The results of the Tablein Diners' Awards, which have been held for the fifth year, have been announced: in the honorable top twenty – the Lithuanian restaurants that were best rated by guests in 2024 restaurants.
The best restaurants were chosen only by the guests themselves
What is unique is that two Mexican restaurants made it to the top three of the Tablein Diners' Awards 2024, the gastronomic map was also expanded to include resorts in addition to major cities, and there are now five female chefs in the TOP 20.
For the second year in a row, the "Debuts of the Year" have also been announced. This category includes restaurants that are particularly highly rated by guests, but which have not yet been able to qualify for the TOP 20 due to an insufficient number of reviews.
The Tablein Diners' Awards are the only awards in Lithuania where the role of jury members is not played by professional gastronomic critics, but by restaurant visitors themselves. The results are announced by summing up the points awarded by guests for the quality of food, service, environment and cleanliness. "The rating option is completely closed, so only those who have reserved a table through Tablein.lt and in a restaurant "People who actually visited. This way, there is no room for fakes," representatives of the Tablein platform, which operates worldwide and has already made reservations in Lithuania, guaranteed transparency. 7 Lithuanian restaurants applied to be included in the list of the best Tablein Diners' Awards 2024.
Gold – for Mexican food houses
Best rated by guests in Lithuania restaurant This year's title went to the Mexican food house in Vilnius "El Gato Negro". "We are very happy with the result achieved. Together with the entire team, we thank our guests: their assessment and feedback are especially important to us. We have been working for four years and from the first year to 2024 we climbed to first place! This motivates and encourages us to both improve even more and maintain high results," - shared the emotions of Eglė, the director of the restaurant that took first place in the "Tablein Diners' Awards 2024".
Last year, El Gato Negro was ranked second, and according to the manager, the biggest influence on becoming the best was the chef's new menu improvements, positive internal energy, and greater team cohesion.
This experience restaurant creates using their care, sincerity and educational stories, which together brings together a unique circle of visitors. "All our guests are wonderful. We receive many warm responses and evaluations from them, and the most memorable compliment was from a Mexican: "Thank you for being here. While I was in Lithuania, I felt at home with you," - said the director of "El Gato Negro".
Compliments are received even without official awards
The fact that Lithuanians have fallen in love with Mexican gastronomy is also proven by the third place taken in the "Tablein Diners' Awards 2024" awards: bronze was awarded to "La Capital" - a Mexican experience restaurant that combines authenticity with modern culinary art. "Such an assessment is a huge award from our guests. We are very happy. At the same time, we can assure you that Tablein.lt is a great platform that connects visitors with the restaurant. After each stay, guests have the opportunity to answer questions in detail and submit their assessments," shared the restaurant team.
Compared to last year's results, La Capital has moved up four positions. According to the owners, this change was due to their love for their work and their desire to create the best possible experience for their guests. However, the team does not hide the fact that the place receives good reviews even without official awards. "To be honest, we want to do our job perfectly and we want our guests to leave as satisfied as possible. And whether visitors leave a review or not is beyond our control. However, it is very nice when we still receive feedback. By the way, we always receive high ratings, which shows that our guests love us. For example, we have also received visitors from the regions whose food we represent, so when Mexicans or South Americans praise our authenticity, it really warms our hearts. We have also heard that someone calls us the best Mexican restaurant in the Baltics! "However, in essence, the biggest and best compliment is returning guests who trust our quality," representatives of "La Capital" shared openly.
The impressive rise was driven by several factors
A special change, compared to the previous Tablein Diners' Awards results, was observed this year at Imperial: guest ratings this year premium The restaurant in Vilnius has risen from 19th to 4th place. According to its owners, such recognition was determined by several factors. "First of all, it is our restaurant's exceptional menu: including the highest quality ingredients and unique dishes, it has attracted more guests. At the same time, the constant improvement of services has contributed to the greater interest of visitors," shared Rita Žalalytė, Operations Manager of Imperial. The catering industry expert added that the "Tablein Diners' Awards 2024" award for this restaurant is both a great honor and recognition for its continuous work.
"The most important principles of our activities are high-level service standards and the maintained quality of dishes. We also pay special attention to our employees. It is important to us that they feel valued and are surrounded by a comfortable working environment. We create a positive atmosphere in which respect, cooperation and motivation are the most important, because only happy and inspired employees can contribute to the successful development of our company," said R. Žalalytė.
Tablein Diners Awards 2024: Lithuanian restaurants with the best ratings by guests
Gold – "El Gato Negro" (Vilnius)
- Concept: A colorful and friendly Mexican food house where the menu is based on traditional recipes from different regions of Mexico.
- The chef: Vitalis Čižauskas
- Kitchen Manager: Kazimir Grišius
Silver – "Amandus" (Vilnius)
- Concept: A fine dining restaurant that invites guests to enjoy deep tasting Deep Dining dinners, combining the entire experience from the moment the restaurant doors open to the last sweet bite.
