Initially Lithuania was getting a day of my attention. Result? Three days/four nights but that was more than ok. As usual, my knowledge of a country is minimal before arriving but thanks to my friend Anna, my Lithuanian experience was wicked. I got to met some of her buddies who live there and she knows the good food and drink spots, including the best vegan burgers.
What I was surprised by was the vegan scene developing in Vilnius. Anna told me of vegan-friendly spots beforehand (she is vege) and her friend Rasa confirmed it even more as we chatted about her upcoming vegan related lecture and the scene in Vilnius.
Two years ago there was one vegan restaurant which the Vilnius vegans would head to but were never wowed by the food. Now there is a whole section of the old town with vegan offerings including cupcakes (sadly didn’t try) and other super tasty feasts. Turns out eating vegan in Vilinius and neighbouring countries was easy as while backpacking in Eastern Europe.
Bix
Lebanese burger, chips and beer. Like.
I ate at Bix three times, their vegan friendly Lebanese burger was epic. It’s so good I went there the last day for dinner only to walk out as they were sold out, rats. Bix is a popular local joint with cheap beers (tasty IPA) and a good atmosphere, definitely pop in.
Bohema
Bohema, we went to once and while the decor met my expectations with the chance to whip off the shoes and chill on the hippy cushions the menu sadly did not keep up the vibe 100%. We only had the artichoke tapas which were amazing but frankly I would skip this if you are only going for a big meal as opposed to a beer and chill out time as we did.
Vegcafe
Vegcafe, Vilnius
Vegcafe is a cool little spot proving popular with the locals. I got the vibe everyone in the diner was conscious of making healthy choices despite the temptations of vegan pies and cakes on the menu. I stuck to my guns with a Lithuanian bean soup and fresh vege juice for less than 5euro and had repeat choice the following day after walking out of Bix.
Vegcafe Special’s
Enjoying the Lithuanian bean soup
The tasty vegetable juice
Vegeta
Th blue and white building is the building Vegeta is in
Vegeta is one spot I would never have picked as being vegan friendly if not for Rasa. The blue and white building is right next to the Meat Eaters Pub (no obvious signage), two conflicting locales right there. I went in and found a small restaurant/pub/cafe with a variety of craft beers and knowledgeable staff. I went in with a recommendation to get the tofu panini to find out it was a dinner item only so went with a soup and salad ($4.50). The soup wasn’t the greatest I’ve had but the salad was fresh as and I could definitely eat that everyday.
Vegeta Salad is good
Soup at Vegeta, meeeeeh
To my surprise, Vilnius is a nifty little city with plenty of vegan friendly options and with a local population eager to build momentum towards an animal cruelty free planet I would not be surprised to find Lithuania soon becoming a top place to go for vegan food in Europe.
