One might make the assumption that since Klaipeda is a tourist town, that service would be outstanding and waiters and waitresses would be used to foreigners. Nothing could be further from the truth. Even today on the cusp of the 21st century, we find ourselves aghast at the nonchalance of waiters and the inordinate amount of time we must wait for a menu, our food or even the check. Also surprising to some is the lack of high quality seafood available in restaurants. Most fish is imported from Scandinavia and other far-flung areas of the globe so more often than not you find yourself in the awkward position of sitting on the coast of Lithuania, sea breezes wafting around you, seagulls clucking and you are faced with a plate of fish that has probably travelled as far you have to get to that particular dining table. There are some local lake fish worth eating and one particular to the Curonian lagoon.
Don't miss the legendary Klaipeda eateries - Skandalas and Rominta. 

One of the veteran eateries in Klaipeda, Rominta remains popular with locals and foreigners alike. With an original menu featuring pita sandwiches, an excellent breakfast menu and other international dishes, the so-called "Aquarium" is great for people-watching. A popular place to stop by for a drink before going out for the night as well as a good place for any meal.

More than just a pizza restaurant, this country western restaurant has that American Midwest feel with a little bit of Baltic imagination thrown in for good measure. The waiting staff are all dolled up in traditional Western garb. The restaurant itself is pure modern American Midwest - carpeted floors, a TV and couch. The menu has thin-crust, well-endowed pizzas, steaks with baked potatoes and chicken wings. Dishes cost about 20Lt. Service charge is 5%. Live country music for your listening pleasure Friday through Sunday, 20:00 - 23:00.

Live blues, excellent flame-grilled steaks, huge portions of pasta, delicious oversized brownies, chunky Canadian potato skins and even some Tex-Mex treats in this self-styled North American restaurant. It's a favourite for its food and atmosphere. Dishes cost between 20 and 40Lt. Order before 18:00 and dishes are 30% cheaper and slightly smaller. Don't get excited about the Dr. Pepper - they don't always have it. Their dish of Canadian beer snacks - fried cheese, chicken fingers and potato skins - is fantastic.

Next door to the hotel of the same name and under the same management, the Prusija may take its name from the area's Prussian history, but its own roots are in the distant Caucasus. The Armenian owner serves dolma and saslyk in addition to local specialities, seafood and spaghetti. Dishes cost 10 - 20Lt. Summer beer garden.

First of all it's your only choice for Chinese food. Second, the food is passably good. Lastly, the decor has that appropriate red-lantern look to it. To show off its authentic recipes the Chinese Restaurant serves the rice in a bamboo basket and spices the meat well. Non-smoking room to the left. Note the 5% service charge.

Pretentiously attentive service here at this elegant and cushy little bistro where you will find a European menu of delicate dishes for about 20Lt each.

An upscale cafe with a lovely, international menu featuring Italian, Chinese and Spanish influences. We like this place for their light meals of sandwiches, soups and omlettes as well as the breakfast menu (08:00 - 11:00). Meals cost 10 - 20Lt. Piano and saxophone from 20:00.

Someone likes Luja, but who likes it and why is still a mystery to us. The stiff formality coupled with the heavy dishes influenced by German and Polish cuisine is a turn-off. Of course, if you like ceremonious attention and northern food then Luja with its dramatic crystal chandelier and regal furniture is the place for you.

Nestled in the Mazvydas Sculpture Park, the Four Seasons restaurant is a cosy get-away. The interior keeps with the restaurant's park setting with cushioned park benches for seats. An extensive wine menu and a satisfactory bistro menu awaits you. Dishes cost 15 - 30Lt. Live piano music on Monday at 20:00. Four Seasons is also home to the city's chess club.

With 40 kinds of thin-crust pizzas on hand, they're sure to have what you want and some that you don't want (like pizza with banana and bearnaise sauce). They've also introduced a handful of Tex-Mex snacks from tacos to 'wraps' (like a burrito but without the rice and beans). Take-away and delivery.

Right around the corner from Theatre Square, this bright and airy restaurant has good Italian eats. The delicious thin-crust pizza baked in a brick oven is great followed by gelato and a cappuccino. Smoking and non-smoking sections.

Litauisk mat

Akmenine gele is aptly named it seems. The food - cepelinai to kepsnys - and the atmosphere are as heavy as a 'stone flower'. The only attraction to this gothic-style restaurant is the fachwerk building in which it is located. Beware that we've found it closed without explanation during the summer.

The Black Cat Pub has a lively atmosphere of regular customers and an excellent, cheap menu of Lithuanian eats. To drink there is Guinness, Kalnapilis and svyturys beer. Really good service tops it all off. One of our favourites.

The premiere jazz club in Klaipeda offers wonderful, breezy outdoor seating in summer as well as a sophisticated upstairs dining room all year round. In an old brick house, Kurpiai is a great place for live music as well as bite to eat and a drink. Rotary Club meets here.

Cafe culture has yet to really catch on in this small Baltic nation and Klaipeda is no exception. Though there are a few select cafes worth hanging out in most are just good for a quick, cheap lunch or short rest and a drink.

The following are fairly straightforward places with lots to eat, but lacking that certain cosy atmosphere so good for long hours of sipping coffee or another beverage.

Stuffed flamingos peer out from the corner. People flock to the tables by the big windows for people-watching. Others park it at the horseshoe-shaped bar to drink a cocktail. Very well lit and slightly styling. Cocktails go for 7 - 15Lt while dishes go for 10 - 20Lt. Lots of seafood on the short menu.

A long, skinny room holds this nautical-theme cafe. Plenty of fish - in the aquarium and on the menu. Grilled or fried fish will set you back about 20Lt. Those who go for turf over surf will find chicken dishes.

Couch seating at low tables with white tablecloths and mirrors on the ceiling. This little cafe, attached to Galerija Baroti, has a swell atmosphere and excellent outdoor seating, but their microwaved fare leaves a lot to be desired. Bring your kids to their ‘Children’s Afternoon’ on Sunday at 13:00 for two hours of fun, games and songs. The Lithuanian dishes here cost less than 10Lt.

Spastai
Tiltu 23, tel. (370-6) 25 78 22. Open 08:00 - 22:00, Sat, Sun 10:00 - 22:00.