Come hungry to Šiauliai: the Sun City’s most memorable flavours

Some cities are best discovered with a map. Šiauliai, Lithuania’s Sun City, is best discovered with an appetite.

Located in northern Lithuania, Šiauliai is known for light-filled squares, museums, boulevard life and the nearby Hill of Crosses. Yet beyond the familiar sights, the city has another story to tell – one of chocolate, herbal tea, bread kvass, historic beer cellars, Jewish culinary heritage and small businesses that turn local character into flavour.

For international guests, Šiauliai offers a refreshing alternative to the usual Baltic travel route. Compact, walkable and sincere, it treats food not as a pause between museum visits, but as part of the city’s identity.

A natural first stop is Rūta, one of the most beloved names in Lithuanian confectionery. Its story began in 1913, when caramel was first produced in a small wooden house in Šiauliai. More than a century later, Rūta has grown into one of the longest-running sweets factories in Lithuania and Europe. Today, its historic building houses the Rūta Chocolate Museum, where visitors can learn about the history of chocolate, Maya and Aztec traditions, the first Lithuanian chocolate factories and Rūta’s own sweet legacy.

But Rūta is not a place for looking only. In educational sessions, guests can briefly become chocolate makers, create their own sweets and taste them on the spot. After this sweet experience, we invite you to drop into the Rūta cafe, located in the same building, to taste inimitable desserts, enjoy a cup of delicious coffee and buy sweet treats in the sweets shop.

From chocolate, the journey moves to herbs, tradition and quiet surprises. On Vilniaus Street, the oldest boulevard in Lithuania, stands Valerijonas, a historic pharmacy whose story began in 1870. Today, it is more than a pharmacy: it also includes a small museum and a teahouse. The museum preserves objects connected to local pharmacy history, while workshops introduce visitors to herbs, traditional remedies and handmade cosmetics.

The teahouse feels like a bridge between old wisdom and modern healthy eating. Here, visitors can taste fragrant teas, vegetarian dishes, porridges, puddings, acorn coffee and marzipan. Valerijonas is also known for unexpected flavours: potato dumplings with chickpea filling and cold beetroot soup (šaltibarščiai) made with cashew milk. In a country where šaltibarščiai is a summer icon, this plant-based version feels both familiar and new.

No culinary journey through Šiauliai would be complete without Gubernija, the oldest brewery in Lithuania. Its roots reach back to 1665, when beer was brewed here and, according to the brewery’s history, served at the royal table. The old cellars, dating back to the times of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, are among the oldest surviving structures in the Šiauliai area and have been declared cultural heritage.

A visit here is a taste of time itself: guests can descend into historic cellars, hear brewing stories and discover why residents are proud not only of beer but also of gira – fermented bread kvass. Refreshing, not too sweet and made from specially baked bread, it carries the taste of Lithuanian everyday memory.

Another essential chapter leads to Chaim Frenkel’s Villa, one of Šiauliai most elegant historic buildings. Closely connected to the city’s Jewish heritage, the villa hosts educational programmes exploring the traditions and subtleties of Jewish cuisine. Here, food becomes a way to understand community, memory and the multicultural layers that shaped Siauliai.

The same historic setting invites visitors to stay for a refined meal at Bleu de Frenkel, where modern cuisine meets the atmosphere of one of the city’s most remarkable heritage spaces. It is a place where quality matters more than quantity, and the menu is designed to create an experience rather than simply fill a table.

Beyond these landmark flavours, Šiauliai invites visitors to wander and let appetite choose the direction. Along the pedestrian boulevard, everyday culinary life unfolds naturally: cosy cafes for slow coffee, small restaurants for European-inspired lunches, hearty Lithuanian and Samogitian dishes, and modern kitchens where flavours travel from the Mediterranean to Asia and back again. It is a street for pausing often – for dessert, a warm meal after a museum visit or a relaxed evening with friends.

The taste of Šiauliai also stretches beyond the boulevard. Near Lake Talkša, after a walk by the water, a visit to the famous Iron Fox or a quiet moment watching the lake, visitors can enjoy a refreshing drink, a light snack or something sweet. For a wider horizon, Lake Rekyva offers fresh air, lake views, fish dishes, European-style meals, desserts and drinks served with water, sky and the feeling of being slightly away from the everyday.

Šiauliai does not imitate larger capitals. Its charm lies in confidence without noise: chocolate, pharmacy herbs, beer cellars, Jewish culinary heritage and small businesses that make travellers stay longer than planned.

Come hungry – and leave with the Sun City still lingering!

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