Food and drinks in Riga

Specialty coffee and cafés

Riga takes coffee seriously. The scene is led by Rocket Bean Roastery on Miera iela, right by our Miera and Stabu residences, which roasts its own beans and doubles as a relaxed workspace. Around the centre you will find dozens of independent cafés perfect for studying, most with fast Wi-Fi, good pastries and long opening hours. Miit and Kalnciema Kvartāls are other favourites. A flat white here costs a fraction of what you would pay in western Europe.

Eating well on a student budget

The single best trick for cheap lunches is the daily set menu, the 'biznesa pusdienas', offered by many restaurants on weekdays, a starter, main and sometimes dessert at a low fixed price. For hearty portions, the LIDO canteens serve traditional Latvian food cafeteria-style, where you point at what you want and pay by weight. It is filling, tasty and very affordable.

The Central Market

Housed in the old Zeppelin hangars behind the train station, the Central Market is the cheapest and most authentic place to eat and shop. Buy fresh bread, cheese, smoked fish, pickles and seasonal berries, or grab street food from the stalls. It is also the best place to try Latvian specialties like dark rye bread and grey peas with bacon.

Latvian food to try

Don't leave without tasting a few classics: rupjmaize (dense dark rye bread), skābputra, cold beetroot soup in summer, smoked fish from the coast, and Rīgas Melnais balzams, the famous herbal black balsam, usually mixed into a drink or coffee. Latvian honey, berries and dairy are excellent and cheap.

Bars and nightlife

Latvia has a booming craft beer scene, with taprooms like Labietis and plenty of bars in the Old Town and around Miera iela and Kaļķu iela. Student nights and happy hours keep weekends easy on the wallet, and most of it is within walking distance of our residences.

Markets and quarters

Beyond the Central Market, look for the weekend markets at Kalnciema Quarter across the river, with local food, wine and live music in summer. It is a lovely way to spend a Saturday and to eat like a local.

Where to eat and drink

Riga's food scene runs from cosy cafés to fine dining. These are our regular haunts.

One thing we love about Riga: there are lots of Armenian and Georgian restaurants, more than we know from home. We like to eat our way across the menu there, wine included. A good address right in the centre is the Armenia Restaurant.

Restaurants

• Fish and seafood: Zivju lete and The Catch.
• Space Falafel: Israeli food, a cocktail bar in the evening too.
• 2eat falafel & hummus: falafel and hummus, Israeli street food.
• O'Sole Mio: very good pizza.
• BABO: modern Georgian cuisine.
• Chef's Corner: refined, modern cooking.

Latvian, good and cheap

LIDO Vērmanītis is a must for us: a Latvian buffet, good and cheap. LIDO is a chain, but it is still worth it. Even cheaper and quick to fill you up is Delicio, where we go when we are in Riga for work and just want to eat well, fast and for little.

Wine bars

• Wine House: a wine bar with a big selection.
• Truff Le Pig: a charming wine bar with a small, fine selection.

Cafés

MiiT Coffee is one of our favourite cafés, fully vegetarian and partly vegan. And for a sweet tooth, Kūkotava has fantastic cakes and pastries. For really good specialty coffee, the Rocket Bean Roastery on the creative Miera iela is worth it, a street full of small shops, cafés and studios that deserves a wander of its own.

Going out

Riga has a surprisingly lively bar and nightlife scene, a bit like Berlin or Leipzig a few years ago. Empty units quickly turn into bars: add a table and a fridge, done.

• KKC, Kaņepes Kultūras centrs. A brilliant party and event venue. A must.
• Ala Pagrabs. A cult cellar pub in the Old Town that feels like it has always been there: live music, beer and cheap food.
• Bar Six. A cool cocktail bar with a twist: ring the doorbell and you get let in.
• Čē. A fairly new bar, exactly that kind of taken-over empty space.
• Tallinas kvartāls. A corner of the northern Centre we really like, with bars, cafés and clubs lined up across the site.
• When Coffee Meets Whisky. A listening bar with a programme: specialty coffee by day, whisky and fine turntable sound by night.

And if you want to dance, Riga has proper clubs too: Coyote Fly, Poseidons Club, Depo and Studio 69.

Our picks on the map

These are some of our favourite spots in Riga. Open our full curated Google Maps list to see every pin on the map and navigate straight there from your phone.

• Rocket Bean Roastery — The city's best-known specialty coffee, on Miera iela
• Central Market — Cheap, authentic food in the old Zeppelin hangars
• LIDO — Generous Latvian canteen food, pay by weight
• Kalnciema Quarter — Weekend food and craft market across the river
• Labietis — Craft brewery and taproom
• Miit — Relaxed café and bike shop, great for studying