Deliveries
Riga has a number of good options when it comes to deliveries. But since Riga is so darn big and prone to snarling traffic, it sometimes takes more than an hour to actually get your order to your door. If the food arrives cold, here's hoping you have access to a microwave:
AI KARAMBA: tel. 733-4672. Open:08-23. Excellent real-beef burgers.
BABELLA SERVICES: tel. 737-8453. Open:11-22. Hanoja restaurant’s delivery.
CILI PICA: tel. 800-3355. Open:10-24.
KEBABS FIX: tel. 728-2811. Open:10-24; Fri., Sat. 10-02.
LIDO: tel. 722-1318. Open:10-21. A wide selection of very good pizzas, as well as some other dishes.
PIZZA JAZZ: tel. 800-0005. Open:11-23; Sat. 11-22.
PIZZA LULU: tel. 800-5858; Open 24h. The leader in Riga pizza delivery. Progressive, on-the-ball management. Orders via the Internet: www.lulu.lv
SOHO: Lacplesa 41, tel. 724-0250. Open:12-22. Very good Japanese sushi and maki, as well as Chinese food.
SUE’S INDIAN RAJA: tel. 721-2614; order@suerestaurants.lv . Open:12-23. Divine Thai and Indian food
Cafes/
It has to be said that Riga probably has the best cafés in the Baltics. Here, you can find a dozen places that have pleasant interiors and also serve good coffee and pastries. In the other two Baltic capitals, you have to search a little harder for a good café. Many cafés in Riga are open for breakfast.
CADETS DE CASCOGNE: Basteja 8, tel. 947-1903, in the Jekaba kazarmas. Open:07:30-22; Sun. 09-20. A French-owned café that offers a wide range of sandwiches and freshly-baked pastries, all made using butter. Their croissants are made in-house and served hot. They set out a wide range of French, English and Finnish-language papers and magazines. www.cadets.lv
CAFE OPERA: Aspazijas 3, inside the National Opera House; tel. 721-1236. Open:10-22. The interior is consistent with the rest of the opera house: classy, classy, classy; marble floor, a spacious wood-paneled room. Show-stopping cakes. Closes at 18:00 if there is no concert.
CHARLESTONS CAPPUCCINO BAR: Blaumana 38/40, tel. 777-0573, in the foyer of the fine Charlestons restaurant. Open:08-23. Good pastries, excellent coffee selection.
COFFEE NATION: Valdemara 21; also at Tirgonu 4, in the old city. Also at Blaumana 5. Open:08-22. Modeled after American coffee shops Coffee Nation’s; a great addition to the Riga café scene. A vast array of coffees and a small selection of sandwiches and pastries. You can even get take-outs in proper take-away coffee cups at no extra cost.
DOUBLE COFFEE: Stabu 15, tel. 727-3747. Open:08-24; Fri., Sat. 08-02; Sun. 11-24. This is a Latvian version of the American-based Starbucks, with a spacious red and yellow interior. Good for breakfast or lunch. A wide selection of coffees, sandwiches, pastries and cocktails.
EMIHLA GUSTAVA SHOKOLAHDE: Marijas 13, in the Berga Bazars, tel. 728-3959. Open:10-22; Sun. 10-20. An extraordinarily charming, Vienna-style café. Its forte is the amazingly wide range of stunningly good chocolates, truffles and pralines. The chocolate, that comes in an imaginative variety of shapes and tastes, is made on the premises; you can watch them whipping it all up through a large glass window separating the main room from the kitchen.
ELVIS: Arsenala 7, tel. 722-4823. Small, dumpy and they play techno. Open:08-21. But it is called Elvis and pictures of the King grace the walls. That’s something.
FAZER CAFE: 13. Janvara 8, tel. 707-1200; at the Stockmann department store. Open:09-21.
HOUSE OF THE BLACKHEAD'S CAFE: Ratslaukums 7, tel. 704-4362. Open:09-21. Located in Riga's most-talked-about restored medieval buildings, next to the Tourist Information Office. Spacious and elegant; good coffee and snacks.
ICE QUEEN: Gertrudes 20, tel. 727-3062. Open:10-22. Ice cream by the scoop, bowl, cone or lover cups. They also serve snacks and salads.
LOTOSS: Skarnu 7, old city, tel. 721-2665. Open:10-23; Sat. 11-24. A refined café with bay windows looking towards St. Peter’s Cathedral; a fine place to wile away an afternoon over coffee and sweets. They do a to-die-for banana split and serve a variety of meat and salads; there’s also a breakfast menu with eggs and Russian-style kasha, a porridge that locals spice up with cinnamon or jam. Cozy interior, with wicker chairs and couches in the back.
MODA CAFE: Terbatas 2, in the Vernisaza music center, tel. 709-2400. Open:11-23.
MONTE KRISTO: Kaleju 18/20, in the old city; tel. 722-7443. Open:08-21; Sat. 09-22; Sun. 10-20. Monte Kristo is set in what feels like a vast, 19th century warehouse: the walls are yellow-bricked, and there’s one table set inside a 1902 vault. They have a range of good flavored coffees, cakes and sub sandwiches. Good, varied background music, from Irish reels to Spanish flamenco to the Crash Test Dummies. There’s another good Monte Kristo cafe at Gertrudes 27 (B-4), a 10-minute walk from the old town; tel. 737-2346. Open:09-21; Sat., Sun. 11-21.
OSIRIS: K. Barona 31; tel. 724-3002.
PUT, VEJIN!: Jauniela 18/22, tel. 721-2291. Open:12-24; breakfast starting at 08:00. In the old city, close to Dome Square. See DINING OUT for more details. There’s a cappuccino bar in an adjoining room offering delightful home-baked cakes, like the excellent rum-chocolate brownies.