- The chef: Deivydas Praspaliauskas
Bronze - "La Capital" (Vilnius)
- Concept: A Mexican experience restaurant inspired by authenticity, ancient pre-Hispanic traditions and rituals, which combine local cuisine with contemporary culinary art.
- The chef: Alexis Hernandez Maldonado
4th place – Imperial (Vilnius)
- Concept: A premium-class restaurant where guests can enjoy legendary masterpieces of the world's best cuisines, modern Lithuanian dishes, and recipes from the Grand Duchy of Lithuania restored with the help of historians.
- The chef: Slava Janč
5th place – “I Hate Sushi” (Vilnius)
- Concept: An exclusive premium sushi and champagne restaurant located in Žvėrynes.
- The chef: Kostas Ryžovs
6th place – "Pas Mus Restaurant" (Vilnius)
- Concept: An informal contemporary dining restaurant that boldly explores new flavors.
- Chef: Vita Bartininkaitė
7th place – "Fabrikėlis" (Vilnius)
- Concept: An informal fine dining restaurant that creates its menu based on seasonality and the origin of products.
- The chef: Ovidius Orenta
8th place – “Nüman” (Kaunas)
- Concept: A restaurant that combines local ingredients, Nordic flavors, and the brightest accents from cuisines around the world.
- The chef: Adam Jegnor
9th place – "Far from the Classics" (Klaipeda)
- Concept: A home of wine, flavors, and friends, whose character is revealed both by the atypical à la carte selections and gastronomic theater tasting dinners.
- Chef: Lina Zilevicė
10th place - "PAC" (Vilnius)
- Concept: A fine dining restaurant whose concept is highlighted by innovative, original flavors inspired by both Nordic and Lithuanian cuisines.
- Chefs: Goda Juknaitė and Vytautas Alekna
11th place – "Gourmanai" (Vilnius)
- Concept: Elegant place In Užupi, which combines exceptional flavor combinations and top-notch service.
- The chef: Dainius Spakauskas
12th place – "Rice Sea" (Vilnius)
- Concept: A restaurant inspired by Asian street food and oriental traditions, creating new food stories in Vilnius in the old town.
- The chef: Karolis Jurkonis
13th place - "Piccola Italia" (Kaunas)
- Concept: A restaurant that has been delighting guests with classic Italian cuisine for over a decade.
- Chefs: Vilma Pranytė and Tomas Petrauskas
14th place – Farmer & The Ocean (Vilnius)
- Concept: A seasonal cuisine restaurant, whose menu gourmetly combines Lithuanian and Nordic traditions with southern exoticism.
- The chef: Gregory Antanavicius
15th place - "Casa Peligrosa" (Vilnius)
- Concept: A restaurant serving modern Mexican cuisine improvisations, located under the vaults of a century-old monastery.
- The chef: Artūras Samavičius
16th place – "Ipanema" (Kaunas)
- Concept: Located on the banks of the Nemunas River, this place offers guests pizza baked in a wood-fired oven, stories to tell, and panoramic views of nature.
- The chef: Kaspars Sipavičius
17th place – Georgian House (Vilnius)
- Concept: A Georgian restaurant where guests are introduced to authentic flavors by a kitchen team from Georgia itself.
- The chef: Sulkhan Khomeriki
18th place – "Pelėdos" (Vilnius)
- Concept: A gastropub with a unique concept, the first to bring seafood bags, which have been popular abroad for some time, to Lithuania.
19th place - "Monist" (Palanga)
- Concept: A restaurant where flavors fluctuate with the seasons and the transformation of nature.
- Chef: Egle Kaminskaite
20th place - "Talutti bakes and shakes City" (Kaunas)
- Concept: An American kitchen home for the modern city dweller, his family and friends.
- The chef: Irmantas Gasiūnas
Tablein Diners' Awards 2024: Debuts of top guest-rated restaurants
"Bunte Gans" (Vilnius)
- Concept: A restaurant serving authentic German cuisine, inviting guests to enjoy traditional dishes such as schnitzel, sausages, or Bavarian pork knuckle.
- The chef: Vytautas Kazlauskas
Tango Pizza&Grill (Prienai)
- Concept: A family restaurant focusing on grill dishes and pizzas.
"Christopher" (Vilnius)
- Concept: The restaurant, whose menu, created in accordance with the rules of classic French cuisine, aims to reveal the diversity of world flavors.
- The chef: Ernest Virsila
"Arrive" (Kaunas)
- Concept: An elegant French cuisine restaurant located in a historic Dominican monastery building.
- Chefs: Xavier Bouriot and Evaldas Juška
Sushi Masters (Vilnius)
- Concept: A restaurant offering a wide range of Japanese cuisine and omakase-style tastings.
- The chef: Vaidas Užgerys