28 cheap eats rooms in Bucharest, editor-picked. the best low-budget rooms in Bucharest: the places editors actually return to. All Bucharest food.
Origo Coffee Shop ★ 4.7
lipscani · Strada Lipscani 9, 050071 București
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.
Tip: Late-night cafe (open to 24:00 Tue-Sun); the back roastery does cuppings.
M60 Amzei ★ 4.6
universitate · Strada D. I. Mendeleev 2, 010364 București
M60 on Mendeleev near Piața Amzei has been open since 2014, the Scandinavian-design Bucharest cafe pouring La Marzocco espresso and Hario V60 filters.
Tip: Pet friendly; Romanian craft brands in the small retail corner.
Boutique du Pain ★ 4.5
universitate · Strada Academiei 28-30, 010016 București
Boutique du Pain on Academiei is the long-running French bakery and bistro near Bucharest University, with daily baguettes and viennoiserie.
Tip: Croissants out at 08:00; check the back counter for the day's tartine.
Beans & Dots ★ 4.5
cismigiu · 23-25 Ion Brezoianu Street, C2 Construction Building B, Mezzanine Floor, 1st District, București, Romania
Beans & Dots is a Bucharest concept store and specialty cafe on Brezoianu just off Old Town, pouring exclusive coffee from The Barn Berlin roastery.
Tip: Mezzanine floor inside the Universul building C2; quiet for laptops.
Steam Coffee Shop Aviatorilor ★ 4.5
aviatorilor · Piața Charles de Gaulle 13, 011864 București
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.
Tip: The Steam group runs three Bucharest locations; this is the Aviatorilor flagship.
Mici la Piața Obor ★ 4.5
obor · Strada Ziduri Moși 4, Sector 2, București
The mici terrace inside Bucharest's Piața Obor on Ziduri Moși is the most-cited mici counter, plates of five with mustard, bread and lager service.
Tip: Plate of five mici costs around 25 RON; cash works fastest Cash typically expected.
Mici la Piața Obor ★ 4.5
obor · Strada Ziduri Moși 4, Sector 2, București
Five mici with mustard, bread and a Romanian lager at Piața Obor in Bucharest for under 35 RON, the most-cited budget plate in the entire capital.
Tip: Cash speeds up the queue; weekend lunches book the benches by 12:30.
Mici la Mahala ★ 4.4
obor · Strada Ziduri Moși 4, Sector 2, București
The Obor mici terrace inside the Piața Obor complex is the legendary Bucharest grill counter, mici plus mustard plus bread plus a Timișoreana lager.
Tip: Cash works fastest; the lunch counter peaks 12:00-14:00 Walk-ins usually OK.
A R C Bakery ★ 4.4
aviatorilor · Bulevardul Mărăști 20A, COSR Bucharest, Romania
A R C Bakery on Bulevardul Mărăști is run by a 30-year French-trained chef, with imported French flour and bio butter for breads and pastries.
Tip: Set inside the Romanian Olympic Committee building; the bistro lunch runs 12:00-15:00.
French Bakery Bucharest ★ 4.4
aviatorilor · Strada Avionului 4, 014444 București
French Bakery on Avionului is the Aviatorilor neighborhood bakery doing levain breads and a pain aux raisins regulars rate as one of the best in the city.
Tip: Phone-order whole loaves for collection; the croissant supply runs out by 11:00.
Steam Coffee Shop 2 ★ 4.4
universitate · Strada Visarion 2, 010881 București
The second Steam Coffee Shop on Visarion runs the same Origo-roasted filter and espresso program as Aviatorilor in a smaller central-Bucharest room.
Tip: Tighter than the Aviatorilor flagship; come for the V60 setup.
Rue du Pain ★ 4.3
dorobanti · Calea Dorobanților 134, 010574 București
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.
Pâine și Altele ★ 4.3
universitate · Strada Maria Rosetti 2, 020472 București
Pâine și Altele on Maria Rosetti runs a small Bucharest sourdough operation, leaning on Romanian-grown flours and the rustic country-loaf format.
Tip: The daily bake list is on Instagram from 06:00; pre-order Saturday loaves.
Cofetăria Casa Capșa ★ 4.2
calea-victoriei · Calea Victoriei 36, 030027 București
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.
Tip: Classic Capșa cake; coffee, water and an hour at the marble table is the tradition.
