August 2025. We’re travelling to the Baltic States: Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, and more specifically their respective capitals Tallinn, Riga and Vilnius. Are they interconnected by rail? Yes, but not in the most straightforward or userfriendly way possible. The Rail Baltica project should remedy this. Unsurprisingly though, this megaproject faces political and budgetary hurdles. It will most likely not be ready by 2030. But that doesn’t stop us. What to expect from the Baltics? Is it affected by overtourism? 

The last fine dining experience of the trip was the first one we booked. We were in Vilnius on a Saturday and we wouldn’t take any risks. I think it was ChatGPT which suggested Ertlio Namas.

Ertlio Namas

Ertlio Namas is a restaurant in the Old Town of Vilnius that specialises in historical Lithuanian cuisine interpreted for contemporary dining. The name means ‘Ertl’s House‘ and refers to the building’s seventeenth-century owner, Jurgis Ertlis, a master craftsman of German origin. The restaurant opened in 2016 in his former residence on St John’s Street.

The concept is the reconstruction of dishes that were once served at Lithuanian noble courts, monasteries and manors, based on archival sources and historical research. 

Chef Tomas Rimydis works in collaboration with historian Rimvydas Laužikas to adapt these recipes for a modern audience. The menu changes several times a year, following the seasons and relying on ingredients that can be sourced locally from farms, forests, rivers and lakes. 

Diners can choose a seven-course or nine-course tasting menu, with vegetarian and vegan versions available. Each dish is accompanied by an explanation of its historical context, tracing its origins to particular centuries, estates or cultural influences. 

Past examples have included beaver pâté, boar, dishes drawn from the Radvila archives, and desserts such as pine cone ice cream. Drinks include European wines, Lithuanian mead, beer and spirits, selected with reference to their historical significance.

The setting retains the character of the townhouse, with parquet floors and period decoration across a series of rooms named after noble offices such as rectors, hetmans and voivodes. There is also a terrace. 

The restaurant has been consistently included in the list of Lithuania’s thirty best restaurants and is recommended by the Michelin Guide. International publications including the Financial Times and Forbes have written about its approach.

Ertlio Namas serves dinner only, from Monday to Saturday, and is closed on Sundays. It does not serve lunch or breakfast, but private events are possible. 

Gift vouchers are available, there is no dress code, and the restaurant admits children, although pets are not permitted inside. It remains one of the most distinctive dining rooms in Vilnius for its integration of historical research, seasonal produce and architectural setting.

The menu in August 2025

1. Homemade bread, garlic butter, 17th century.
2. Fresh cheese, honey, cucumbers, buckwheat, 16th century.
3. Beaver pâté, saffron bread, raspberry jam, 17th century.
4. Capon, chard, gooseberries, honeysuckle, broth sauce, 16th century.
5. Crayfish soup, smoked wild catfish, millet, dill, 17th century.
6. Delicacy, goat curd, young tomatoes, rhubarb, basil sauce, 18th century.
7. Zrazai (beef roulades), asparagus, vegetable terrine, chanterelle mushrooms, broth and blueberry wine sauce, 18th century.
8. Šakotis (tree cake), elderflower, wild strawberries, honey, 19th century.
9. Strawberry candy, cucumber, 19th century.

Some items were not listed on the official menu.

The dining experience

We were greeted and escorted to our table by Rojus, who would tend to us all night. We didn’t get to see a menu, but quickly got our food. I do remember booking the nine-course menu when, well, booking. But still, that was very swift. As if our table had to be sold a second time that evening. 

I’m not good at describing dishes with stereotypical gastronomy clichés but it was all very nice. 

Rojus offered not only an explanation of each dish, but also some (hi)story behind it. 

I mostly remember beaver was categorized as ‘fish’ as it lives in the water and gave Christians a free pass to eat it on Fridays. I remember the story of pink soup and that Lithuanians are not big on (sweet) dessert. Cucumber – and alcohol – are seen as dessert. Cheers.

I really love the concept of taking inspiration from history. It was a lovely fiune dining experience, at reasonable prices. 

Maybe a bit rushed. We Belgians like to take our time when going to a fancy restaurant. Rojus was charming and cute in being nervous when telling the stories of the dishes in English. Kudos to him.

