Travel guide from Anda

Travel tips from Anda:

FOOD: Where do you eat in Bucharest? What are your favorite restaurants (fast-foods, bistros, pubs etc.)? 

Lately my favourite place for eating has been  Journey Pub from Romana Sq. I like the Mexican salad there a lot.It is near my work place and I also go there for different meetings. I like the atmosphere and the "cloud room".

Another place would be Caru cu bere for the Interbelic atmosphere and shows. I also go to La Placinte for the Moldavian recipes. For tasting the Romanian cuisine I recommend La Mama restaurants. And if you want a modern and cool place to hang out and eat I recommend Alt Shift. One floor below is Control Club if you want to have some fun afterwards. 

DAY: What do you do during the day in Bucharest? What are the places you like to spend time in (cafes, bars, parks, sport venues, tea houses, terraces etc.)? 

Lately this summer I went few times to Eden Garden. It’s amazing how a place like this can exist in the Center of Bucharest and be so relaxing.

I also enjoyed the Café VeronaTerrace from Romana. Nice people and good wine. And speaking of wine, there is a bistro called Bruno Wine Bar, the first wine-bar in Bucharest with a fine variety of wines. And for a rosé lover is the perfect place.

Others bars I like: Dianei 4, Energiea.  And absolutely go to Infinitea, a tea house near Eroilor Subway Station in an old house with the perfect garden! The feeling there has nothing to do with the agitated life from the center of Bucharest.

For coffee go to Origo. It might be quite small, but in the right company is the perfect place to chat and enjoy good coffee. Also, there is this corner bistro in Dorobanti Square with five types of infusion for coffee and pretty cheap compared to the prices in the area. A pity I don’t remember the name.

For walking hours and hours go to Titan Park. Not only you will love it, but it is huge so is gonna take a while to walk around it.

NIGHT: Where are you going out at night? 

I went out recently to Eden Club, below the Stirbei Palace on Victoriei Avenue. I was not in the country when they opened so I didn’t catch the vibe from the beginning but is a perfect place to spot the underground culture in Bucharest. Also, Control Club is an oldie but goldie place in Bucharest. Nice people and chilled out atmosphere.

The classics club I know and been to are Club A, Terminus, Expirat/OtherSide, Panic, El Comandante and El Comandante Junior; Classics for students and people who want to have fun until sunrise. Tête a Tête for summer parties.

SHOPPING: What do you shop in Bucharest and where? 

I usually go shopping for food in the supermarkets near home. And even though is not my intention I end up almost all the time in some Mega Image Shop from some corner. The best market is probably Obor Market, the place where I was about to buy a mug even though I didn’t need one just because the seller was very convincing.

There are lots of fairs in Dianei 4 and I also spotted some fair events at J’ai Bistrot Bucharest this summer. If I go there I am looking mostly for clothes and accessories.

CULTURE: What are the cultural products/sites you enjoy in Bucharest? Where do you “consume” them (art galleries, museums, monuments, cinemas, cultural centers, concert halls, dance venues etc.). 

The latest art venue I visited was WASP - Working Art Space and Production with the exposition Platform X and, as the organizers put it, it was a creativity manifest to the innovation of the young artists. The National Museum of Art and George Enescu Museum are a must see if you want to discover our culture.

I don’t really go to see commercial movies in cinemas, but I enjoy open cinemas. Last year there was a film projection in the Botanical Garden and it was really cool.

I don’t remember monuments even if I see them, but as a visual pleasure the garden in front of the Athenaeum is quite relaxing and nice place to hang out in the night. Especially if you enjoy seeing old couples walking hand in hand together and whispering. The Athenaeum itself is a monument and also Casa Presei and the Roman Arenas.

ROMANIAN MOVIES, BANDS, ARTISTS ETC.: What are the latest Romanian movies, bands, artists etc. that you liked? 

For a long time I didn’t want to see any Romanian movies because I knew how they ended. Sad. Everything about our lifestyle was in the end sad and full of failed attempts to become happy. Or at least that was my impression not long time ago. Until one day, in some Polish cinema I saw they were playing Child’s Pose. I  thought it was not a bad idea to see a movie from my country while being abroad, just to see how I’d feel. And I felt like home. With all the good and bad things, the Romanian cinema has something different and out of the ordinary. Also, The Death of Mr. Lazarescu is a good movie. Again, a sad must. 

Music: GOLAN and their fresh and uncategorized sound. They became an anthem for the lonely nights when I don’t go out. And again, a band I discovered recently, Toulouse Lautrec. And forever and ever, OCS - Omul cu Sobolani. Paranoia is the song that defines Bucharest, in my opinion.

Subcarpati and their folkloric sound. Proudly representing the Romanian traditional music in a unique way. And speaking of Romanian folklore: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bxqjtbh_vCg

Artist: I discovered at some point and I liked it: Gabriel Stoian and his manifest towards the Romanian cultural values.

BUCHAREST DISCOVERY: What are your Bucharest discoveries (hidden places, could be anything from a street corner to an abandoned factory, from a less known bar or café to a certain week day in a club where good music is playing)?

The gangway from Victoriei Avenue, near Capsa Hotel. The balcony and the small pub as well as the smell defines Bucharest and the ordinary people who became important parts of the culture without knowing.

The street near The Telephone Palace and the small park near Kretzulescu Church. The inside garden of the Stravrapoleos Church. The hallway from Humanitas Library near Kretzulescu Church. Cismigiu Park in the night.

The sunrise from “I don’t remember what plaza” near the Bellu Cemetery . I went there once and the second time a friend tried to get in the security guy chase him and locked the door to the roof. Beautiful view though.

The graffiti from Berzei I saw when I was driving with my instructor. I asked him what is there and he told me some youngsters were playing. They were playing quite nicely.

The abandoned houses from the street between Unirii Station and Universitate. In the night is quite scary and interesting in the same time. You don’t feel like walking in the center of Bucharest.

Paris Street. The Stock Exchange Palace. And the main dining room from the George Enescu Museum.

Why visit Bucharest?

As a friend from France told me, there is something unexpected about Bucharest. Everything can change in a minute, everybody is minding their own business, but if you say hi, you will probably receive help from any person in the street. Caring people and lots of energy.

Also, the fact that nobody is interested on a certain architectural shape of this city. One can obtain the authorization to build whatever building next to a totally different monument. But well, this can be art in some people’s eyes.