Look, I've eaten my way through this entire city after dark and I'm telling you straight — Every single restaurant in Old Town is designed to separate tourists from their money. You'll get frozen sarmale (stuffed cabbage rolls) heated in a microwave and mici (Romanian grilled sausages) that taste like they've been sitting under heat lamps since morning. These places will actually ruin your opinion of Romanian cuisine.

Instead, head north to Amzei district where locals actually eat. Noua Bucătărie Românească on Popa Nan Street 4 does modern Romanian in a gorgeous 1915 villa — Their seasonal tasting menu (180 RON) will completely reset your expectations. Chef trained in Paris and it shows. Book ahead because word is spreading fast.

Floreasca neighborhood has two gems that come alive after sunset. Casa di David (Șoseaua Nordului 42) does this incredible Mediterranean-Romanian fusion that shouldn't work but absolutely does. Then there's Locanta Jaristea (Calea Floreasca 111) — Grandmother-level traditional cooking with live folk music Thursday-Saturday nights. The ciorbă de burtă here is exactly what it should taste like, not the tourist theater version.

Save Old Town for drinking and late-night wandering. But eating there? That's just throwing money away while getting terrible food. Trust someone who's been prowling these streets long enough to know the difference.