The vast Ceaușescu-era civic centre south of Old Town: Hanu' Berarilor Casa Oprea Soare on Poenaru Bordea, and the Christmas market that fills Piața Constituției each December.
Chef Petru Sorin Cucu's Mahala cooks contemporary Romanian inside the Bragadiru Palace, near the House of the People, one of the boldest menus in town.
Signature: Ciorbă de burtă cu trufe, Turbot, Quail dumplings
Order: Ciorbă de burtă with black truffles; the quail-olive dumplings.
Tip: Lunch service is quieter; dinner books out Thursday to Saturday.
Hanu' Berarilor Casa Oprea Soare runs a neo-Romanesque manor as a brewery-restaurant near Bucharest's Piața Unirii, giant platters and house beer.
Signature: Mici, Roasted duck leg, 1 meter mixed platter
Order: The one-meter mici and grilled-meats platter; the oven-roasted duck leg.
Tip: Booking by phone is fastest; the courtyard runs to 24:00 in summer.
The JW Steakhouse on the first floor of the JW Marriott Bucharest Grand Hotel serves USDA Black Angus and is Romania's only certified Kobe pour.
Order: USDA bone-in ribeye; the chef's Kobe carpaccio.
Tip: Glass cupola dining room; ask for a Parliament-view table at dusk.
Francesco Castrovillari's Cucina runs Bucharest's most ambitious Italian fine-dining room on the first floor of the JW Marriott, with an open kitchen.
Order: Handmade pastas; daily tagliata; tiramisu finished tableside.
Tip: Hotel-guest priority bookings; ask for the open-kitchen counter and a glass of Vermentino to start the meal.
Cartofisserie is the Bucharest potato-house chain: loaded baked potatoes, fried wedges, vegetarian and vegan options, the cheap reliable lunch.
Signature: Loaded baked potatoes, Potato wedges, Vegan options
Order: Loaded baked potato with bacon and brânză.
Tip: Counter service; take-away is the default.
The interwar-themed Hanu' Berarilor Interbelic Casa Soare runs the same Bucharest Poenaru Bordea inn as Casa Oprea Soare, darker beer-hall room.
Signature: Mici, Sarmale, Roast pork knuckle
Order: The one-meter sausage and pork knuckle platter for the table.
Tip: Same site as Casa Oprea Soare; ask for the Interbelic side at the host.
Piața Matache near Bucharest's Gara de Nord is the working-class produce market in west-central Bucharest, stallholders still call morning prices.
Tip: Open every day; cash works fastest.
Bucharest's Christmas Market in Piața Constituției is the country's largest, with 120-plus huts of mulled wine, sarmale, cozonac and the seasonal craft fair.
Tip: Free entry; weekends fill quickly after sundown.
Cartofisserie loaded baked potatoes with bacon, cheese and brânză land at around 25 RON in Bucharest, one of the cheapest sit-down hot lunches around.
Try: Loaded baked potato
Tip: Counter service; vegan options on the menu.
Mahala's late service at the Bragadiru Palace in Bucharest runs to 01:00 nightly, the city's modern Romanian late-night option for an after-show meal.
Try: Modern Romanian plates
Tip: Last orders 24:00; the kitchen winds down quietly after midnight.