Where to sit, sip and slow down in Bucharest.
Coffee shops, bakeries with seats and the places Bucharest lingers in over a cortado.
Origo Coffee Shop on Lipscani 9 opened in 2014 as the first specialty coffee shop in Bucharest, both flagship cafe and roastery for the Origo group.
Signature drink: Filter coffee, in-house roasted
Tip: Late-night cafe (open to 24:00 Tue-Sun); the back roastery does cuppings.
M60 on Mendeleev near Piața Amzei has been open since 2014, the Scandinavian-design Bucharest cafe pouring La Marzocco espresso and Hario V60 filters.
Signature drink: V60 filter coffee
Tip: Pet friendly; Romanian craft brands in the small retail corner.
Beans & Dots is a Bucharest concept store and specialty cafe on Brezoianu just off Old Town, pouring exclusive coffee from The Barn Berlin roastery.
Signature drink: The Barn Berlin filter coffee
Tip: Mezzanine floor inside the Universul building C2; quiet for laptops.
Vlad Buda and Dan Ursan's Steam at Piața Charles de Gaulle is one of the cleanest specialty cafes in Bucharest, pouring beans roasted by Origo.
Signature drink: Origo-roasted espresso
Tip: The Steam group runs three Bucharest locations; this is the Aviatorilor flagship.
The second Steam Coffee Shop on Visarion runs the same Origo-roasted filter and espresso program as Aviatorilor in a smaller central-Bucharest room.
Signature drink: Origo-roasted espresso
Tip: Tighter than the Aviatorilor flagship; come for the V60 setup.
The Cofetăria at Casa Capșa carries the Capșa confectionery line at this Calea Victoriei address since 1868, an Old-Bucharest coffee and cake room downstairs.
Signature drink: Cafe Capșa house blend
Tip: Classic Capșa cake; coffee, water and an hour at the marble table is the tradition.
Grand Cafe Van Gogh on Smârdan is the long-running Belgian-style cafe in Bucharest Old Town, with a busy summer terrace and a deep beer list.
Signature drink: Espresso and Belgian beers
Tip: Brunch served all day; terrace stays open late.