The rooms worth a reservation in Bucharest, from neighbourhood bistros to the new classics.
The restaurants worth the trip in Bucharest. bistros, neo-classics, neighbourhood favourites, and the rooms locals book first.
The 1879 Caru' cu bere on Stavropoleos serves the soul of Bucharest dining, where mici were recorded in a 1920 chef's letter to the Academy.
Signature: Mici, Sarmale, Papanași
Order: Mici with mustard and ciorbă de burtă, then papanași for dessert.
Tip: Walk-up queues from 12:30 onward; the upstairs hall has the live folk band.
The 1808 caravanserai-turned-restaurant Hanu' lui Manuc on Franceză serves classic Romanian plates around one of Europe's last remaining inn courtyards.
Signature: Mici, Sarmale, Lamb tochitură
Order: Mici and a lamb tochitură; the cabbage rolls feed two.
Tip: The courtyard fills first; ask for a balcony table inside the U-shaped inn.
Poet Mircea Dinescu's Lacrimi și Sfinți on Șepcari pours wines from his Cetate estate alongside modern Romanian classics in Bucharest Old Town today.
Signature: Sarmale, Mămăligă cu brânză, Slănină plate
Order: The signature sarmale; a glass of Cetate Riesling Italian.
Tip: The wine list is heavy on Dinescu's own bottlings; ask the room for the day's house pour.
Crama Domnească sits in the cellar of the Princely Court on Șelari, the Princely Wine Cellar in Bucharest, with live folk and house wines by carafe.
Signature: Sarmale, Mămăligă, Ciorbă de burtă
Order: Mămăligă with brânză and smântână; a clay-pot tochitură.
Tip: Live taraf music every evening; cash and card both accepted.
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.
Vatra on Brezoianu cooks traditional Romanian on bakestones and in tin kettles, in a 1920s Transylvanian interior next to Cișmigiu Park in Bucharest.
Signature: Sarmale, Tochitură, Romanian cheese plate
Order: Sarmale with mămăligă; the cheese plate of Brașov sheep and Sibiu cow.
Tip: The veranda opens May through October; lunch fixed menu is 45 RON.
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.
Energiea lives in a former print shop on Brezoianu just outside Old Town, a contemporary Bucharest pub-bistro with strong small plates and a courtyard.
Signature: Pulled pork sandwich, House cocktails, Brunch plates
Order: Pulled-pork sandwich; the signature gin and rosemary cocktail.
Tip: The cocktail program is the strongest in the area; brunch runs Sat-Sun 11:00-16:00.
Linea Closer to the Moon sits atop the Victoria Department Store on Lipscani 17, the fifth-floor rooftop with the widest Old Town view in Bucharest.
Signature: Rooftop tasting plates, Cocktails, Sunday brunch
Order: The chef's daily plate; a sundowner cocktail on the open terrace.
Tip: Igloos on the terrace in winter; bookings essential after 19:00.
Andreea Beca's Beca's Kitchen near Piața Romană in Bucharest runs a small homemade-food bistro, chalkboard daily menu, big mismatched plates of food.
Signature: Daily homemade plates, Tomato soup, Cheesecake
Order: Whatever's chalked up that day; the tomato soup is the standby.
Tip: Lunch fills first; reservations by phone only.
Trattoria Sale e Pepe near Foișorul de Foc in Bucharest cooks a no-frills Naples-leaning trattoria menu, wood-fired pizza and made-fresh daily pasta.
Signature: Pizza Napoletana, Tagliata, House tiramisu
Order: Pizza Diavola; the daily fresh pasta.
Tip: Bookings advisable on weekend evenings; mid-week walk-in is fine.
Buongiorno Italian on Lascăr Catargiu near Piața Victoriei is north-central Bucharest's dependable mid-priced Italian, with daily made pasta.
Signature: Spaghetti alle vongole, Tagliatelle al ragu, Burrata plate
Order: Spaghetti vongole when on; the burrata starter.
Tip: Three Bucharest locations; this is the Calea Victoriei branch.
Garden of Eden is a first-floor courtyard in the Universul building on Brezoianu, a Mediterranean kitchen and cocktail garden in central Bucharest.
Signature: Garden-grilled mains, Tapas plates, Cocktail menu
Order: Grilled octopus; the tapas trio; a Recaș rosé.
Tip: The courtyard is heated in winter; an enclosed nightlife-grade space.
Berăria H opened in 2014 inside the former Heavy Industry Pavilion in Herastrau Park, billed as Southeast Europe's largest beer hall on a 5,000 sqm floor.
Signature: Mici platter, Roasted pork knuckle, House lagers
Order: Pork knuckle on bread; a meter of house lager.
Tip: Concerts most weekends; bookings essential for Friday and Saturday nights.
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.