From all the hot drinks, coffee is by far the most popular in Romania.
A short guide on Romanian Coffee culture:
We Romanians have an old, strong and stable relationship with coffee. So very often you will hear somebody saying: Let’s meet over a cup of coffee! Which actually means that we want to see our friends and socialize.
Most Romanians, drink coffee at home, what we call “cafea la ibric” (pronounced: café-ah la ee-breek) meaning that the coffee is brewed at home usually on a gas stove. Usually we don’t use a coffee filter machine or other brewing method, we just boil the water, add 1-2 spoons of coffee for each cup, depending on the size, sugar if we want, we boil it quickly and that’s it. It’s similar with Turkish coffee, but we use larger coffee pots.
In the big cities, things are a little bit different. There are many fans of specialty coffee; this is the reason why specialty coffee is growing very fast for several years now. You can find lots of small, hippy, interesting, cozy cafes, hidden on the back streets. We love the vibe in the cafes, people enjoying their coffee outside on the few seats available, chatting with their friends.
There are many cafes with no more than 10-12 seats and with baristas that enjoy sharing more about coffee with their customers.
Here is our top 3 of the best coffee shops in Bucharest:
1. Trofic (29 Ion Brezoianu street) – near Old Town
It is only 10 minutes walk from Piața Universității metro station (University square) and 2 minutes away from Cișmigiu Park.
It is a cozy place with great breakfast options. Excellent for brunch also.
Expect a small place. They have only 12-14 seats inside.
Also, be aware that they are open only from 9 AM until 5 PM.
2. Saint Roastery (26 Maltopol street)
It is 10 minutes away from Piața Victoriei metro station (Victory square) or Gara de Nord (Bucharest’s main train station).
A great choice for specialty coffee.
Most of the times the owners are at the counter together with their colleagues. They love to talk to you. They know their regular clients pretty well.
3. BOB Coffee Lab (3 Piața Charles de Gaulle)
It is just next to the exit from Aviatorilor metro station and Herăstrau Park.
A nice spot for coffee lovers if you are in the area. The place has a chillout vibe.
Enjoy!
PS: For more about our coffee culture, you can try our Hungry for History tour