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Restaurants

Top restaurants

All the restaurants mentioned beneath accept major credit cards. Some of these venues are “cream of the crop” even in European standards, but no restaurant in Riga has yet a Michelin star. Good food, is however, appreciated more than for example in Estonia (but also Tallinn has done better within a couple of years). Riga will in all likelihood be the culinary centre of the Baltics in near future. Unfortunately, in some cases prices have been raised too quickly.

For all these restaurants it is good to make an advance-booking.

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  • Columbine (Hotel Metropol), Aspazijas bul. 36/38, tel. 72 16 161.Has a wide-range menu, also sea-food bar.
  • Grill Room (Radisson SAS-hotellissa), Kugu 24, tel. 70 61 111.
  • Italian restaurant “1739”, Skarnu 6, tel. 72 11 398. A small intimate restaurant.
  • Monterosso, Valnu 9, tel..72 22 071, Genuine Italian restaurant. Good service.
  • Orangerie (Grand Palace Hotel), Pils 12, tel. 70 44 000.
  • Otto Schwartz (Hotel de Rome), Kalku 28, tel. 70 87 623, an elegant restaurant in connection with Hotel De Rome. “Otto” has oysters and quite a few vegetarian choices.
  • Piano Bars (Vernisaza building), Terbatas 2, tel. 72 88 230. View to Vermanes gardens. Piano music, candles, good food.
  • Piramida (Hotel Ridzene), Reimersa 1, tel. 73 24 433, a gourmet venue under the glass pyramid. Sometimes referred as “little Louvre”, Piramida offers a good choice of meals.
  • Samsons (Grand Palace Hotel), Pils 12, tel. 72 29 572. Comfortable cellar-restaurant.
  • Sumo, Kungu 8, puh. 70 92 460. Japanese food. Not cheap, but quality is upscale.
  • Sumosan, Terbatas 2, tel 70 92 460. Also a Japanese restaurant. Even more expensive.
  • Symposium (Berga Bazars), Dzirvanu 84, tel. 72 42 545. Part of so-called Zagara restaurants, which are upscale restaurants with excellent food.
  • Vincents, Elizabetes 19,tel. 73 32 634. One of the most famous Riga restaurants. Has a wide range of choices. Good place for business lunches with less than 10 lats. For more information see www.vincents.lv
  • Zilais Putns (Blue bird), Tirgonu 4, tel. 72 28 214. Italian restaurant in the Old Town. Stylish art nouveau interior.
  • Zivju Restorans, Vagnera 4, tel. 72 16 713. Fish restaurant.

Quality restaurants

This category includes good-quality restaurants, whose prices are lower than in the first group. For vegetarian restaurants, see the short list after the main listing. For these restaurants you usually do not need to book a table.

  • Alus arsenals, Pils laukums 4 (entrance from Arsenals street), tel. 73 23 896. Very good price-quality ratio. Beers from different parts of Latvia. Try Tervetes or dark Lacplesis.
  • Arba, Gertrudes 33/35, tel. 73 16 145. Inexpensive Armenian restaurant.
  • Aragats, Miera 15, tel. 73 73 445. Also Armenian, little more expensive.
  • Asia, Marstalu 6/8, tel. 72 25 305. Chinese kitchen. Quite expensive.
  • Austrumu robeza (Eastern Border), Vagnera 8, tel. 78 14 202. Soviet nostalgia, program in the evenings.
  • Boulevard nro 20, Aspazijas 20, tel. 72 16 033. Good steaks, pizza.
  • D’Artanjas, Marijas 13 (Berga Bazars), tel. 72 88 847. For lunch and French specialties.
  • Dickens Restaurant, Peterbaznicas 17, tel. 72 13 087. Good-quality “bar meals”.
  • Grieku Restorans, Skarnu 10/20, tel. 72 11 026.Greek restaurant.
  • Livonija, Meistaru 21, tel. 72 28 093. Meals form the Middle Ages, but also more modern choices.
  • Melnie muki, Jana seta 1, tel. 72 15 006. “Black Monk’s restaurant”.
  • Osiris, Barona 31, tel. 72 43 002. An intimate small restaurant for breakfast, lunch as well as for evening meals.
  • Petergailis, Skarnu 25,tel. 72 12 88. More like a cafe, but serves cheap meals too. Located under the St- Peter’s Church.
  • Rigas Balzams, Torna 4, puh. 72 14 494. Highly recommended cellar restaurant. This is the place to have Riga’s black balsam or meals spiced with it. Try also their black balsam cocktails!
  • Sanhaja, Grecnieku 26, tel. 72 28 462. Chinese restaurant.
  • Sue’s Indian Raja, Vecpilsetas 3, tel. 72 12 614. Good-quality Indian restaurant.