Food, gastronomy and restaurants

• REVIEW | 3 Pavāru Restorāns / 3 Chefs Restaurant in Riga.
• REVIEW | Restaurant Marv & Ben in Copenhagen.
• Restaurants and food on Norwegian Getaway.
• REVIEW | Restaurante Matiz, Málaga.
• REVIEW | Le Monument restaurant in Porto.
• VANCOUVER | St. Lawrence Restaurant.
• REVIEW | Michelin-star restaurant Hytra in Athens.
• MONTREAL | Dining solo at Monarque felt like being part of a tv show.
• REVIEW | Restaurant Fred in Rotterdam.
• REVIEW | Restaurant Kuzina in Athens.
• REVIEW | Restaurant Neon in Lier.
• REVIEW | Restaurant Le Train Blue at Paris-Gare-de-Lyon in 2022.
• PARIS | Restaurant Le Train Bleu at the Gare de Lyo in 2023.
• MANCHESTER | Afternoon Tea at Richmond Tea Rooms near Canal Street.
• RIDE & DINE | Brussels Tram Experience.
• STUTTGART | Restaurant Plenum, in Baden-Württemberg’s State Parliament.
• REVIEW | Restaurant Ritzi in Stuttgart.
• VIENNA | Restaurant Steirereck.
• REVIEW | Restaurant Ventrus avec vue, La Villette, Paris.
• REVIEW | Restaurant De Godevaart in Antwerp.
• REVIEW | Restaurant SELSation in Hemiksem.
• REVIEW | Breakfast at the 5-star superior Botanic Sanctuary Antwerp.
• REVIEW | Dinner at DINS Santi Taura in Palma de Mallorca.
• REVIEW | Restaurant 273 in Utrecht.
• REVIEW | Restauracja Ritz in Gdańsk.
• REVIEW | Carlton President Hotel Utrecht Maarssen ft. Restaurant One24.
• REVIEW | Restaurant La Grange aux Canards in Paris.
• RIDE & DINE | Orient Dining Express by Stoomtrein Maldegem-Eeklo.
• Afternoon tea at Fortnum & Mason in London.
• The German Gymnasium, Kings Cross / St Pancras, London.
• Hoftrammm, the tram dining experience.
• More than, but also sausages: rich cuisine of Germany’s heartland Saxony, Franconia and Bavaria.
• Bars and drinks package on Majestic Princess.
• Restaurants and food on Majestic Princess.
• Food and drinks on board Royal Caribbean’s Serenade of the Seas.
• Culinary, food and drinks markets in Antwerp.
• 5 (surprising) hotspots in Stockholm, Sweden.
• 8 food hotspots in Madrid for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
• POLAND | 3 hotspots of gastronomy in Kraków.
• ​In search of Belgian or Flemish cuisine in Antwerp.

Baltic States 2025

1. REVIEW | The Loft by Brussels Airlines and Lexus business lounge at Brussels Airport A-Gates.
2. REVIEW | Brussels Airlines Business Class Brussels to Munich.
3. REVIEW | Lufthansa Business Lounge Schengen and Lufthansa Senator Business Lounge Satellite Schengen at Munich Airport Terminal 2.
4. REVIEW | Air Baltic Business Class Munich to Tallinn.
5. REVIEW | Swissotel Tallinn.
6. TALLINN | Lennusadam Seaplane Harbour Estonian Maritime Museum.
7. TALLINN | Estonian History Museum at the Great Guild Hall.
8. TALLINN | LGBT tour at Vabamu Museum of Occupations and Freedom.
9. RAIL BALTICA | Baltic operators launch joint tender for regional trains.
10. ESTONIA | How to spend a day in Tallinn.
11. REVIEW | Pullman Riga Old Town.
12. LATVIA | Riga Castle.
13. LATVIA | Jugendstil in Riga ft Riga Art Nouveau Centre and Janis Rozentāls and Rūdolfs Blaumanis Museum.
14. RIGA | National Library of Latvia and the Latvian Railway History Museum.
15. RIGA | Baltā Kaza – Riga Ghetto – Latvian Academy of Sciences.
16. REVIEW | 3 Pavāru Restorāns / 3 Chefs Restaurant in Riga.
17. RIGA | Museum of the Barricades of 1991 and Museum of the Occupation of Latvia.
18. LATVIA | Museum of the History of Riga and Navigation.
19. LATVIA | 1.5 days in Riga.
20. RAIL BALTICA  | Tallinn – Valga / Valka – Riga – Vilnius by train.
21. REVIEW | Radisson Collection Astorija Hotel Vilnius.
22. LITHUANIA | Railway Museum and Rail Park in Vilnius.
23. VILNIUS  | Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania and Gediminas’ Tower.