Nineteen18 — Restaurant in Vilnius

In short - it is a diverse fine food tasting experience for 84 EUR. The price/quality ratio is sensible for Vilnius. You get to taste 10 small courses that are in the range of good to great. The setting is very nice and the service is fast and friendly. Lithuanian restaurants are not ranked by Michelin guide, but if they were, my guess is that this restaurant would be in the range of 1 star. Here are a few impressions of this restaurant after dining there on 2023 New Year‘s eve. The style of food I would describe as eclectic, playful and a bit mischievous. The dishes are superbly plated and visually very appealing. The waiters and (sometimes) the chef present the courses and their background stories, which is great for creating a memorable dining experience. The dinner gave an impression that the visual appeal and storytelling is the restaurant‘s primary focus. But how about the food itself? Was it tasty? How about the flavors and scents? My impression after the 10 course dinner was that it‘s a bit of a hit and miss. It’s always an issue with one bite courses that their scent tends to vanish, because the amount of food is just too small. (It’s not like you would be getting a plate of garlic fried shrimp or sauerkraut that you can smell 20 feet away). All the food in Nineteen18 was savory, but since most of it came in small pieces and were very diverse in flavor, none of them gave an immersive experience. Flavor diversity is appealing only to a certain point. It is very difficult to present a coherent food experience if the dinner includes 20 or 30 different flavors - plums, fish caviar, merengue, parsnip puree, beetroot sauce, Christmas spice mix, pickled vegetables, honey cake, duck breast, boletus sauce,... The list goes on and on. I think the Chef overdid it. My favorite course of the dinner was a desert toying with three Lithuanian traditional Christmas eve meals. There the flavors were harmonious - starting on the top with gentle mashed poppy seed milk, then a bit more intensive „kisielius“ flavor and reaching at the bottom very intensively flavored dried fruits. On the other hand - another course - the ricotta stuffed dumplings were ill-paired with very strongly flavored boletus mushroom sauce that completely overwhelmed the subtler flavors of the dumpling. The decor of that course were „trompettes de la mort“ mushrooms that were also completely lost. If I were dining blindfolded, I would not have been able to tell what they were, although they do have a distinctive and pleasant flavor of their own. So it is just the decor for visual and story-telling appeal. Overall the dinner gave an impression that it was a bit too eclectic. The restaurant tries to be too many things at once - it is a little bit of everything - a bit of regional cuisine, a bit of chef‘s experimenting, a bit local farmer‘s produce, a bit of variation on iconic meals like hamburgers and dumplings... It is a bit like tapas tasting going to ten different places. It is not a coherent story of one national cuisine style. It‘s not a coherent story of one chef‘s personal style. It‘s not a coherent story of specialty restaurant. I respect the fact that the chef is continuously experimenting, but I think that this restaurant would benefit from developing a few „signature dishes“ that are anchoring the menu. Was there something that would stick in my memory as a distinctive and memorable flavor that would invite me to come back and ask for the same? I am not sure. How about the service? The service staff were very friendly, pleasant, and efficient. The dining hall was filled with waiters who were scurrying forth and back, delivering the meals and clearing the emptied dishes. The place felt very dynamic and alive. I think it is a good sign, although sometimes the pace felt a tiny bit hurried. In conclusion, it was an interesting and engaging dining experience full of diverse flavors that lacked some coherence. I would give it 4.5...

We found Nineteen 18 to be an exclusive and innovative restaurant of the highest class. Nineteen 18 has an open kitchen and about seven tables in a modern minimalist environment. When writing this, Nineteen 18 offers a tasting menu at a fixed price, with beverage pairing in three different price categories (“Wine-lovers”, “Curiosity” or non-alcoholic alternative). Expect three hours starting at about 18:30 and over two hundred euros per person. There are excellent restaurants in Vilnius. Most likely, Nineteen 18 stands out as the very best. I must point out that our experience was outstanding. I describe our impressions below.

After booking, the restaurant called us and offered adaptation to any allergies or other wishes.

Upon arrival, we got a fantastic reception, with everything from taking care of our outer garments to our table seating. The entire staff of about eight people greeted us and the chef personally presented the kitchen and his staff to us.

The service was fantastic throughout the dinner. Here the water glass was always filled and we never had to push the chair ourselves. The staff was not noticed and was always there for us. Everything was explained in a rich, clear and entertaining way in perfect English. We never had to guess or wonder anything. The timing was perfect, both in the small and in the large. In the beginning, we were a little tense because we didn't know what to expect. This quickly changed to pleasantness and relaxation, and our curiosity increased from course to course.

The tasting menu, with the wine pairing, felt innovative and very well composed. We found that there is a common thread or theme throughout the menu, or rather, several silver threads twisted together. Everything felt consistent and well thought out in the smallest detail. I then think about such things as ingredients and their origins, cooking methods, tastes and taste sensations, presentation, serving, surprises for the guests, and creating the expectation. The tasting menu felt like a well-developed, unified product, with grand totality and astonishingly fine details. The dishes had a continuous forest theme with at least five different tree species, this was applied both to ingredients, flavors (including smoked flavors) and presentation. We also felt there was a distinct Lithuanian touch of the dishes, which were otherwise similar to those in the modern Scandinavian cuisine. Most of the ingredients came from the restaurant’s farm, completely natural and original of the Lithuanian cuisine, such as, for example, carrot, kohlrabi, artichoke, and black currant. Both the presentation and the serving at the table was surprising and made to perfection.

In our opinion, the beverages fit perfectly with every dish. We chose the wine pairing named “Curiosity” because we felt more like curious amateurs than wine experts, and we also wanted the restaurant to take out the turns more. “Curiosity” included different kinds of white and red wine, but also cider, locally brewed beer and port wine. All beverages were of the best possible quality, with surprising flavors and colors, and in reasonable quantity.

The tasting menu included 10 dishes, but with interesting tastings, there were 15 courses or servings. Our wine pairing menu included seven different beverages (plus bottled water).

We highly recommend this restaurant for those who want to pay extra to have a rare special and memorable experience, appreciate excellent service and visual presentation, and appreciate innovative food and its combination...

We recently dined at your establishment, drawn by its Michelin star reputation and glowing reviews. While the restaurant's decor was undeniably impressive, and the food presentation and combinations showcased creativity, we regret to share that our overall experience fell far short of expectations. The taste of the dishes, while visually appealing, was underwhelming. For a restaurant of this caliber, we anticipated flavors that would match the artistry of the presentation, but the dishes lacked the depth and refinement we hoped for. What truly marred the evening, however, was the unprofessional behavior of one of the waitstaff. At one point, the waitress visibly demonstrated dissatisfaction, even rolling her eyes, which felt dismissive and entirely out of place in such a reputable establishment. To add to the disappointment, one of the desserts brought to us was rudely dropped onto the table, further contributing to a sense of neglect and lack of care in the service. We understand that every establishment can have an off day, but such incidents, combined with the lackluster flavor of the dishes, have unfortunately left us with a less-than-favorable impression. We hope this feedback is taken constructively, as we genuinely believe in the potential of your team and restaurant to meet the high standards...