Vegetarian restaurants

There are not many purely vegetarian restaurants in Riga. Try one of these:

  • Kamala, Jauniela 14, tel. 72 11 332. Oriental atmosphere.
  • Kirbis, Doma laukums 1, tel. 94 95 409. Just next to the Dome church.
  • Rama, Barona 56, tel. 72 72 490. Indian flavors.

Latvian atmosphere

There are quite many Latvian restaurants in Riga. It is worth trying one of those during one’s visit. The atmosphese is rustic and meals are usually good, if not excellent. There is even a chain of Latvian restaurants by Gunars Kirsons, under the brand Lido. The largest Lido restaurant is “Lido atputas centrs” (or just Lido), a huge wooden building near river Daugava just a few kilometres from the city centre. Try these for Latvian food:

  • Alus Seta, Tirgonu 6, tel. 72 22 431. Belongs to Lido chain. Self-service as in most of the Lido restaurants. In the Old Town.
  • Dzirvanas, Dzirvanu 76, tel. 72 22 431. Also a Lido restaurant.
  • Lido, Krasta 76, tel. 72 41 167. The biggest of Lido restaurants carries the name of “Lido atputas centrs”.
  • Sena Riga ( in the same building as Hotel Riga, Aspazijas 22), tel. 72 16 869. The name means “ancient Riga”. Offers Latvian food. The restaurant is divided into four spaces according to Latvian parts of Vidzeme, Kurzeme, Semgale and Latgale.
  • Staburags, Caka 55, tel. 22 97 87. Also a Lido restaurant. Traditional Latvian food.
  • Vermanitis, Elizabetes 65, tel. 72 86 289. Traditional Latvian food, but also a good selection of small salads etc. Good for lunch.

Pubs and Bars

  • A. Suns, Elizabetes 83/85 (Berga Bazars), tel. 72 88 418.
  • Cita Opera, Raina bulv. 21, tel. 72 20 770. Good meals. In the evenings a popular music venue. Tickets may be quite expensive.
  • Deco Bars, Dzirvanu 84 (Berga Bazars shopping centre), tel. 72 89 241. Cocktail bar in Art Deco style. Small good dishes. Popular place for young and beautiful.
  • Dickens Pub,Grecienieku 9, tel. 72 13 087.
  • Hollanders, Amatu 3/5, tel. 72 25 085.In a nice Small Guild building. Good for lunch and a cup of cafe or tea.
  • Notingema, Doma laukums 6, tel. 72 21 611. In the basement of Riga Stock Exchange.
  • Paddy Whelan’s, Grecinieku 4, tel. 72 10 249. Good bar food, Irish atmosphere, inexpensive Guinness.
  • Petergailis, Skarnu 25, tel. 72 12 88, a cafe with small meals.
  • Pulkvedim neviens reraksta, Peldu 26, tel. 72 13 886. For artists and other bohemians.
  • Skyline Bar, Elizabetes 55 (Hotel Latvija). Highly recommended.. Even if you do not live in Hotel Latvija, Skyline is worth visiting.
  • Tim McShane’s, Tirgonu 10, tel. 72 25 481. Irish bar.

Music clubs

  • Celti balti krekli (Four White Skirts), Vecpilsetas 12, tel. 72 13 885. For Latvian music. 1 Open between 12.00-02.00.
  • Dizzi Music Club, Marstalu 10 (entrance from Alksnaja street), tel.. 94 12 742, fax 72 11 026, Open until 03.00, closed on Sunday.
  • Hamlet Club, Jana Seta 5, tel. 72 29 938. Cabaree and jazz. Open 19.00-05.00.
  • Kabata, Peldu 19, tel. 72 23 334. Huge medieval cellar with live music.
  • Karakums, Lacplesa 18,tel. 96 24 823. Small club, open 16.00-03.00.
  • Discos and night clubs
  • Alligators, Marijas 6, p. 72 13 700. Live music Thursday to Saturday. Open 12.00-05.00, from Monday to Tuesday 12.00-01.00.
  • Mirage, Aspazijas 22 (Riga Hotel), tel. 72 16 225. Disco in connection to Hotel Riga. Open until 05.00.
  • Nautilus, Kungu 8, tel. 78 14 477. A disco with a sea theme. Admission costs up to 8 lats (almost 15 euros). Open 22.00-07.00, closed Sunday to Tuesday.
  • Pepsi Forums, Kalku 24, tel. 72 24 041. Billiards, disco, strip tease. Open 21.00-06.00.
  • Vernisaza, Terbatas 2,tel. 70 92 400. Very modern hotspot late teenagers. Open 21.00-06.00.
  • Voodoo Discotheque, Elizebetes 55 ( Reval Hotel Latvija). Open 20.00-06.00. Closed Monday-Tuesday.
  • XXL, Kalnina 4, 72 82 276. A gay club. Gay art in the spirit of Tom of Finland.