When you hear the word steampunk, what thoughts leap to your mind? You may picture an unsettling image of The Half-Face Man from the hit British TV series Dr. Who, antagonizing a breathless Clara Oswald with his mechanical stare. You may think of Captain Nemo, in search of the deadly narwhal sea beast on board his submarine the Nautilus. Both of these imaginings would be accurate. Steampunk is generally defined as a kind of futuristic science fiction as people living in the 19th century—the time settings of Dr. Who and Jules Verne’s 20,000 Leagues Under The Seas—might have envisioned it.

At the Hypso 25 coffee shop, bar and restaurant in Romania’s ancient city of Constanta, you’re going to envision things that way too. The bistro’s designers, 6th Sense interiors., make sure of it with a style heavily influenced by the works of nineteenth century author Jules Verne. You don’t walk into Hypso 25 so much as plunge, with instant transition to an 1870 realm of water and machines. From the jellyfish overhead lights rigged with twisty metallic tentacles to the clockwork copper skeletons of mechanical fish mounted within heavy Victorian frames. From the drinks served with small treasure chests to the telephone that resembles something Captain Nemo might use to shout orders to his harried crew. A visit to Hypso 25 is like a visit to a past the never was. A time dreamed but never realized. A world wished for and here at last obtained, if only for the length of your visit.