9 Best Riga Restaurants, Cafes And Bars

Riga is a city of contrasts. Though the Baltic cityscape retains remnants of its bleak communist years, the city’s Old Town, a certified UNESCO World Heritage Site, sports an abundance of Art Nouveau architecture and medieval buildings. With gorgeous churches and cute cafes lining the ancient cobblestone streets, the city comes alive in the warm summer months when the days are long and bright.

Regardless of the season, intrepid travelers will want to explore Riga beyond Old Town. Not only will this exploration reveal different sides to the city and its storied past, but it will also provide the opportunity to visit some of the best Riga restaurants and cafes. Yes, many of the best places to eat in Riga are located outside of Old Town.

If you’re not familiar with Latvian cuisine, don’t feel bad – you’re not alone. The Baltic nation’s food crept under the radar during decades when Latvia was behind the iron curtain. However, the food of Latvia has taken the spotlight named after Riga was named a European Region of Gastronomy in 2017.

For the uninitiated, Latvian food has elements from the cuisines of former rulers including Germany, Poland, Russia and even Sweden. Recently, Latvians introduced a unique twist to their food by incorporating a range of foraged items like mushrooms and berries from the country’s vast nature reserves. This resourcefulness transcends to both food preparation and enjoyment.

Riga Food Guide | Where To Eat In Riga

Riga Restaurants

Like a phoenix rising from its Soviet ashes, the Riga restaurant scene is evolving and growing at a rapid pace. This is a city where young chefs flex their culinary chops with an array of local ingredients and an armory of modern techniques.

Restaurant 3

Chefs Juris Dukalski and Eriks Dreibants run their ultra-modern Old Town Riga restaurant with a focus on food and service as well as a nod to nature. Since they opened the restaurant in 2015, the culinary pair has made special efforts to procure local, seasonal products from nearby forests and farms, but their efforts don’t stop with procurement.

Once they secure the best available ingredients, these nimble chefs prepare dishes with cutting-edge techniques and a sense of flair. Recognizing the chefs’ creativity and execution, the Nordic White Guide has shortlisted Restaurant 3 as one of the best restaurants in all of Latvia.

Our multi-course degustation meal at Restaurant 3 was like a live performance that played out in five acts. We waited with bated breath between courses to see what funky ingredients and “cheftastic” techniques would show up next.

With a whimper, the dinner ended hours after its start with a simple dessert of local chocolate and clementine ice cream. Though the last course may have been anticlimactic compared to the more complicated presentations prevalent in the earlier courses, we found it to be a satisfying end to an exciting meal.

Annas Dārzs

Proving that some of the best food in Riga is found outside of the touristic Old Town, Annas Dārzs serves a fabulous weekend brunch on the other side of the River Daugava. Translated to Anna’s Garden, the delightful restaurant, housed in an old homey, wooden building with a cozy porched front, features an outside garden (natch) and river view as well as an indoor fireplace.

Beyond the restaurant’s peaceful environment, brunch at Annas Dārzs is notable for its satisfying range of food options that satisfy hungry meat-eaters and vegetarians alike.

Though we enjoyed Annas Dārzs’ brunch buffet with brunch classics like waffles and sliders, not to mention caviar poppers, we were most intrigued by the brunch’s traditional Latvian foods that were new to us.

Standouts were Silke Kazoka, (a herring salad that literally translates to herring in a fur coat), Kūpināta Vistas (smoked chicken), Medus Kuka (honey cake) and Rasols (a popular Russian salad with chopped meat, vegetables and plenty of mayonnaise).

Kolonade

We enjoyed a multi-course dinner at Kolonade that started with goat cheese salad with salted beetroot, smoked cowberry powder and hemp and ended with blackcurrant tarts. Both of these dishes incorporated local ingredients and bright flavors.

The middle courses featuring proteins like duck, pork, perch and chicken were more basic with their ingredients and preparations. Overall, it was a solid meal in an extraordinary setting.

Big Bad Bagels

In addition to its 18 sandwich options, including six for vegans and vegetarians, the bagel shop also serves soups, salads, desserts and smoothies. But, let’s be real, the hand-rolled bagels are the thing to order at Big Bad Bagels.

Riga Cafes

Although Riga has a thriving cafe scene, we weren’t initially impressed by the selection of old school, traditional cafes with mediocre coffee drinks and sugary sweet desserts. Nor did we want to frequent the city’s chain coffee shops. They’re just not our thing.

