I spent three weeks in Riga and, while I was there, decided to take the short flight over to Vilnius and visit another Baltic capital. I only had 28 hours in the city, but I still managed to fit in a surprising amount of sightseeing, run Vingis parkrun, and, most importantly, eat some very good food.

With such a short stay, I obviously only scratched the surface of Vilnius' food scene, but I wanted to share a few of the places I enjoyed, particularly if you're looking for somewhere around the Old Town for coffee, lunch, ice cream or a casual Italian dinner.

One important disclaimer before we get started: I didn't eat at a traditional Lithuanian restaurant during my visit, so this isn't a guide to Lithuanian cuisine. These are simply my recommendations based on what I actually tried during my 28 hours in Vilnius.

Italala Caffè

Best for coffee and working

I went straight from the airport to Italala Caffè on a Friday morning. It was early, and already quite lively. It had that feeling of being a genuine local favourite rather than somewhere that only tourists are visiting, but I still managed to find a table with a plug nearby, which made it a great place to get some laptop work done before I could drop my suitcase at my hotel.

I initially planned to order a croissant, but then I spotted some rather interesting-looking pastries in the display. Naturally, I had to ask what they were.

I was told they were made with blueberries and goat cheese and looked a little like open galettes made with puff pastry. I'd never had that combination before, so I decided to give one a try.

It was delicious. The blueberry and goat cheese worked surprisingly well together, with the buttery, but crisp base.

I also had an oat cappuccino, which was very good and exactly what I needed after an early flight and before a big day of sightseeing.

If you're looking for a coffee shop in Vilnius where you can have good coffee, grab something sweet and potentially get some work done, I'd definitely put Italala Caffè on your list.

Address: Vokiečių g. 1

SandWitch

Best for a seriously good sandwich

I went to SandWitch for lunch and, without exaggerating, had one of the best sandwiches I've ever eaten.

This isn't your standard sandwich shop. The menu is playful and slightly cheeky, with sandwiches named things like One Night Stand, French Kiss, Crispy Tights and Magic Mushrooms. There are also vegetarian and vegan options.

I went for the Magic Mushrooms, made with homemade bread, kimchi mayo, mozzarella, kimchi, pulled oyster mushrooms, crispy onions, spicy peanut oil and scallions. And yes, I am now a kimchi convert.

The bread was toasted perfectly. It had enough crispness to give the sandwich some texture without becoming difficult to cut or eat, while the filling was generous without making the whole thing soggy.

There was so much going on flavour-wise, particularly from the kimchi mayo and spicy peanut oil. The pulled oyster mushrooms made it surprisingly substantial too, and the whole sandwich was very filling.

I'm also still thinking about that kimchi mayo and wondering where I can buy some.

At €13.90, it isn't the cheapest sandwich you'll ever buy, but the portion was generous and it was substantially more interesting than your average lunchtime sandwich.

It definitely fuelled me for the rest of the afternoon, which was spent exploring Vilnius on foot.

Address: Etmonų g. 2

Angolo Italiano

Best for an afternoon ice cream

After walking around Vilnius on a warm and sunny afternoon, an ice cream felt like exactly what I needed.

I stopped at Angolo Italiano, which was rather busy when I visited. That's not particularly surprising given that it is one of the best-rated ice cream shops in Vilnius.

There was a great selection of ice cream and sorbet flavours, although ordering was a little hectic. There were quite a few people hovering around the display trying to work out which flavours they wanted, so it wasn't the most relaxed ice cream-buying experience.

I went for cookie& cream and, if I remember correctly, a white chocolate flavour with some sort of fruity element. I think it may have been mango - the flavour names were hard to read.

Either way, both were delicious and made for a very good afternoon treat.

I actually wish I'd had more time in Vilnius because this is one of the places I would have happily returned to before catching my flight back to Riga. With only 28 hours in the city, there was only so much eating I could fit in.