Langoși la Piața Obor ★ 4.2
obor · Strada Ziduri Moși 4, Sector 2, București
The lángos counters inside Bucharest's Piața Obor fry traditional Hungarian-Romanian dough rounds to order, topped with garlic, brânză and smântână.
Tip: Around 15 RON each; ask for cheese and sour cream toppings Cash typically expected.
Langoși la Obor ★ 4.2
obor · Strada Ziduri Moși 4, Sector 2, București
The lángos counters at Bucharest's Obor fry dough to order and top with brânză and smântână, around 15-22 RON the city's deepest budget snack option.
Tip: Smaller portions also sold; ask for half-cheese to make it sturdier.
Luca Bakery ★ 4.1
floreasca · Calea Floreasca 169, 014459 București
Luca Bakery in Floreasca runs as a daily cozonac and pâine de casă counter, with the dense plum and walnut cozonac Bucharest workers buy on the commute.
Tip: Pre-order whole cozonac for Christmas and Easter weeks at the counter; ordinary days walk-in service works.
Grand Cafe Van Gogh ★ 4.1
lipscani · Strada Smârdan 9, Old Town, București
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.
Tip: Brunch served all day; terrace stays open late.
Covrigi Luca ★ 4.0
universitate · Bulevardul Magheru, București
Covrigi Luca runs the city's largest covrigi chain, with Soviet-era warm soft-pretzel counters all over central Bucharest, the standard 4-5 RON walking snack.
Tip: Multi-location chain; the Magheru kiosk is the central reliable.
Covrigăria Luca Calea Victoriei ★ 4.0
calea-victoriei · Calea Victoriei 91-93, 010071 București
The Covrigăria Luca outlet on Calea Victoriei serves walnut and rose preserve pastries alongside sesame covrigi, the morning-to-evening Bucharest grab.
Tip: Hot covrigi out of the oven every 40 minutes; ask when the next batch is due.
Dristor Kebap Lipscani ★ 4.0
lipscani · Strada Lipscani 41, 030033 București
Dristor Kebap on Lipscani is the Old Town outlet of Bucharest's biggest shaorma chain, an after-hours staple with the city's most-imitated garlic-cream sauce.
Tip: Open until 04:00; the special shaorma comes with all four sauces.
Obor Rotiserie Pui ★ 4.0
obor · Strada Ziduri Moși 4, Sector 2, București
The rotisserie counters at Piața Obor in Bucharest spin whole chickens over open flame, a half-chicken with bread and pickles the mainstream lunch.
Tip: Take the half-bird and bread for 35 RON; eat at the market benches.
Covrigi Luca ★ 4.0
universitate · Bulevardul Magheru, București
Covrigi Luca's central Bucharest counters sell warm soft pretzels for 4-6 RON, the most reliable walking-snack budget option across the whole city.
Tip: Walnut and rose preserve pastries are 8-12 RON; multi-buy stickers in window.
Dristor Kebap ★ 4.0
lipscani · Strada Lipscani 41, 030033 București
Dristor Kebap's special shaorma comes loaded with garlic-cream, mango, ghost-pepper and chimichurri sauces, the after-hours standby for 25-35 RON.
Tip: Open until 04:00 Lipscani; the special is the order.
Obor Rotiserie Pui ★ 4.0
obor · Strada Ziduri Moși 4, Sector 2, București
The Obor market rotisserie counters in Bucharest sell half-chickens with bread and pickles for 30-40 RON, the city's cheapest sit-down chicken plate.
Tip: Take it to the benches inside the hall; cash only.
La Mama Lipscani ★ 3.9
lipscani · Strada Lipscani 36, 030033 București
La Mama's home-cooking chain on Lipscani serves Romanian ciorbă and sarmale plates at 30-55 RON, the Old Town standby for an everyday sit-down dinner.
Tip: Multi-location chain; lunch fixed menu is the bargain Cash is faster than card.
Cartofisserie ★ 3.8
sector-4 · Strada Liviu Rebreanu 4, 031787 București
Cartofisserie is the Bucharest potato-house chain: loaded baked potatoes, fried wedges, vegetarian and vegan options, the cheap reliable lunch.
Tip: Counter service; take-away is the default.
Cartofisserie ★ 3.8
sector-4 · Strada Liviu Rebreanu 4, 031787 București
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.
Tip: Counter service; vegan options on the menu.