The Cepelinai Pilgrimage

Fist-sized potato dumplings shaped like zeppelins, stuffed with minced meat and drowned in a sauce of bacon, onion and sour cream. Improbable, enormous, completely satisfying.

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Why this dish?

Cepelinai ("zeppelins," for their shape) are large dumplings made from a mix of grated raw and boiled potato, formed around a filling of seasoned minced meat (or curd or mushrooms), boiled until dense and glossy, and served under a generous sauce of fried bacon bits, onion and sour cream. They're heavy in the best way - the kind of dish that powers you through a Baltic winter and a long afternoon.

Vilnius is one of Europe's underrated capitals: a vast, atmospheric baroque old town, cheap and characterful, with the breakaway artists' "republic" of Užupis tucked across the river. Flights are a touch longer and less frequent, which keeps it gloriously uncrowded. Fly in, take on a plate of zeppelins with a cold Lithuanian beer, wander the old town, and you've had a genuinely off-the-beaten-path food pilgrimage.

Our Picks

Etno Dvaras

Address: Aušros Vartų g. 4, Vilnius
What to order: Cepelinai with the bacon-and-sour-cream sauce, and a local beer; start with a cold beetroot soup (šaltibarščiai) if it's summer.
Book ahead: Worth booking - small and popular.
Pro tip: One or two cepelinai is a full meal - they're dense. Don't over-order.

Bernelių Užeiga

Užupio g. 11, Vilnius

A beloved traditional spot for Lithuanian classics - rustic decor, generous plates, packed with locals.

What to order: Cepelinai, or kibinai (stuffed pastries) and other hearty Baltic dishes.

Good to know

Cepelinai are very filling - one or two will do. The summer bonus dish is šaltibarščiai, a shocking-pink cold beetroot-and-kefir soup. Lithuanian beer is excellent and cheap. Vilnius's old town is large and walkable; don't miss Užupis, the self-declared bohemian "republic" with its own playful constitution.

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