Restaurant in Vilnius, Lithuania
Sealed-menu format, hard to book, worth it.
Nineteen18 is Vilnius's only Michelin-starred restaurant and the most demanding reservation in Lithuania. Chef Andrius Kubilius runs a sealed tasting menu of around ten courses, sourced in part from the kitchen's own farm, in an industrial-style Old Town courtyard space. Book four to six weeks ahead minimum — the kitchen counter is the seat to request.
You sit down, and a sealed envelope is placed in front of you. Inside is the evening's menu — around ten courses that you can read now or let unfold as a surprise. That small ritual tells you almost everything you need to know about Nineteen18: this is a restaurant that has thought carefully about every detail, from the industrial-framed courtyard setting in the heart of Vilnius's Old Town to the way Chef Andrius Kubilius and his team work the open kitchen counter. The verdict is direct , if you want the single leading tasting-menu experience in Vilnius, this is where you book. The question is whether you can get a reservation before someone else does.
Nineteen18 holds a Michelin star (awarded 2024) and appeared on La Liste's Leading Restaurants ranking with 79.5 points in 2025 and 76 points in 2026. It also carries a White Star recognition from Star Wine List (published July 2025), which signals a wine program worth taking seriously alongside the food. These are not decorative credentials , they place Nineteen18 in a very small group of restaurants in Lithuania operating at this level of consistency and ambition.
The format is a sealed tasting menu of approximately ten dishes. Michelin's own published notes highlight the dumplings with mushrooms and the Danish beef with chicken caramel as standouts, with the kitchen's own farm providing a meaningful share of the produce. The flavors run toward precise, produce-led cooking rather than theatrical complexity , the kind of food where a well-sourced ingredient in a clean preparation carries more weight than elaborate technique for its own sake. This is a useful reference point if you are weighing up whether the format suits your group: this is not a kitchen chasing visual drama, it is one chasing depth of flavor.
The room itself occupies an industrial-style space within a courtyard complex in Vilnius's historic centre. The courtyard includes other shops and eateries, all operated by the same team, which gives the whole destination a cohesive feel rather than a restaurant dropped into a tourist strip. The atmosphere is described as refreshingly laid-back for a Michelin-starred venue , meaning the formality dial is lower than you might expect at this price tier, which matters for groups deciding whether a celebration dinner here will feel comfortable or stiff.
For a special occasion booking, the kitchen counter is the place to request. Michelin's notes specifically call it out as the optimal seat, because it puts you in direct conversation with Kubilius and the team. For a date or a small celebration of two, this is the obvious move. For larger groups, the calculus shifts: counter seating will not accommodate a party of four or more in one run, so the main room becomes the practical choice. The venue sits within a larger courtyard complex, which raises the question of private dining arrangements for groups , given the ownership structure and the multiple spaces on site, it is worth contacting the restaurant directly to ask about group configurations before assuming the main dining room is your only option. No confirmed private dining data is available in our records, but the multi-venue courtyard context makes it a reasonable question to raise at the time of booking.
At the €€€€ price tier, Nineteen18 is the most expensive dining option in Vilnius's current field. For a special-occasion group meal, the value case rests on the Michelin star, the farm-to-table sourcing, and a format that keeps the whole table on the same journey rather than fragmenting into individual orders. That shared-experience structure makes it better suited to celebratory groups than a standard à la carte room would be.
Booking difficulty is rated Hard. With a Michelin star, a compact menu format, and a Google rating of 4.8 across 393 reviews, demand consistently outpaces availability. Book as far ahead as possible , four to six weeks is a sensible minimum for a weekend slot. No online booking link is available in our current data; approach via the restaurant's direct contact. The address is Dominikonų g. 11, Vilnius 01131, in the Old Town.
If Nineteen18 is outside your current budget or simply unavailable on your dates, Džiaugsmas is the natural next consideration in the modern cuisine category , at €€, it delivers a contemporary approach to Lithuanian cooking at a fraction of the price. For something with a broader drinks focus and a more convivial format, Amandus and Augustin are worth checking. If you are building a longer Vilnius itinerary, see our full Vilnius restaurants guide, and for where to stay, our Vilnius hotels guide has current options across price tiers.
For context across Lithuania, the modern-cuisine tier includes Arrivée in Kaunas and Apvalaus Stalo Klubo in Trakai as regional reference points, and ALBA Bistro in Klaipeda for the coast. If you are benchmarking Nineteen18 against European peers at a similar ambition level, Maison Lameloise in Chagny and Frantzén in Stockholm sit in a comparable conversation around farm-led, precision-driven tasting menus. Also worth noting for regional context: Pas mus and 14Horses in Vilnius, and Red Brick in Radiškis and Paliesius manor for those exploring the broader Lithuanian dining scene. For bars and other experiences in the city, see our Vilnius bars guide and our Vilnius experiences guide.
The format is a sealed tasting menu of around ten courses , you will not be choosing dishes from a standard menu. The kitchen counter is the leading seat for first visits, as it lets you interact with Chef Andrius Kubilius directly. At the €€€€ price point, this is the most formal dining commitment in Vilnius, but the atmosphere reads as laid-back for a Michelin-starred room. Book well in advance: this is one of the harder tables to secure in Lithuania.
