VILNIUS - Vilnius is great at doing two things when it comes to bars and restaurants: cheap and dirty. But LivLounge Baras, near the parliament building, dares to do something a little more interesting: comfortable, sleek and tasteful. This upscale destination is as skillfully designed and tailored as any bar in the city and makes you feel like you belong there.
Talking to bar manager Gita Geciauskaite-Vagos gave me a better insight into the atmosphere in the bar. "This is not a bar: it is a place to sit down and relax." Big comfortable sofas with exquisite tables from Italy serve to highlight this point.
It is not just the way that the bar looks that makes it worth frequenting. One look at the menu and you know that is is worth sampling. There are 46 cocktails on offer, not to mention other classics not on the menu, all of which can be ordered from the expert bar staff. However you could not call this a cocktail lounge exclusively. It boasts an impressive range of spirits from around the globe. "What we have behind the bar is a large range of spirits including Cognacs and Armagnac," said Geciauskaite-Vagos.
Those on a tight budget should stop reading at this point as the bar is as expensive as it sounds. "We aren't catering to the students in the city who come in for a coffee and hang around for ages… This is a place for people who like quality," said Geciauskaite-Vagos.
While cocktails are indeed reasonably priced 's starting at 12 litas (3.5 euros) if you want the full experience of the bar you should expect to have individual bills well over 100 litas. Champagne cocktails start above 50 litas, but use real Champagne (not to be mistaken for sparkling wine). However you can get the same cocktails with sparkling wine at request for a cheaper price. Serves of top shelf spirits hover around the 50 's 60 litas mark.
Popping in for a snack and a coffee is a fantastic idea with sushi servings starting at 6 litas for single divine morsels or 8 litas for sets of more simple sushi platters. Main meals are not served at LivLounge, but platters in a tapas style are available to share. The platters are a mix of different foods and start at 36 litas going up to 149 litas for the most expensive, which includes duck liver pate.
Marketing manager for the lounge Ieva Bieliunaite said that the desserts are the flagship of the menu with the apple pie leading the way. "It is the ugliest thing that you have seen, but that is the reason people come here." Desert platters are also available to share.
Something interesting to note is that the lounge design was overseen by the president of the Ranga Group which owns it. He sent Lithuanian designers to Milan to get inspiration from the Bulgari Hotel and bring back something better. The only thing that seems out of place in the neo-bourgeois atmosphere is the large TV screen above the bar. Otherwise perfect.
Finding the bar is easy. The shape of the building stands out being semi-conical. Call for reservations, or simply turn up.
LivLounge, Gyneju g. 14
Tel: +370 52421055
Open Sun - Wed: noon - 1 a.m.;
Thu - Sat: noon - 3 a.m.
