SITUATION IN THE THIRTIETH AFTER 3 YEARS. This year marks the third time the restaurant DIA in Kaunas has entered the top thirty best restaurants. After a three-year rating break, the restaurant gains the 24th place.
3 WORDS BEST DESCRIBING THE RESTAURANT: time, quality, and value.
WHY WORTH VISITING? "We are a restaurant that tries to fulfill various guest desires and needs: we have a variety of dishes, over fifty, from green fish, meat to dishes from France, Italy, Thailand, Japan, India, and other countries. Our menu is suitable for vegetarians, vegans, and children," says the restaurant manager Vaiva Gumbienė.
According to her, the restaurant is known for excellent service —some waiters have been working in the restaurant since its opening, know regular guests, know which table they like to sit at, what wine they prefer, and what dish to offer. "We are open seven days a week and try to flexibly meet the needs of all guests," Vaiva mentions.
WHAT SHOULD YOU KNOW ABOUT THE MENU? The DIA restaurant changes its menu twice a year - in autumn and spring. It offers almost everything: from tuna or salmon tartare to lobster or beef carpaccio, from ravioli, burrata, sea bass to risotto, curry, duck, octopus, different types of steaks, and burgers. The culinary hit at DIA is the tuna tataki, which has been on the menu for a long time. Guests particularly love the dessert "Pavlova," for which the meringue is baked right in the restaurant. "Two or three times a week, we bring fresh fish and meat from abroad, almost nothing is frozen here," emphasizes Vaiva.
GUESTS RETURN FOR the service and a wide menu. "Guests come to us to enjoy their time deliciously. When they stay for a long time and keep coming back, we understand that they like the time spent with us," says the manager of the "Dia" restaurant.
WHO WORKS IN THE KITCHEN? The kitchen team consists of 11 employees. "These are young talented people, an established team, eager for training," describes Vaiva.
Marius Paplauskas has been leading the kitchen for a long time. From the age of 5, he knew how to bake Žemaičių pancakes himself, so his decision to connect his life with culinary arts was not surprising. After finishing school, he went to work and improve his skills in Ireland. Returning to Lithuania, he initially worked in Vilnius but soon returned to Kaunas and immediately joined DIA. It was precisely in those years that the restaurant was rated in the "30 Best Restaurants" project (2016). Since then, Marius has gradually grown to the position of chef in this place.
Photos by Robertas Daskevičius
