Lacrimi și Sfinți is a modern romanian restaurant in Lipscani, Bucharest.
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 dishes: Sarmale, Mămăligă cu brânză, Slănină plate
Must 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.
Address: Strada Șepcari 16, Old Town, București 030116, Bucharest
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.
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.
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.
