Italians know best

Apr 30, 2009
By TBT Staff

VILNIUS - If there is any cuisine that has made a bigger impression on Lithuania than Italian has, then I’ll eat my hat. There are countless pizza and pasta restaurants in the country, most of them in chains such as Cilipica, Mambo pizza, Pizza Jazz, Can Can Pizza. Pomidoru pizza, Charlies – the list goes on and on. On top of these there are the independent restaurants that dot the country.

Since independence, Italian food has been a big hit with Lithuanians inventing their own style of the food. Tomato sauce or mayonnaise-based sauces are noticeable on all tables where pizza is served. Though this is not unique to the country, many natives believe that they are indeed enjoying the real deal just like in Naples.

Of course most people know what lasagna or pizza tastes like, but with a cuisine such as Italian, which is eaten – and modified – all over the world, Italians themselves should be the ones to judge the country’s best and most authentic restaurant.

Gianluca Crosatti, a student from Verona who has lived in Vilnius for over a year, rates the traditional Da Antonio restaurant one of the best in town.

“My favorite Italian restaurant in Vilnius is Antonio on Vilniaus Street. It has a high quality of service, first of all and quality of food for the second step. They have real Italian food and a good assortment of wine,” he said.

“There is not a special dish there – it is just made in the Italian way. I recommend the spaghetti Angelo. I think Italians, especially businessmen, really appreciate that place for the service. It is kind of above the sheet average in Vilnius. Moreover, it is an historic restaurant – the brand means something.”

Another Italian resident, who has lived in Vilnius for over a decade, is Francesco Di Marco. The wine importer said that while he hasn’t been to all the Italian restaurants in the city, he would also recommend Da Antonio.

“The only real one is Da Antonio – but it really depends on the person. If you want to go every day in Vilnius[…] you can’t do it – too expensive.”
“The level of the kitchen is not for discussion – it is in a good way. The rest are actually not real Italian restaurants. Some are inspired by the cuisine, but there is not a restaurant where the chef is a real Italian or gastronomy consultant is a real Italian,” Di Marco said.

Di Marco said that having an Italian in the kitchen ensures that the product remains at a high level.
“Esse [on Gedemino Avenue] is in the middle price range and they have an Italian chef as a consultant, but he only comes occasionally – and here in Lithuania you need to watch closely.”

“However, I have not been to all the restaurants, because I go to restaurants very rarely. I like to eat at home,” he added.”

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