A new amusement center has been opened in Vilnius, such a market will be the envy of all the Baltic countries

Recently, the most lively corner of Vilnius is the new district of Paupis, whose promoter Darnu Group has promised to surprise everyone for several years, which will have to become a market in the heart of this neighborhood. Due to the pandemic that hit the world, its opening was still delayed, but finally – on May 6, exactly at 11 in the morning. The ultra-modern and elegant place opened on its own, automatically. The preprogrammed doors opened by themselves and the market staff on duty lit the counters to count how many people were entering and how many were leaving. Currently, the flow to the interior is strictly limited, instead of hundreds of guests, there can be 97 visitors at the same time in the “Mercado Paupio”. There will be a lot of work for the calculators, as it was clear in the first hour that the place was doomed to popularity.

In fact, similar food eaters around the world, called “food halls” or “food courts,” are currently on the rise. In cities from Tel Aviv, Istanbul, Lisbon to New York, Los Angeles, Singapore and elsewhere. By opening such places, entrepreneurs compete with each other not only for the interest and goodness of kitchens assembled under one roof, but also for the uniqueness of the market itself. They open in old stations, ports, factories, warehouses. Mainly industrial premises predominate, but they are far from impressive everywhere. Some places are even scary when entering.

Meanwhile, this newcomer to Vilnius – “Paupio turgus” – has all the advantages. The place is not only in a good location, it is also very attractive to the eye.

“There’s never been such a place in Lithuania before,” Algimanta from Vilnius, a sales manager currently on maternity leave, sighed admiringly as soon as she walked through the door. Sigitas and Jūratė, the couple who run a café in the capital’s Old Town, repeat their compliments, and the businessmen came to see what was miraculously opened in the Paupis district. “I say frankly, I thought it would be beautiful, but that it would do so well, I really did not expect it. It seems to me that not only the Baltic countries but also Poland have nothing like it. Here it is guaranteed that it will be a tourist attraction,” said a man who has worked in the catering business for twelve years. Almost everyone who visited the Paupio market today repeated this type of compliment and others like it. Probably the most beautiful phrase was said by Mantas, who works for an advertising agency and has many years living in the British capital.

“Vilnius is taking great strides forward, with such projects we will bypass the best European cities,” he rejoiced and photographed every corner of the new place by phone. It is said that he sent friends abroad to joke around.

People were so eager and curious to see the new venue that the crowd at the gate shook an hour before the opening. Unfortunately, the planned big event with the festive concert did not take place today, it was postponed, the hosts will wait until the quarantine and pandemic restrictions end, and then the riots. At the moment, 300 seats will not be used within the market, in accordance with current regulations – indoor catering is prohibited, so guests are offered the use of tables on the outdoor terrace, there are 150 seats, most of them low. ceiling, with heaters. Therefore, Rūta Chadasevičiūtė, who has become the director of this place, is not afraid that the changing climate of Lithuania may put her foot on the ground. “We thought about it, we tried to have as many places as possible to accommodate all possible weather situations,” he says.

In the opening market, guests will find 16 different kitchens, 5 small shops and 3 bars. In addition to the permanent outlets, there are regular farmers markets on the weekends, as well as various special events. Like the oyster fair, the celebration of the “drink” of the French young wine, and perhaps in the future there will be days related to the harvest of farmers, such as the stench, the potato, the apple and the like. “We have planned a lot of everything, we want our guests to be surprised and happy every time they discover new flavors with us and have fun,” says R. Chadasevičiūtė.

The manager, who agreed to organize a personal tour of the markets, stressed that visitors will find many different areas, tables of different heights, more open and closed spaces. “We wanted to provide places for those who are in a hurry, just to eat, for example during the lunch break, and for those who want to come and spend the night with friends, sit for a few hours or more,” he says. . For this reason, special attention is paid to lighting, the market is very bright during the day and romantic twilight appears at night.

R. Chadasevičiūtė, who was appointed to lead the market, carefully selected each tenant, because he had the goal of having as much diversity as possible here. “We have Lithuanian, Spanish, Japanese, American, Georgian, Turkish, French and different Asian cuisines. I really wanted to be able to offer our guests not only well-known and favorite restaurants, but also new discoveries, which in my opinion deserve attention. I would say that we have a middle ground. Between market professionals and newcomers, ”he says. The manager is proud to invite Paupis to his favorite bakery and cafe “Druska Miltai Vanduo”, which has become popular in the capital station area, where Vilnius residents like to have breakfast on weekends.

