Vanagai

This is what Vanagai set out to be. Whether it gets there is your call.

Plenty of places in Lithuania are built as an escape from Lithuania. They have their role, and they matter. Vanagai was built to stay where it is and not flinch about it: drop whatever complexes can be dropped, and show the city how its own people see it. Nobody is hanging a flag on every wall. The question is what an international Lithuania looks like.

The kitchen answers with ingredients from here and from elsewhere, and no nerves about either. Soup, hot sandwiches, garlic shrimp and plates to share. The kitchen works Wednesday to Sunday, until 01:30 on Fridays and Saturdays.

The room is big and open, on Stiklių, which the people behind Vanagai call the most beautiful street in Lithuania. The Town Hall is a minute’s walk away. Coffee and non-alcoholic drinks are on the list. Open Tuesday to Sunday, closed Mondays.