The kitchen counter, which is the recommended seating, suits smaller parties. For groups of four or more, the main dining room is the practical option. The restaurant sits within a courtyard complex with multiple spaces operated by the same team, so it is worth asking directly about group or semi-private arrangements when you contact them to book. No confirmed private dining data is available in our records, but the multi-space setup makes it a reasonable enquiry.
Yes, if a produce-driven, precision-led format is what you are after. The Michelin star (2024) and La Liste ranking (79.5pts in 2025) back up the quality case. The kitchen sources from its own farm, which gives the menu a grounding in ingredient quality rather than technique for its own sake. For a celebratory meal in Vilnius, there is no comparable alternative at this level , Džiaugsmas is the closest in format but operates at the €€ tier with a different level of ambition.
Four to six weeks ahead is the minimum for a weekend slot. With a Michelin star and a compact tasting-menu format, the dining room fills quickly. If you have a specific date in mind for a celebration or event, book the moment it is within your window. No online booking link is currently available in our data , contact the restaurant directly at Dominikonų g. 11, Vilnius.
At €€€€, it is the most expensive restaurant in Vilnius's current field , but it is also the only one with a Michelin star. The farm-sourced produce, the sealed-menu format, and the kitchen counter interaction all point to a kitchen that has earned the price tier. For a special occasion where the meal itself is the event, the value case is solid. If the price is the main consideration, Džiaugsmas at €€ offers modern cuisine in Vilnius at a much lower entry point, though without the same credentials.
Smart casual is the right call. Michelin's own notes describe the atmosphere as refreshingly laid-back for a restaurant at this level, so strict black-tie formality is not expected. That said, at €€€€ with a Michelin star, arriving in casual sportswear would be out of step with the room. Think smart evening wear rather than formal dress , comfortable but considered.
| Venue | Cuisine | Awards | Booking Difficulty | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nineteen18 | Modern Cuisine | Nineteen18 is a restaurant in Vilnius, Lithuania. It was published on Star Wine List on July 21, 2025 and is a White Star.; La Liste Top Restaurants (2026): 76pts; La Liste Top Restaurants (2025): 79.5pts; Vilnius’ historic centre plays host to a lovely courtyard of shops and eateries, all owned by the same team, with the flagship being this lovely industrial-style restaurant with a refreshingly laid-back feel. You are given a sealed menu – to open either now or later – which comprises a series of around 10 dishes that flow effortlessly into one another. The dumplings with mushrooms are a joy to eat, as is the beautifully cooked Danish beef with a wonderful chicken caramel – and their farm plays a pivotal role when it comes to the produce. The kitchen counter is the place to sit, so that you can interact with Chef Andrius and his genial team.; Michelin 1 Star (2024) | Hard | — |
| Demo | Modern European, Innovative, Wine Bar & Small Plates | Michelin 1 Star | Unknown | — |
| Somm | Fusion, Modern Cuisine | Unknown | — | |
| Džiaugsmas | Modern Cuisine | Michelin 1 Star | Unknown | — |
| Gaspar's | Indian | Unknown | — | |
| Le Travi | Italian | Unknown | — |
What to weigh when choosing between Nineteen18 and alternatives.
Expect a sealed menu placed in front of you at the start of the meal — around ten courses that unfold in sequence, with no à la carte option. Chef Andrius Kubilius runs the kitchen at Dominikonų g. 11, and the format rewards guests who are happy to hand over control for the evening. If you want to choose your own dishes, this is not the right room — if you want a considered, chef-led progression at Michelin-starred level, it is one of the stronger cases in Vilnius.
Small groups work well here, but the format has natural limits. The kitchen counter, which Michelin specifically calls out as the optimal seat, suits pairs or solo diners who want to interact with the team. Larger groups should request the main room and expect a fixed tasting-menu format for everyone at the table — this is not a venue where half the party orders differently.
For a fixed-format tasting menu in Vilnius, Nineteen18 delivers at Michelin-star level — and the La Liste score of 79.5 points in 2025 and 76 in 2026 puts it in documented standing regionally. The kitchen draws on its own farm for produce, which gives the menu a traceable sourcing logic rather than a generic fine-dining template. If a tasting menu is not your format, Džiaugsmas is the closer alternative in the modern cuisine category.
Book as early as possible — booking difficulty is rated Hard, driven by the combination of a Michelin star, a compact seating capacity, and a Google rating of 4.8 across nearly 400 reviews. For peak dates or weekend evenings, several weeks in advance is a reasonable minimum. If Nineteen18 is unavailable, Džiaugsmas is the natural fallback in the same category.
At €€€€, Nineteen18 sits at the top of Vilnius's pricing tier, but it is backed by a Michelin star earned in 2024 and a La Liste ranking — making the price credentialed rather than aspirational. For Vilnius specifically, this is the high end of what the city's dining market asks, and the fixed format means you are paying for a complete, chef-directed experience rather than individual dishes. If the price point is a stretch, Džiaugsmas offers a comparable modern cuisine approach at a lower cost.
The venue is described as having a laid-back feel despite its Michelin-starred status and industrial-style setting, which suggests smart dress without the formality of a traditional fine-dining room. There is no documented dress code in the available data, but given the €€€€ price point and the structured menu format, arriving in casual clothing would be conspicuous.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
