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nightliFe<br />
Here are two amazing facts: budgies and gerbils can live<br />
without drinking; and, in Lithuania, beer is cheaper than<br />
water. As, presumably, you are not a budgie or a gerbil, and<br />
as you are in Lithuania, this means you’re probably going to<br />
be doing a bit of drinking. And we’re happy to recommend<br />
the places to do it. Our list of bars includes atmospheric<br />
drinking dens where you can sample the superb local beer,<br />
as well as schlick cocktail and wine bars. All of these places<br />
stay open until at least midnight. If you want to dance or just<br />
keep mingling all night long, see the list of Clubs, which tend<br />
to stay open until 05:00 or 06:00.<br />
Nightlife in Vilnius has always been reasonably safe, but<br />
things seem to be changing. We’ve seen a few fights and<br />
ugly incidents lately, all of them involving groups of drunk<br />
Lithuanian men. Of course, standard warnings also apply:<br />
don’t leave your valuables (handbag, mobile phone, partner)<br />
lying around, don’t bumble around in dark alleys and courtyards<br />
and please, don’t pee on the President’s palace. He’s<br />
a nice chap and he’s getting sick of it.<br />
Bars<br />
Absento Fėjos (Absinthe Fairies) C-5, Aušros Vartų<br />
11, tel./fax 261 92 61, tel. +370 699 787 77, info@<br />
absentofejos.lt, www.absentofejos.lt. A despicable ‘face<br />
control’ door policy ensures that you probably won’t get in, so<br />
we suggest you don’t bother going at all. If you’re not a part<br />
of the pretty little clique you will be confronted with a ‘private<br />
party’ lie. Apparently, being human is not good enough for the<br />
vile, loathsome slime who run this place. If you are unlucky<br />
enough to get in, you’ll find some lovely and lively decoration<br />
and, we have to assume, more contemptible, dim-witted arrogance.<br />
Don’t waste your time. QOpen 18:00 - 03:00, Fri 18:00<br />
- 05:00, Sat 19:00 - 05:00. Closed Mon, Sun. JGBX<br />
All Stars Sports Bar G-2, Konstitucijos 26, tel. 263 66<br />
66/210 31 12, info@forumpalace.lt, www.forumpalace.<br />
lt. With more flat screen televisions than the average episode<br />
of CSI, sports fans are guaranteed great views of nearly every<br />
European sport from every possible angle. It is a real shame<br />
that they can not get the food right though. It does not take<br />
a rocket scientist to manage making great burgers, nachos<br />
and hot wings. Come for the beer and sports but leave the<br />
cooking to the professionals. QOpen Fri, Sat 21:00 - 05:00.<br />
Closed Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Sun. PAL<br />
Artistai PUB C-4, Šv. Kazimiero 3, tel. 212 12 68,<br />
info@artistai.lt, www.artistai.lt. It’s snucked-away in a<br />
picturesque little side street swooned-over by arches. It hides<br />
a gorgeous courtyard and boasts artsy chairs decorated with<br />
the portrait of a moustached gentlemen who would like you to<br />
sit on his face. But, if it all sounds a bit frilly-cuffed and lar-didar,<br />
don’t worry. It’s not at all a place for art snobs. It attracts<br />
a fun-loving rabble who simply enjoy cheap beer and decent<br />
pub grub meals. QOpen 11:00 - 01:00, Wed 11:00 - 02:00,<br />
Thu 11:00 - 04:00, Fri 11:00 - 05:00, Sat 12:00 - 05:00, Sun<br />
12:00 - 24:00. 10-15Lt. JASW<br />
NEw<br />
Bar BOBO B-3, Trakų 15, tel. +370 677 773 35, bobo@<br />
ring.lt A winebar called BOBO. What are we to make of<br />
that? Bourgeois bohemian? Seems to suit the customers. A<br />
double-dose of BO? We’ll sniff it in summer. Or maybe ‘bobo’<br />
is just the most intelligent thing you can say after working<br />
your way through the wine selection? <strong>In</strong> any case this is a<br />
shoebox-sized beatnik hangout with slippery jazz swirling<br />
among shadows and tall, small tables. Ideal for scuse-me<br />
and squeeze-past mingling. It’s certainly unique in Vilnius and<br />