The market under the glass roof is reminiscent of a huge winter garden, with up to 1,300 live flowers growing inside, constantly being tended by separately hired staff. The director of the market, who has worked with the catering business for many years, comments that the interior designers, the Plazma architecture studio, were inspired by the buildings of the European capitals of the 19th century when installing the interior of this local.

“Something similar happened in Prague, Brussels and Paris at that time. Perhaps this is why our visitors joke that they feel they are not in Lithuania, “said R. Chadasevičiūtė.

He emphasized that the restaurant, bar and shop hall was located on the site of the Lipskis Brewery in the late 19th century. The smell of beer has remained until now, spreading from the newly opened “Lipskio alinė”, which sells up to 160 types of beer from all over the world. From small Lithuanian brewers to names known and valued around the world.

This brewery produces unique snacks like beer-glazed bacon, specialty cheese-filled potato patties, and jellyfish. “I definitely recommend trying our baked bread, you won’t get it anywhere else,” says Vilius Vaičekauskas, the inventor of Lipskio Alinė, director of the hotel and restaurant group Darnu Group. For the hungriest, he recommends ordering an ultra-saturated sandwich with chicken schnitzel.

V. Vaičekauskas demonstrated how beer will originally be sold at this location. The customer will choose the type he wants, and the bartender will fill the brand beer can and place the top on it with a special machine. “We will be the longest workplace in Paupio Market, when the quarantine is released; we will invite guests to dinner even until 2pm,” says the brewery manager.

On the first market day, La Paella, a Spanish cuisine, received a lot of attention, where chef Miguel, who moved from the Valencia region to Lithuania, produces traditional Spanish pastries. Some diners had two servings at once and even ordered takeout. Also successful was the Japanese restaurant Yakitori, opened by award-winning Latvian Dimitrijus, who has worked in various countries around the world. “I found myself in Lithuania a few years ago, a company had hired me to help them open new restaurants. I liked being here so much that I stayed. Yakitori is my personal project, to which I gave a lot of energy and imagination. I want to show Lithuanians what the highest quality Japanese skewers mean. We pay a lot of attention to quality, on site, together with the kitchen equipment, we make sauces and ferment vegetables, “said the chef.

Another baby from “Paupio turgaus” – a modern Lithuanian restaurant “Burna house” – had just turned around. The chef of this place, Vladimir, was intrigued by offering visitors not only a special lunch of the day every day, but also preparing extremely exclusive zeppelins. With cod and beet, with rabbit, with duck, etc. “I want to show how interesting Lithuanian cuisine can be, we will break the standards, we will surprise even those who have tried everything,” he promised. On the opening day, he recommended that everyone try the roast beef tongue according to the chef’s brand recipe.

Among the popular places familiar to Vilnius residents, Ramen & Sticks, Peri Peri, Burger Kiosk, Wraperia Suppa Kebs, Bola, Khachapuri Bistro, Beaver Pancake and Sugamour. For those who want to discover new places: Sparkling Ocean, Wokout, Mollusca, Wasabi invite you to taste their culinary wonders.

To the market, not necessarily just to eat, here you can buy in selected product stores. “Italian Gourmet” sells oils, cheeses, sauces and other Italian delicacies. The store’s hostess, Liana, recommends customers to try fresh buffalo milk mozzarella, which has just arrived from Italy, as well as a fresh sauce, which customers have just swept up.

The Ekomarket store, which sells vegetables, fruits and organic products, mostly Lithuanian products, received a lot of attention. “We like to buy families with children, we take the oranges directly from the farms, they are not sprayed with anything, they are completely ecological. Lithuanian garden greens, we sell only seasonal vegetables and fruits, only what is growing now. We even have nettles, “said Jūratė, one of the owners of this place.

The head of the market R. Chadasevičiūtė recommended buying in the meat shop “Shmotas”, where he sells not only traditional meat, which is well known to Lithuanians, but also crocodile meat and kangaroo meat. “They choose a good wine before meat, they have a great choice,” he praised.

The most fashionable place in Vilnius for the Paupio Market store will be open from 11am to 6pm. M. At 8 p. M. Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. M. At 8 p. M. Saturdays, from 10 a.m. M. At 6 p. M. On Sundays and from 11 a.m. M. A 9 p. M. Mondays. and Thursday. Friday to Sunday from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.