Markets and street food
Halės turgus (Hales Market) in the Old Town is the best starting point: a 1906 indoor market with fresh produce, regional cheese, smoked fish, hot food and the city's busiest specialty-coffee bar. Saturday mornings have the widest choice. The smaller Tymo market across the river hosts an outdoor farmers' market on Saturdays with cheese, honey and seasonal produce from Lithuanian smallholders.
Local dishes at restaurants
Try cepelinai (potato dumplings with meat) at Etno Dvaras or Bernelių užeiga, šaltibarščiai (cold beetroot soup) in summer at any traditional restaurant, and kugelis (potato pudding) anywhere on the standard Lithuanian menu. For modern Lithuanian tasting menus, Sweet Root, Džiaugsmas and 14 Horses are the consistent picks. Most local-cuisine mains run €10–18.
Coffee and sweets
Vilnius has a surprisingly strong specialty-coffee scene. Try local roasters around Pylimo, Pamėnkalnio and the Old Town courtyards - Strange Love, Crooked Nose, and the cafés clustered around Stiklių. For sweets, hunt down šakotis (a tall, spiky tree-cake) at the Christmas markets in winter, and spurgos (jam doughnuts) at Spurginė any time of year.