will probably attract a niche crowdlet. There isn’t room for<br />
anything more. QOpen 11:00 - 03:00. JASW<br />
Vilnius <strong>In</strong> <strong>Your</strong> <strong>Pocket</strong><br />
Expat<br />
Dubliner B-3, Dominikonų 6, tel. 262 02 39/243<br />
08 07, info@dubliner.lt, www.dubliner.lt. As easy-going<br />
and comfy as your favourite jeans. More a restaurant<br />
than a pub, but still very suitable for a few drinks with<br />
friends. Forget the clichés of sticky carpet and belligerent<br />
barflies that populate your shadowy memories of typical<br />
Irish pubs. This place is much more bright and refined<br />
and also benefits from enthusiastic and smiley service.<br />
Attracts a good mix of expats and locals, with the expat<br />
appeal coming in the form of tasty meals and locals (both<br />
of which tend to be costly). QOpen 11:00 - 24:00, Fri,<br />
Sat 11:00 - 02:00. JAUKW<br />
Būsi Trečias B-2, Totorių 18, tel. 231 26 98. The beer<br />
goggles come in lots of different flavours here, which is good<br />
because it attracts a somewhat assorted crowd. Once<br />
you’ve worked your way through the caramel, cherry, coconut,<br />
almond, strawberry and blackcurrant beers (there are more,<br />
but for some reason our notes got sloppy toward the end of<br />
that list) the place, and the people in it, will look fine. Until<br />
then it’s a bit plain, with a barn-like atmosphere, uncomfortable<br />
furniture and horrible toilets. Food is acceptable, and<br />
for easy-going and unfussy types (Australians, for example)<br />
this is a pleasant place to kick-off an evening of more wide<br />
ranging mayhem.QOpen 11:00 - 23:00, Thu, Fri, Sat 11:00<br />
- 02:00. PJAW<br />
Briusly (Bruce Lee) B-3, Šv. Ignoto 14, tel. 212 12<br />
15/+370 655 971 11, briusli.baras@gmail.com. Just like<br />
Bruce Lee, this bar exploded onto the scene out of nowhere,<br />
kicked ass and then stood around posing and making a lot of<br />
incomprehensible noise. Then it seemed to get a headache,<br />
have a nap and quietly die. The swishy move-like-water,<br />
talk-like-geyser crowd seem to have evaporated, leaving<br />
this place a bit more cool and quiet. It’s now ideal for normal<br />
people who just want to have a drink or ten, listen and be<br />
heard, and then move like warm Plasticine toward the door.<br />
Unlike its namesake, however, we wouldn’t be surprised if<br />
this one makes a come-back. Could be worth keeping an eye<br />
on.QOpen 12:00 - 02:00. JAW<br />
Café de Paris C-3, Didžioji 1, tel. 261 10 21, info@<br />
cafedeparis.lt, www.cafedeparis.lt. This can be one of<br />
the most happening spilling-into-the-street parties in town.<br />
We just can’t work out why. The music achieves occasional<br />
heights of mediocrity, but the trying Lithuanian rap is clearly<br />
designed to send sane people running. The furniture is<br />
shabby-cool, the service isn’t and you’ll spend most of<br />
your time bumping into people whose clothes don’t seem<br />
to fit properly. If you don’t think about it too much you can<br />
have fun, but your evening will probably end with a ‘what the<br />
hell am I doing here?’ moment and a panicked departure.<br />
QOpen 11:00 - 24:00, Wed, Thu 11:00 - 02:00, Fri, Sat<br />
11:00 - 04:00. JAW<br />
Cozy C-3, Dominikonų 10, tel. 261 11 37, fax 278 42 60,<br />
info@cozy.lt, www.cozy.lt. It certainly lives up to its name<br />
because it really is cozy and it really does have that sort of<br />
cool-casual style that makes you spell everything with a ‘z’.<br />
The brick-vault cellar has three rooms for eazy-going lounging<br />
about, and with a great bar and a DJ keeping the vibez<br />
gently kicking along, you can eazily slip into a pleasant and<br />
sort of relax-zing evening. As sexy as designer lingerie and<br />
as comfortable as Y-fronts. Slip in and have a look.QOpen<br />
Thu, Fri, Sat 21:00 - 04:00. Closed Mon, Tue, Wed, Sun. Free<br />
entrance. PJAW
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