7 cafés in 2 citys. Places change: check opening hours before you go.
Founded by the Capșa brothers in 1852 and on this corner since 1868, its coffee house became a literary meeting place from 1891. It invented the chocolate Joffre cake, was renamed by the Communist regime in 1948, and got its name back in 1984.
Order: Joffre cake · coffee
💡 It is on Calea Victoriei, the city's grand avenue; pair it with the walk to the Athenaeum.
Built in 1808 as a caravanserai by the Armenian merchant Manuc Bei, it hosted talks leading to the 1812 Treaty of Bucharest. It is the city's oldest working hotel building, with a coffee house off the galleried courtyard.
Order: coffee in the courtyard
💡 It faces the Old Princely Court ruins; sit in the courtyard.
Fewer recent sources for this one: check it's open before you go.
BOB roasts its own beans; in 2016 they were roasted by world champion Alex Niculae. Its designed cafés have won architecture awards, and the brand ranked #11 in the World's 100 Best Coffee Shops Europe list.
Order: espresso · filter
💡 Charles de Gaulle square is at the top of Aviatorilor Blvd, near Herăstrău Park.
A Scandinavian-style café with a full food menu, local craft beer and Romanian wine, and a relaxed, non-judgmental take on specialty coffee.
Order: cappuccino · brunch
💡 It is just off Piața Amzei market, a good place to work for an hour.
Fewer recent sources for this one: check it's open before you go.
A seven-metre-tall concrete room with a curving terrace that wraps around a tree. Coffee is roasted by Bogdan Georgescu, World Coffee Roasting vice champion; the café ranked #54 in the World's 100 Best Coffee Shops Europe list.
Order: batch brew · espresso
💡 It is near Gara de Nord, handy before or after a train.
One of Bucharest's first specialty coffee shops and roasters, on Lipscani in the old town. Old Hario V60s are used as decoration, and in summer the terrace is the busiest part.
Order: single-origin espresso · filter
💡 It is in the middle of the Old Town; come in the morning before the bars open.
A small Cluj roaster with its own coffee shop; it roasts single origins on Mondays and Tuesdays. It won the 2025 European Coffee Trip Awards for Romania.
Order: filter of the week · espresso
💡 Buy fresh beans; the roast date will be from that week.