The couple realized their dream in four years: a special place to stop

“In the interwar years, a school was established here. This is where the roots of our national identity lie. It is a place where the waves of the Nemunas are buzzing and the scenery is incredible. This is a place where the hospitality of the local people will make you stop for a meaningful respite, ”say the owners of this place, Iveta and Darius Balseriai.

According to the owner of the bistro Iveta Balserienė, those who like to travel on the way to Panemunė, or for what purpose they go to Šilutė, and sometimes discover them in completely unexpected ways, come here.

“This place, as an object of attraction, has been running for centuries. It is not that only now that panemuné has become attractive and popular. It was established in the 13th century, later castles became the residence of merchants. The Nemunas route was sailed by steamboats, it was a favorite of those who met with the owners of the castles. They sat under the linden trees, drinking tea. The artists also liked this place, they painted this region in their paintings, “said Iveta about Panemunė.

Iveta and Darius, moving from Jurbarkas to Vilnius, sold their houses and in 2004 bought this plot with the existing buildings. “We wanted to have a nice place so we could come back and invite the guests,” they shared their memories.

In founding a cozy bistro, Balser took ideas for trips to Italian and French towns.

“We drove the car through Italy, France, various towns and saw how important local cuisine is, and it is not developed in Lithuania.

We visited the people of this place, we wrote the names of the old dishes, the subtleties of their production, we learned many interesting stories that took place several centuries ago. For example, the profession of boatman was very popular among the local people, because for the cult it was necessary to move to the other side of the Nemunas – Gelgaudiškis, so the locals who had their own boats worked as boatmen ”, Balseriai told the story. .

Everything is done by themselves

Iveta is in charge of the kitchen, and Darius is the owner of the bakery, where the most delicious dishes are born every day: homemade ribs, fluffy kugelis or baked bread in pots.

“Our dishes are all natural and real. Very tasty cheeses, bacon and hams, without additives.

The “Keltininkas” cake is also special, with no artificial flavors, glitter, beads, sour cream, flour and everything, “said I. Balserienė.

The invention of the restoration site was invented 4 years ago, little by little it was prepared, built and finally implemented.

“Everything here was abandoned, I even had to dig the basement 4 meters with swords. We slowly renovated. Now we have the goal of restoring the big building. We did everything from the idea to create a nice corner, we really didn’t chase any money, maybe not Let’s get back as much as we invested, but we really like this place. And it’s even more fun for us when people come out happy, it’s like vitamins for the heart, “Balseriai said.