LITHUANIA EATS : GYVAS BARAS VEGAN RESTAURANT

I must admit, I wasn’t expecting there to be a big vegan scene when visiting Lithuania. After a little look on TripAdvisor for the best vegetarian restaurants nearby, the top recommendation was Gyvas baras. Gyvas baras opened in spring 2015 and is the first 100% vegan bar-restaurant in Lithuania. How to cope when you have so much choice and selection and can eat everything on the menu?

After a quick look on Instagram, we decided it was the perfect fit for a sunny evening dinner. This place is pretty close to Vilnius Old Town, so the location is extremely convenient for travellers. On first impressions, we were love with the decor and managed to get a table on the quiet street outside. With such perfect weather, it was the best way for us to enjoy our grub!

THE VERDICT

But obviously, a restaurant isn’t all about the way it looks or it’s Instagram-factor – how was the food? Excellent, in our opinion. We both went for different burgers and tried half of each as well as a side of chips. Isn’t it great to have a fellow vegan travel buddy who will go half and half on meals, so you get to try a little more of the menu? The jackfruit burger and tofu burger were incredible, to the point that we are trying to recreate it at home, with less success. It is easy to see why this little vegan, relatively cheap restaurant is #11 of 821 Restaurants in Vilnius.

Their desserts sounded incredible but head their early to avoid disappointment as they had completely sold out of every pudding on our visit. Their new menu includes so much more – portobello patty burger, red falafels, mint soup, green curry (spicy), vegan chicken-Kiev and their spicy seitan burger. They all sound so delicious and will be something new we will have to try if we pass by Lithuania again.