VILNIUS - In Your Pocket

48 nightliFe
Seacret C-4, Vokiečių 2, tel. (+370) 670 232 37, www.
seacret.lt. This Old Town club created by the owners of
several successful Vilnius businesses offers cocktails from
freshly squeezed juice, juggling barmen, DJs, live music and
dancers. According to the people who run the place, visitors
are promised a mysterious atmosphere, helped along no
doubt by the fact that they’re also proud to announce that the
name of the club cleverly conceals the words sea and secret.
QOpen 21:00 - 05:00, Thu 21:00 - 03:00. Closed Mon, Tue,
Wed, Sun. Entrance free. PJAEBW
Cocktails
Alchemikas A-2, Islandijos 1, tel. (+370) 612 998 00. It’s
about time a cocktail bar came along that was more about the
art of cocktails than the pretence of the cocktail bar sensation.
Specialising in both classic and modern mixed drinks, it’s worth
paying them a visit just to have a peep at the extraordinary
interior, and if you do choose to stick around, expect to be
bankrupt by the end of the evening thanks to the addictive
allure of their magnificent mixology. Recommended. QOpen
Thu 19:00 - 02:00, Fri, Sat 19:00 - 04:00. JAB
Berlin A-2, Islandijos 1/31, tel. (+370) 609 616 16. If it
really was in Berlin it wouldn’t be open for long, this rather halfarsed
attempt at sophistication seems to think expensive
clothes are more important than culture. Excellent for ogling
dolly birds and little else, Berlin is at least in the part of the
city that’s currently opening new and decent venues at the
drop of a hat. There’s plenty more to choose from less than
a minute away if you don’t like it. QOpen 21:00 - 01:00, Fri,
Sat 21:00 - 05:00. Closed Mon, Tue, Sun. PJB
LGBT Friendly
Attitudes towards all
manner of minority
groups in Lithuania are
slowly changing for the
better, with a handful
of brave individuals
spearheading their respective
campaigns
armed with a combination
of courage and a firm understanding of Lithuanian
law. One such person is the openly gay 22-year-old film
director Romas Zabarauskas, who recently returned to
Vilnius after a period of mind-altering study in New York.
Already gaining support for his day job from the likes of
Gus Van Sant and John Cameron Mitchell, Zabarauskas
recently turned his attention to the gaping chasm between
attitudes towards the LGBT communities in New York and
Vilnius in the form of a spontaneous decision to contact
Vilnius’ bar and restaurant owners to see if they were
willing to put small LGBT Friendly stickers (pictured) on
the doors and windows of their premises. Despite the
usual whinging and threats from certain conservative
members of the local Municipality, reactions have been
overwhelmingly positive, the result being that a growing
number of venues in the Lithuanian capital now proudly
proclaim their support for the LGTB community. This is
good news for everyone, including LGBT visitors to Vilnius
who no longer have to play a game of Russian roulette
when visiting bars and restaurants that may or may not be
owned and frequented by knuckle-heads. Vilnius In Your
Pocket would like to congratulate Romas and the other
people who worked on the project and looks forward to
continuing to write about an increasingly friendly city.
Blusynė Lounge C-4, Savičiaus 5, tel. (+370) 605 191
27. Recently reinventing itself as a cocktail bar has in no way
compromised one of Vilnius’ more quirky and original bars, a
compact affair with an improved garden out the back and a menu
of dishes including some great soups and one of the capital’s
better burgers. Popular with Vilnius’ trendier individuals this is a
great choice for summer drinks and the chance to meet some
of the city’s more interesting locals. QOpen 12:00 - 23:00, Thu
12:00 - 24:00, Fri, Sat 12:00 - 02:00. PJBW
Mojitos B-2, Totorių 11, tel. (+370) 601 125 55. Woe
betide any Cuban or anybody who’s been to Cuba who
ventures through the door of Mojitos, because as was to be
expected this place is about as Cuban as the Helms-Burton
Act. Billing itself as a Cuban cocktail bar, although there’s
nothing wrong with their cocktails they’re not exactly the sort
of thing that would set Havana alight, whilst the food is best
left undiscussed (and in the kitchen). The good news is that
on the saucy scale it doesn’t do a bad job at all, with plenty
of sexy young things in their underwear jiggling about until the
early hours. A good night out for a bit of fun, if you’re looking for
something more authentic you’d better start saving for a flight
across the Atlantic. QOpen 11:00 - 03:00, Fri 11:00 - 06:00,
Sat 16:00 - 06:00, Sun 16:00 - 03:00. PJAB
Pantera A-2, A. Smetonos 5, tel. (+370) 657 614 45. Currently
open just a couple of nights a week, Pantera is the latest
cocktail bar to come crashing onto the scene in a city that quite
frankly could do with a decent one. In the same capable hands
as the people who run the best club in Kaunas, nights here are
busy and fun although it’s arguably easier to get a visa for North
Korea than make it past face control here. Word on the street
from those handsome enough to have gained the approval of the
beauty police on the door report back nothing but very good news
indeed. QOpen 23:00 - 05:00. Closed Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Sun.
Open from September 1. Entrance free. PJA
Paparazzi B-2, Totorių 1, tel. (+370) 5 212 01 35, www.
paparazzi.lt. Recently moving next door, Paparazzi continues
to dazzle in the way only Lithuanians can dazzle with plenty
on offer to help the cocktails go down. Popular with a youngish,
after-work crowd, each evening sees something different
going on from a pub quiz to table football tournaments to live
jazz. The website’s in Lithuanian only but a quick Google
translate provides enough to get the general idea of what to
expect over the coming summer. QOpen 17:00 - 03:00, Fri,
Sat 17:00 - 06:00. PJAW
Shooters A-2, Vilniaus 29, tel. (+370) 655 525 17,
www.shooters.lt. Over 300 cocktails and the promise of
being smothered with attention await visitors to this friendly,
ever-so cocktail bar-looking cocktail bar. Complete with juggling
bartenders, wacky furnishings and the cream of Vilnius hip cat
community, other delights include special theme nights and a
range of nibbles to stave off the hunger. Former visitors should
take note that they’ve recently upped sticks and moved around
a couple of corners. Beyond that it’s business as usual. QOpen
17:00 - 03:00, Fri, Sat 17:00 - 06:00. PJAW
Wine
In Vino C-5, Aušros Vartų 7, tel. (+370) 5 212 12 10,
www.invino.lt. Catching on to the current craze for wine bars
in the city early on, they’ve obviously got a real appreciation for
wine of which they stock a fair amount. Perhaps best enjoyed
on a Friday or Saturday night, this is one of the best places in
town to mingle with the cream of the city’s C-list celebrities.
One bone of contention though, namely a serious lack of
toilet facilities. QOpen 16:00 - 02:00, Fri, Sat 16:00 - 04:00.
PJAUBSW
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