Multi-cultural cuisine
Over the centuries, Vilnius has benefitted from many cultural influences. These have had a major impact on its culinary scene. Throughout the capital, you’ll find Jewish, Karaite, Polish, Russian, Ukrainian, Italian and German techniques and flavours in the city’s restaurants.
Some of the ethnic foods you need to experience are Karaite Kybin (pastry stuffed with meat or mushrooms), traditional Litvak kosher food (bagels or chopped herring), Ukrainian borsch and varenyky, Georgian khachapuri, and many more.
Hipster-style street food
Vilnius has a vibrant Hipster culture which embraces outdoor dining mixed with cultural events, performances and street art. Every Friday and Saturday during the summer months, an Open Kitchen food market kicks off a food art festival. It’s a place in the city that combines a multitude of performance arts and a huge array of food stands. Offerings include everything from Lithuanian cuisine to burgers, Korean, Thai, Armenian and Turkish foods. Another place you should try to get to is Hals Turgus, the oldest market in Vilnius. Here you’ll find a variety of food counters, cafes, gourmet shops and cocktail bars.
The local craft beer culture
During the Soviet-era, private breweries were outlawed. But, that didn’t stop the locals from gathering local ingredients and following their centuries-old brewing traditions. Today, production of local craft beers is on the rise and Vilnius is moving toward its goal of becoming a market leader in this sector.
Local brewers in Vilnius are extremely keen on experimentation when producing their flavours. They often use largely unthought-of ingredients as varied as peas and sour beetroot. If the thought of a Sour Beetroot or pea-infused ale has sparked your interest, beer tasting is available at Prohibicija and Alaus Biblioteka. You might also want to look out for the craft beer pubs, Šnekutis and Špunka which stock a wide range of craft beers.
Cider, kvass and mead
Some more must-try beverages in Vilnius include local farmer-produced cider, kvass (non-alcoholic, fermented bread drink) and the high-quality fruit and berry wines made from traditional recipes.
Mead is the oldest of the Lithuanian drinks and is made from honey and was a favourite of the Grand Dukes. If you want to experience some traditional mean, head to Girta Bite (Drunken Bee. Here you’ll find a wide variety of this fermented honey drink. If you’re a fan of wine, don’t worry as surprisingly, Lithuania also produces wine! We’d suggest heading over to the Queensbury Restaurant where their sommelier will tempt you from a list of more than 50 Lithuanian wines.
Vilnius – More information
For more information on Vilnius, we would recommend visiting the Go Vilnius website which is the official tourism and business development agency for the city. The Go Vilnius site offers information on everything from real estate to leisure activities in Vilnius, and has helpful information on travelling, relocating to, or investing in Vilnius.
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