Finally, we found two cafes that rival top cafes in cities like Bucharest, Budapest and Cape Town. If you like modern, hipster third wave coffee as much as we do, go to these cafes:

Rocket Bean Roastery

If handcrafted coffee served with a side of free internet is your happy place, then Rocket Bean Roastery is your home away from home in Riga. Located in a renovated sock factory in the hipper than hip Miera Iela neighborhood just two kilometers from Old Town Riga, Rocket Bean Roastery has an industrial, Brooklynesque vibe with its post-modern design and state-of-the-art coffee equipment.

At the end of the day, though, it’s all about the coffee. And the coffee is excellent at Rocket Bean Roastery whether you order a cappuccino or a pour over.

Miit Coffee

Riga Bars

Krogs Aptieka

Decorated as a pharmacy in homage to the owner’s grandfather, Krogs Aptieka serves liquor as its drug of choice as well as bar food like burgers, fries and nachos. Open late, Krogs Aptieka is a great spot to end an evening before calling it a night.

Labietis

Riga Central Market

Riga Central Market feels as big as an airplane hangar – no surprise since the five market pavilions originally housed German Zeppelins during World War I. Today, these pavilions are separated to sell meat, dairy, fish, groceries (dried fruit, nuts, pastries, honey, etc.) and vegetables.

Not just a tourist attraction, the Riga Central Market is one of Europe’s largest markets, bustling with 80,000 visitors every day. These visitors come to shop for food for their daily meals, though some opt to eat at one of the market’s many restaurants and eateries for shopping energy.

Further Afield Into The Latvian Countryside

As charming as Riga may be, there’s more to experience in Latvia beyond the country’s capital city. The Latvian countryside is just a short rental car drive from Riga, allowing travelers to easily trade the River Daugava for the Baltic Sea.

The Latvian countryside has hundreds of kilometers of pristine beaches, cute towns and manor houses where you can sleep. With a little advance planning, you can experience both Riga and the countryside in one short visit. And, of course, this planning should include where to eat in Latvia.

Lunch At Mekes Krogs

Just an hour drive from Riga on the Riga-Tallin Highway, Mekes Krogs is a rustic restaurant serving Latvian traditional food straight from 11:00 am to 9:00 pm every day. The restaurant may be located in an old barn, but the food is both hearty and excellent.

After sitting near a warm fireplace, we started our lunch with a generous spread of local dishes including meat pies, pork lard, chicken pate and dark rye bread. Our main courses were equally substantial, featuring house-made sausage and barley.

Because all good things must come to an end, we finished our lunch at Mekes Krogs with Latvian desserts layered with foraged berries and rye bread. We weren’t so sure how rye bread would work in a dessert, but this unique combination of sweet and savory ingredients tasted surprisingly good.

Dinner At Liepupe Manor

Staying overnight at a Latvian manor has its perks from onsite spas to cooking classes. However, dinner was the highlight of our stay at Liepupe Manor in Liepupe, a small village in Latvia’s Salacgrīva region.

Though we dined in the manor’s elegant dining room surrounded by candelabras and roaring fireplaces, the real fire came from the kitchen where the chef seamlessly blends traditional Latvian cooking with modern gastronomy to create memorable meals worthy of the manor’s regal setting.

Our main dish options at the Manor included a lovely venison Wellington (pictured above) as well as oven-roasted pudding sausage with foie gras and pear chutney, duck leg Parmentier, turbot with local vegetables and Muscat pumpkin ravioli with aged Grana Padano cheese. In other words, there were no bad choices or clunkers.

Choosing dessert was a challenge due to the tempting choices offered to end our dinner. Though Daryl enjoyed his Creme Brûlée with apple schnapps, Mindi ordered the winner with the Pear Belle Helene served with manor-made vanilla ice cream. She didn’t expect the server to pour Valrhona chocolate over the dessert, but the sauce was a great addition and a fun way to end the meal.

Things To Do In Riga

How To Get To Riga

Where To Stay In Riga

Pro Tip
Even though the breakfast buffet is more than adequate, you should order pancakes for breakfast at Relais Chevalier. Served with bananas, these tasty, crepe-like, rolled pancakes are similar to what we call blintzes.

Where To Stay In The Latvian Countryside

We recommend spending a night or two at Liepupe Manor for a romantic getaway in the Latvian countryside just 75 kilometers from Riga. Not only does a stay at this property provide a chance to experience a night of stylish elegance, but the hotel’s rooms are comfortable and its spa is divine.

Though the design and furniture harken back to the manor’s original 18th-century decor, Liepupe Manor offers all of the features that travelers expect in a luxury hotel today. Our room came with free wifi and robes among other amenities.

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Original Publication Date: February 24, 2018