Winter in Bucharest is in full swing. The weathermen might be losing their minds, but there’s always a silver lining and that is that now is the perfect time to enjoy a hot cup of warm spicy-sweet mulled wine in some of the cities coziest cafes and pubs.
Here are our favorite picks for enjoying mulled wine in the capital.
Price: 9 lei / 250 ml
Special features: This is a very small pub behind the Palace of Thones on Victoriei. There is no smoking inside, which helps the atmosphere immensely.
Price: 7 lei / mug (spiced with nutmeg and cinnamon)
Special features: La Copac promotes itself as a “pub for lords”, which in this case would translate more to the medieval version of hipsters. It’s not terribly cozy, given the rooms and windows are very large, but on the bright side there is lots of space.
Price: 7 lei / mug
Special features: The tea house has the flair of a french bistro, with wooden furniture and colorful painting on the walls. If you’re not in the mood for mulled wine, word around town is this place serves the best lemonade in town. Also, there’s no smoking aloud.
Price: 11 lei / mug (13 lei if you want to serve it with rum)
Special features: Right smack in the center of Old Town, it has a great location even though the interior design itself is pretty cluttered in a typical way for Romanian cafes/bars.
Price: 10 lei / mug
Special features: Muzeul Taranului Roman is one of the most active, colorful institutions of its kind, so naturally the club associated with the museum would follow in its footsteps. Regular concerts, plays and different cultural events are hosted here. Watch out, it’s usually full in the evenings.
Price: 11 lei /mug.
Special features: One of the oldest running inns in Bucharest. The building is old but the food is excellent.
Pizza Hut
Price: 8,9 lei / mug, served with slices of oranges
Special features: If you don’t feel like taking a risk on lesser known establishments, one can always trust in the generic virtues of a Pizza Hut. At least you know what you’re getting.
Price: 9 lei, 250 ml
Special features: There’s not a lot more that can be said about Caru cu Bere, one of the most popular restaurant in Bucharest, except that being so popular has made very “touristy”.
BONUS – Ice skating rinks
Most outdoor ice skating rinks in Bucharest serve mulled wine to their tried customers, Floreasca, Cismigiu and the skating ring in Tineretului to name a few. Watching people stumble on the ice comically makes the hot, steamy, spicy wine taste all the better.
Diana Petrescu