Entertainment in Romania
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A
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.
reviewed
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B
Quinta Café
High ceilings, cushy sofas, antique furniture and wood panelling give this lounge bar a familiar feel; in fact, this is a restored grand house. The weekday subdued music and lighting gives way to pounding bass and darkness on weekends.
reviewed
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C
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.
reviewed
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D
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.
reviewed
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E
Twice
DJs and amateur stripping are part of the hip-to-hip youth dancing to two beats in two rooms. Prepare to sweat.
reviewed
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F
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.
reviewed
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G
Opera Română
Vasile Alecsandri National Theatre and the Opera Românăare in the same impressive neo-baroque building. Alternative performances are held in the smaller studio hall (sală studio) upstairs, which has its entrance on Str Cuza Vodă. For advance bookings go to the Agenţia de Opera . Tickets cost from €1.50, with 50% student discounts.
reviewed
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H
Metamorfoze State Drama Theatre & Opera
The more literary minded should head to the Metamorfoze State Drama Theatre & Opera in the central park. You can get tickets at the ticket office . The theatre is also home to the Black Sea Philharmonic (Filarmonica Marea Neagră) and the Oleg Danovski Ballet Theatre . The Agenţie de Bilete also sells tickets for all performances.
reviewed
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I
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.
reviewed
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J
Oleg Danovski Ballet Theatre
The more literary should head to the Metamorfoze State Drama Theatre & Opera in the central park. You can get tickets at the ticket office . The theatre is also home to the Black Sea Philharmonic (Filarmonica Marea Neagră) and the Oleg Danovski Ballet Theatre . The Agenţie de Bilete also sells tickets for all performances.
reviewed
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King's Club/Disco Keops/Danubiu
This is your one stop eating, drinking and dancing emporium. Dine at Danubiu, then hop next door to King's Club for drinking, DJs and appraisal of the opposite sex. Finally, cut loose for unbridled dancing in Keops. Reservations at King's Club are strongly recommended on Saturdays. The price of a reserved table is wholly applied to your bar tab, after which it's a cash bar.
reviewed
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K
Diesel Bar
It's obvious - right on the main square - but if you walk right pass the hipsters looking to be seen in the all-glass entry and go downstairs into a towering room, with red-spotlit tables and giant rooms,you can mix with the coolest of Cluj. 'It's chill-out on weekdays, DJs and live music on weekends', explained the nose-pierced bartenders.
reviewed
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L
Auld Scots Pub
Capturing local imagination, and plain one-upping the local Irish pub, the kilts and Connery on the walls of this inviting bar can be forgiven for its tasteful sitting areas, three-board dart room and far better-than-average pub fare. Good Romanian wine comes by the glass if you wish, or there are pints of Ursus beer.
reviewed
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M
Club Domino
They cover all the bases at Domino; a ground floor café, a first floor restaurant and, most importantly, one of only two nightclubs in Constanţa proper in the basement. The bright café is a trendy hangout for drinks and snacks. Theme parties are frequent in the club, with drink specials and guest DJs.
reviewed
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Metropolis
Down the zigzag sidewalk from left of the clock tower (from inside the citadel), this cavernous pink-walled joint has a big stage for jam sessions and themed dance nights. Stop by if you hear rehearsal and see if the manager's practising band has found a name yet. To quote him, 'Satriani. Malmsteen…geniuses'.
reviewed
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Obsession
One regular told us with boundless pride that the slick three-room Obsession, about 1km south of the centre, is 'definitely the hottest club in Transylvania'. It gets its cred with its blaring beats, wall-to-wall bodies, theme nights (including Magyar Night), and big-name DJ visitors.
reviewed
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N
Philharmonic
When the much-revered Iaşi State Philharmonic Orchestra is in town its concerts are massively popular; it performs 200 concerts per season, across Romania and abroad. Concerts of some kind are usually held on Friday nights. Tickets start at €2 with 50% student discounts.
reviewed
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O
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.
reviewed
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P
Chill Out
Local students hightail it to this fun, loud, enigmatic spot with a well-lit room and a dark one, where themed nights and DJs rule the roost (one time it was pitch dark, with smooching couples dancing and a guy flashing a torch on the scene - now that's entertainment).
reviewed
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Q
Theatre
Vasile Alecsandri National Theatre and the Opera Română are in the same impressive neobaroque building. Alternative performances are held in the smaller studio hall (sală studio) upstairs, which has its entrance on Str Cuza Vodă.
reviewed
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R
State Philharmonic Theatre
Classical concerts are held most evenings at the State Philharmonic Theatre. Tickets (from around €2.50) can be bought at the box office inside the Philharmonic Theatre or from the Agenţia Teatrală.
reviewed
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Hotel Tinereului Café-Bar
Those collecting experiences should get a coffee or beer - and a free 1980s flashback - at this little, commie-era hotel café in the student quarter, 1km north of the citadel. (Rooms are stuffy and overpriced.)
reviewed
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S
Irish Pub
The attractive, bright, orderly wood interior and exceptional menu miss the true mark of an Irish pub, but you can get your pint of Guinness here and that's what counts. The popular terrace almost overlooks the sea.
reviewed
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T
Irish & Music Pub
A little Wild West up-front, this sprawling pub is a great casual place for buddy blokes to sit and drink, indie-poppers to flirt, and students to study on quiet nights. Lots of live shows on the small stage.
reviewed
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U
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.
reviewed