Interwar Bucharest was a city of striking contrasts, where the opulence of grand palaces coexisted uneasily with the turmoil of working-class neighborhoods. Yet these disparate worlds often intersected in the city’s taverns, which became spaces where aristocrats, artists, laborers, and rogues mingled over food, wine, and music. Among the most celebrated of these establishments was Mandravela, a tavern located on the site of what is today Piața Sudului, famed for its raucous parties, the lăutari who played until dawn, and its uniquely chaotic yet bohemian atmosphere.

The crossroads of fate

Mandravela’s very location was symbolic. It stood at what locals called the “cursed crossroads,” where three roads diverged toward three ominous destinations: Bellu Cemetery, the Obregia psychiatric hospital, and the infamous Văcărești prison. 

Here, revelers, underworld figures, artists, and recently released inmates could share the same tables and drink from the same glasses. The tavern inspired poetry from some of its anonymous patrons, capturing the essence of its charm:

"A tavern with a little shed,
 Quite dilapidated though it may be,
 It’s all you see when you arrive
 At Mandravela’s welcoming spree.

But it’s not about the shed or tiny windows,
 It’s the glue that draws you here,
 Not hygiene, nor splintered wood,
 Nor the soda in the glass you cheer.

You come when joy has seemed too brief,
 And hunger drives you to the belly stew.
 Here everything appears beautiful,
 The grass is green, the air is fresh,
 And space for conversation is true.

At your feet stretches the panorama,
 With trees, baskets, churches in view—
 Bucharest, flawed yet dear,
 Its sights forever vivid for you.

When it’s time to depart, four paths lie ahead:
 One leads to Văcărești, another to Bellu,
 The third to the new asylum,
 And the fourth… if that’s what you seek,
 It takes you across fields, noble guest,
 Where the plains are left to roam!"*

The rise of “the Banker of Berceni”

The man behind Mandravela’s fame was Costică Alexandrescu. Far from being just a tavern owner with a good eye for business, he was an ambitious entrepreneur who became one of interwar Bucharest’s most prominent landowners. 

Together with his brother Vasile, Alexandrescu opened Mandravela, choosing its unusual name from an archaic Romanian word meaning “lie.” Perhaps the choice was prophetic, for Alexandrescu’s story would later be entangled with one of the largest banking frauds of the period.

Mandravela flourished under Alexandrescu’s management, attracting clientele from all walks of life. Yet his ambitions extended far beyond the tavern. 

In 1925, alongside other investors, he founded the Banca Funciară a României, a bold venture that earned him the nickname “the Banker of Berceni.” At the time, Romania’s banking system was fragmented, with nearly a thousand private banks in operation, so such enterprises were both daring and risky.

His financial ventures continued in 1931 when he became president of the board of directors of Banca România, though his tenure lasted only a month before he was dismissed. Nevertheless, by then Alexandrescu had amassed considerable wealth, and his 14,000-square-meter estate between Șoseaua Olteniței and Șoseaua Berceni continued to generate income.

The great fraud

Trouble arose with the agricultural crisis of 1929, which left thousands of Romanian farmers unable to repay their debts. In 1932, the government intervened with the Conversion Law, which halved farmers’ debts, with the remainder covered by the state. 

Seizing the opportunity, Alexandrescu concocted an audacious scheme. Though he was not a farmer, he falsely claimed to be one and bribed two tax officials to falsify documents, allowing him to access funds meant for struggling agriculturalists.

This maneuver cleared him of a debt of one million lei, essentially at the expense of public funds. However, the deception was eventually uncovered, and Alexandrescu, along with the complicit officials, faced justice. 

The two officials were sentenced to three and five years in prison, but Alexandrescu himself avoided punishment—not through acquittal, but because he died during the trial.

Yet death did not spare his estate from financial collapse. In 1937, his main creditor, Banca Populară “Sf. Trifon,” initiated proceedings to seize his assets. Mandravela and his other properties were auctioned off, bringing an end to an era defined by legendary parties, lăutari, and dubious deals.

Legacy of a legendary tavern

Even though the tavern no longer exists, the name Mandravela lives on in Bucharest’s collective memory. Older generations still recall epic celebrations, glasses that were never empty, and the colorful, eclectic crowd that filled every corner of the tavern. 

Today, Sudului Market stands where Mandravela once thrived, but few remember the tavern where interwar Bucharest laughed, drank, and scandalized in equal measure.

Costică Alexandrescu remains emblematic of his era: a visionary in hospitality, a cunning financier, and a man whose life defied convention at every turn. Through Mandravela, he left an indelible mark on the city’s cultural and social history, a testament to both the glory and the peril of interwar ambition.

We also recommend: The story of “The inn without a name”, the temple of lost souls. Here the poor and the unlucky sought refuge