Bucharest Entertainment

  1. Amsterdam Grand Cafe

    This rustic, two-floor bar with great seating areas has big windows to look onto the cobblestone lane. There's live jazz some afternoons. Food's available, but it's better for drinks.

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  2. Backstage

    Behind the cursive neon sign is this ground-floor bar, with a basement disco (around €2.50 ) that hosts Thursday rock concerts ( €0.60 ).

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  3. Caru cu Bere

    Bucharest's oldest beer hall plays home to serious Gothic style and an irresistible atmosphere, although it was closed for renovation when we visited. Check to see its new state - it's likely they'll bring back the Roma bands, but revive the sour service.

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  4. Cinema Pro

    Most films are shown in their original language. Check www.sapteseri.ro or www.cinema.ro for film information. One option is Cinema Pro.

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  5. Cinema Scala

    Most films are shown in their original language. Check www.sapteseri.ro or www.cinema.ro for film information. One option is Cinema Scala.

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  6. Cinematica Eforie

    Most films are shown in their original language. Check www.sapteseri.ro or www.cinema.ro for film information. Cinematica Eforie plays Bergman and arthouse films, and some Romanian films.

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  7. Club A

    Run by students, this club is a classic and beloved by all who go there. Indie pop/rock tunes play until very late Friday and Saturday nights.

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  8. Dubliner

    A long-time expat hangout, with draft Guinness and football games attracting a grab-bag of fans - locals tend to stick with the sidewalk tables, while jaded sports fans linger by the TVs or dartboard inside. The Dubliner's steak sandwich is super, but priced for foreign budgets.

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  9. Fire Club

    This is a big red-brick room with student groups crouched on stools around small tables, bottles of Tuborg in hand. Rock and punk shows are staged in the basement.

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  10. French Institute

    Film screenings, plus it has an excellent bistro.

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  12. Green Hours 22 Jazz Club

    This cosy basement jazz hall has stools and artfully patched books in arched nooks.

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  13. Hollywood Multiplex

    Most films are shown in their original language. Check www.sapteseri.ro or www.cinema.ro for film information. One option is Hollywood Multiplex, a big, multiscreen jobbie.

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  14. IO Coffee Bar

    On a chic spot looking from a blown-out ruin of the 1989 clash at nearby Piaţa Revoluţii, this two-floor cafe has back-lit wall-length B&W prints of the 1989 scene and candles on the table.

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  15. Ion Luca Caragiale National Theatre

    Bucharest's many theatres offer a lively mix of comedy, farce, satire and straight contemporary plays in a variety of languages. Tickets cost no more than around €3 . Theatres close in July and August. Built in the 1970s, the Ion Luca Caragiale National Theatre is named after the 20th-century playwright who kicked off his career here as a prompter. The box office is on the southern side of the building.

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  16. Jewish State Theatre

    Plays in Romanian and Yiddish are held here.

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  17. Jukebox

    Laid-back basement venue with lively karaoke on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday nights, plus live music Wednesday.

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  18. La Butoaie

    Huge with uni students, this lively open-deck bar on the 5th floor of the Ion Luca Caragiale National Theatre fits hundreds, with benches and big pillows in the seating areas. It fills early on nice days.

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  19. Mes Amis

    More Marais than its glitz-job neighbours on Gabroveni, this alley bar has wood-beam ceilings, grapefruit-pink walls and alt rock coming through the speakers.

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  20. Opera House

    Enjoy a full-scale opera in a lovely building for around €1 to €4 .

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  21. Piranha Club

    About 2.5km west of the centre, the student-dorm area teems with Bucharest's merriest drinking/eating life. Action's found on either side of the Dâmboviţa River. Best is this, a jungle-lodge-type place with piranhas in aquariums, low-lit gazebos decked out like country homes, cosy seating inside for when it's cold, and pretty good food. There are frequent live shows too. It's south of the river, a couple of hundred metres west of the Grozăveşti metro station.

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  23. Queen's

    The main gay venue in town is Queen's.

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  24. Romanian Athenaeum

    It's a good idea to dress up for a night out, at least once. The Romanian Athenaeum hosts prestigious concerts and should not be missed. It's home to the George Enescu Philharmonic Orchestra; most shows are scheduled September through June (usually Thursday and Friday nights).

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  25. Twice

    DJs and amateur stripping are part of the hip-to-hip youth dancing to two beats in two rooms. Prepare to sweat.

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  26. White Horse

    British-style pub caters to a more professional, but still boozy, crowd in this smoky, busy two-floor place in northern Bucharest.

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