-wave coffee scene.
Signature: Eggs benedict, Avocado toast, House granola bowl
Order: Eggs benedict; avocado toast; flat white.
Tip: Walk-in only on weekdays; weekend bookings via phone Walk-ins usually OK.
City Grill Primăverii is the Bucharest Romanian grill chain done well: mici, pork chops, sarmale, an all-purpose dining room for families and lunch.
Signature: Mici, Pork chop on bone, Cabbage rolls
Order: Mici and pork chop; ciorbă de burtă starter.
Tip: Multi-location chain; this is the Primăverii branch.
La Pescăria Dorobanților is the Bucharest market-style fish counter and restaurant, displaying the day's catch on ice and grilling whole on order.
Signature: Daily fish, Octopus salad, Seafood platter
Order: Daily fish grilled whole; the octopus.
Tip: Pick a fish from the case at the counter; lemon and olive oil only on the plate.
Rue du Pain is the Dorobanți French patisserie in Bucharest since the late 2010s, with one of the cleanest pain au chocolat in the north of the city.
Tip: Cash discount; the tarte au citron is the daily limited-batch.
Worth the queue: Pain au chocolat
Kane Coffee Roasters works alongside the Kané restaurant on Strada Tunari, with a small in-house roasting setup and bean retail visible from the dining room.
Tip: The cafe corner is separate from the dining room; opens earlier.
Sources from: Romania, Ethiopia, Brazil
How they serve: Espresso, Filter, Wholesale beans
Shift Eatery's all-day brunch near Bucharest's Piața Victoriei is the Dorobanți weekend ritual, with the menu that arrived with the third-wave coffee.
Order: Eggs benedict; avocado toast; flat white.
Tip: Walk-in on weekdays; weekend bookings encouraged.