Cafe culture in Timisoara is older than in most of Romania — a direct inheritance from the Habsburg empire and very much alive in the central squares. The two Cafe Lloyd and Cafe Klapka establishments on Victory Square are the formal grand-cafe options. Cafeneaua Scartz and Cafeneaua Verde occupy similar but smaller Habsburg-era corner buildings nearby.
The bar and nightlife scene is concentrated in Cetate, especially around Union Square and along Strada Alba Iulia. The student-driven craft beer scene is good — Aurora and Bere Timișoreana (a recently revived 1718 brewery brand) are both worth a visit. Romanian wine bars have multiplied over the last decade; Decembar and Pivnița Răzvan are among the better central options.