Braşov
Tipografia calls itself a teahouse, but it's an excellent all-rounder. It makes a mean cup of coffee too, and by sunset the place morphs into one of the…
Must-see nightlife in Transylvania
Cluj-Napoca
Competition for Cluj’s best brew is stiff, but Roots’ silky coffee is the front runner. Staff are as friendly as the flat whites are smooth. Find it just…
Cluj-Napoca
This steampunk cafe will lubricate the gears of any traveller with a penchant for Victoriana. Aside from the fantasy decor, with skull designs,…
Cluj-Napoca
The perfect, quiet spot for evening beers (and good food too). Find a table out front by a small river or in the big garden out back and order from a wide…
Sibiu
Skip down the graffitied corridor and rub your eyes in astonishment as a cellar bar and airy veranda open up. One of the merriest spots in town, Music Pub…
Cluj-Napoca
Before you flee from the hackneyed 'Irish pub abroad' theme, know that this subterranean place has plenty of atmosphere resounding from its cavernous…
Sibiu
Superb coffee and authentic cocktails (try the mojito) make this a special spot, night or day. There's an organic feel to the wood-accented interior, but…
Cluj-Napoca
Squeezed into a narrow courtyard, a jaunty beer garden adjoins this zanily decorated bohemian cafe. Insomnia is one of a slew of bars catering to Cluj's…
Braşov
The best coffee in town can be sipped at this hole-in-the-wall cafe, which has a few wooden stools for you to perch amid bulging bags of beans.
Târgu Mureş
The illuminated wall of red and white bottles is clue enough: Piaf is mixology central. Cocktail creation extends beyond the excellent mojitos. There is…
Sibiu
There's no more genteel Viennese tradition than kaffee und kuchen (coffee and cake), and Cafe Wien has just the right blend of refinement and relaxation…
Transylvania
Decked out in dark wood and spilling into a beer garden, this pub is one of the liveliest spots in town. If shot parties, medieval-themed events and live…
Braşov
With a line up of guest DJs, techno nights, screenings of sporting events and even karaoke, this venue offers a grab-bag of entertainment (or just have a…
Székely Land
Bookish and brick-lined, this boho cafe and community space serves up live jazz, literary meet-ups, and great coffee. Sink into a faded leather armchair…
Sibiu
Adjoining the whimsical PanGeea hostel, this bar was decorated with animal skulls, vintage furniture and mind-bending paintings by the owner's artist…
Transylvania
Deep inside this intimate brick-lined haunt, anything from live rock to DJ sets could be the soundtrack of your vampish late nights. The shot parties are…
Braşov
Jazz flows from this vintage-feel watering hole and restaurant, an art deco dream of stained glass, high ceilings, wrought-iron finery, candelabra and…
Sibiu
One of a new slew of upmarket coffee places, Espressee prepares its brews with loving care, and it shows. Decadent iced coffees are a meal in themselves;…
Cluj-Napoca
Sip good coffee and great cocktails in Tabiet's snug, stone-walled bar or on the terrace, which spills into the cobbled old town. It also serves piadina …
Braşov
As if transplanted from Donegal, this subterranean Irish pub with its early-20th-century cloudy mirrored bar, shadowy booths and old-world soundtracks, is…
Cluj-Napoca
Cluj's only LGBT club is a laid-back bar on weeknights, and a vodka-fuelled, scantily-clad late-night party at weekends. Boys are banned between 11pm and…
Cluj-Napoca
Follow the mural of rock stars beneath neon lights and psychedelic rafters at this hyperactive, ever-changing bar, which draws a young crowd clamouring…
Transylvania
Enjoy chilled elderflower cordial and forkfuls of homemade cake at this shady courtyard cafe. It's south of the fortified church, on a street west of the…
Sibiu
Cosy barfly joint with vampish vaulted ceilings, dimly lit booths for canoodling, great cocktails (15 to 18 lei) and occasional live acts and screenings…
Transylvania
This brick-walled pizzeria spills into a beer garden, where you can chill with a lager (8 lei) or bottle of wine (35 lei) and watch tourists mill around…
Sighişoara
Sip cocktails or boozy coffees in this converted theatre space, or twirl for live music, themed club nights and DJ sets at this catch-all cafe and…
Cluj-Napoca
While this cafe is almost a little too trendy, with its polished tables and trance soundtrack, the coffee is to die for.
Székely Land
A mash-up of live music lounge, pub and Austro-Hungarian restaurant – with clientele a fair sight younger than its name suggests – Old Man's Pub is among…
Cluj-Napoca
On the northern edge of Piaţa Unirii, climb two flights of stairs and push through some doors to find deeply hidden and deeply hip Yolka. The name is…
Târgu Mureş
Just off the square through an archway, this cafe and pub is a favourite with locals thanks to its cosy but chic atmosphere, and occasional program of…
Cluj-Napoca
With its oxblood walls ornamented with Rat Pack prints and musical instruments, and an ever-changing calendar of live music, this nostalgic joint is a…
Târgu Mureş
Open-mic evenings, rock night Fridays, and in between there's a shady courtyard to grab a beer.