Address: Gedimino pr. 5

Casa Della Pasta

Best for casual Italian dining

Casa Della Pasta is actually a chain that is also present in Riga, but I hadn't visited one before my trip to Vilnius.

The restaurant in Vilnius Old Town has a lovely setting, with shelves filled with traditional Italian products and a cosy, casual atmosphere. It feels like the sort of place where you can turn up without making a huge occasion out of dinner and still have a really enjoyable meal.

The menu is extensive, perhaps almost too extensive if you're someone who struggles to choose. There are all the Italian classics you'd expect, from pizza and pasta to antipasti and risotto, so there's plenty to choose from.

I eventually went for the mushroom ravioli, which turned out to be a very good choice. It was full of flavour but didn't leave me feeling overly full, which was ideal after a full day of walking around Vilnius.

I also ordered a homemade passionfruit lemonade, which was incredibly refreshing. It had just the right amount of sweetness without being overly sugary.

I was tempted by the tiramisu on the dessert menu, but by that point I simply wasn't hungry enough to justify it.

So unfortunately, I can't give you a verdict on the tiramisu yet. I'll have to come back.

Overall, Casa Della Pasta is a good option if you're looking for casual Italian food in Vilnius Old Town. The portions are generous without being ridiculous, prices are fairly reasonable and there is enough variety to please pretty much anyone looking for pasta, pizza or other Italian favourites.

Address: there’s a handful of them in Vilnius, I went to the old town location on Vokiečių g. 13.

Boulangerie Vilnius

Best for: mouth-watering pastries

After my morning run including Vingis parkrun on Saturday morning, I was looking for a well-rated bakery in or near Vilnius Old Town to stop at before heading to the airport and flying back to Riga.

This Boulangerie caught my attention straight away. The bakery has been around since 1998 and describes itself as the first French bakery in Lithuania, specialising in freshly made pastries, biscuits and other baked treats.

It was clearly a popular address when I visited, with around a dozen people ahead of me in the queue. At least that gave me plenty of time to look through the displays and decide what I wanted. There was plenty to choose from, including the kind of French pastries you'd expect from a boulangerie, such as croissants and pain au chocolat, although not everything was labelled in English, so I couldn't always work out exactly what each pastry was.

Everything looked incredibly tempting, but I eventually settled on a cinnamon knot.

It was excellent. The outside was wonderfully crisp while the inside had just the right amount of chewiness, with plenty of cinnamon flavour without being overly sweet. After a Saturday morning run, it was exactly what I wanted.

The queue was worth the wait, and if I'm back in Vilnius, I'll definitely return to try some of the other pastries, like the “Su vyšniomis ir kremu”, filled with cherry & cream.

Address: Gėlių g. 3

My favourite places to eat in Vilnius at a glance

If you're only spending a short time in Vilnius and want to narrow down the options, these are the four places I'd recommend based on my visit:

Italala Caffè: for coffee, pastries and getting some work done
SandWitch: for an excellent, generous and slightly unconventional sandwich
Angolo Italiano: for ice cream on a warm afternoon
Casa Della Pasta: for casual Italian food in Vilnius Old Town
Boulangerie Vilnius: for French-style pastries and a post-run sweet treat

Final thoughts

I only had 28 hours in Vilnius, so this is very much a list of places I happened to discover and enjoy rather than a definitive guide to the city's food scene.

I also didn't visit a traditional Lithuanian restaurant, so if you're specifically looking for Lithuanian dishes, you'll need to look elsewhere. This list is more useful if, like me, you're looking for good coffee, an easy lunch, something sweet while sightseeing or a relaxed dinner in or around the Old Town.

If I had stayed longer, I would definitely have gone back to Italala Caffè for another coffee and one of those blueberry and goat cheese pastries, returned to Angolo Italiano for another ice cream and finally made room for the tiramisu at Casa Della Pasta.

And SandWitch? I'd go back purely for that sandwich.