RADI UN DRAUGI HOTEL CAFE Marstalu 1/3, tel. 722-0372. Open:08-23. Very nice, quiet, perfect place to bring your business partner for serious business or to relax. Classical music, in the old town. www.draugi.lv
ROLANDS LOBBY BAR: Kalku 3a, tel. 722-0011, fax 720-5520; at the elegant Rolands hotel. Good breakfasts at reasonable prices; bar menu during the day.
Tea Houses
APSARA TEA HOUSE: Vermanes garden, Terbatas 2, tel. 721-2436. Open:09-23; Sun. 09-16. A delightful, hut-sized tea house with a strong Turkish-Russian feel. It’s in a white-pine shack with a loft-like veranda upstairs that is flooded exclusively with pillows. This place is laid back with a capital L; there’s almost a ‘60s, Haight-Ashbury quality to the place; you can even partake in smoking a Turkish water pipe. There’s a terrific selection of non-bag tea, from Jasmin to Pina Colada flavor. They have a nice assortment of exotic cookies and cakes. Also at Skunu 10. Open:09-20.
ZEN: Stabu 6, tel. 731-6521. Open:12-24. A relaxing, meditative Chinese tea house—where customers take off their shoes and sit on pillows strewn across the floor, their tables separated by bamboo curtains. Waiters and waitresses not only serve but also lecture you on ancient tea customs; the various teas on offer are said to do everything from repairing your nervous system to boosting your sex drive, or both. They have Turkish water pipes on offer as well, filled with water or wine.
Bars
ALCATRAZ/PELICAN PUB: Barona 88, tel. 729-4984. Open:11-23; Fri., Sat. 14-til last guest.. This is an outstanding option for non-teenagers or for anyone who could just kill for an injection of down-home American music. It is a refreshing club/bar, with very good food, drink and music. The emphasis here is on earthy rock, blues and American country. There’s a stage for frequent live groups, plus a roomy dance floor, with plenty of tables and chairs farther away from the noise.
AMSTERDAMA: Audeju 2, tel. 722-5697. Open:11-02. Quite well captures the spirit of old Holland: dark, oak tables, Dutch paintings and artifacts. The place is reminiscent of Tallinn’s Amsterdam Pub, with the exception that this one actually has windows. They do have a range of food, including spaghetti and eggplant, but it’s not spectacular.
A. SUNS: Elizabetes 83/85, in Berga Bazars; tel. 728-8418. Open:10-01; Sat.-Sun. 11-03. This is a lively pub/restaurant that’s been around for years. Good quality food at reasonable prices and a varied, ever-changing menu; the Tex-Mex dishes are particularly popular. A mixture of expats and locals gives this joint a rich, dynamic atmosphere. With a movie THEATER upstairs, this is a perfect place for before- and after-movie drinks.
AUSTRUMU ROBEZA (EASTERN BORDER): Vagnera 8, the old city; tel. 781-4202. Open:12-02. Politically correct it’s not. There aren’t many places in the world where you can see a bust of Hitler--even if it is clearly put up as a joke, as here. To be fair, all the notable tyrants of the age, from Stalin to Lenin to Mao are amply represented and made fun of at this dangerously humorous rock bar/restaurant (Mischievously, there’s even a bust here of Russian President Vladimir Putin.) The fatigue-colored walls and wire caging add to the totalitarian kitsch of this place, which has the feel of a make-shift student hangout. The food here is run-of-the-mill, but the atmosphere is good--or at least unlike anything else in Riga. At night, they often feature live local rock bands on a tiny stage.
BITES BLUES CLUB: Dzirnavu 34a, to the northeast of the old city; tel. 733-3125. Open:12-01; Fri., Sat. 12-02; Sun. 12-24. An earthy blues club that wouldn’t feel out of place on the south side of Chicago. Frequent live bands. Good, finger-licking food: ribs to burgers.
CAFE DE LA SOUL: Palasta 10, entrance from Jauniela, tel. 722-1111. Open:11-24. www.cafedelasoul.lv
CITAS DEBESIS: Skarnu 10/20, tel. 727-7021; in the old city. Open: from 09-02. A cheerful cafe/bar in what used to be the Babylon restaurant. The bright green, orange and pink plastic furniture and the red plastic balloon-like lights create a funky, fun-loving atmosphere in a medieval-era room. They serve a reasonably priced pub menu. It’s a good place for a drink, a cup of coffee, or a casual meal before going to a nightclub. www.citasdebesis.lv
COCOLOCO: Stabu 6, tel. 731-4265. Open:10-24; Sat., Sun. 12-24. A basement bar/club with a Jamaican theme, and a good DJ spinning house and funk tunes starting in the evening. It is a bit cramped (and cold in the winter) but it seems to have a good local following. They have an excellent range of cocktails and food, including Tex-Mex, Jamaican goat curry and fried shrimp in beer butter.
DICKENS PUB: Grecinieku 9/1, old city; tel. 721-3087. Open:11-01; Fri., Sat. 11-02. English-themed Dickens is one of Riga’s more popular pubs and a major draw to many foreigners living in the capital. On any given night it is likely to be crowded with bubbly ex-pats, mingled with lots of local Latvians. It is a great place to network or to begin making some new friends if you’re new in town. Dickens, with an impressive array of beers on tap, comes complete with the ubiquitous dart board and a bar TV usually tuned to a sport channel. They also serve traditional fish & chips with real malt vinegar. There’s also a good, old-English feeling restaurant in the back, distinguished by red and yellow colors, stately paintings and a fireplace. It’s also popular. www.dickens.lv
DOLLS: Aspazijas 22, tel. 750-9625. Open:12-09. Dolls is a restaurant for most of the day, but converts into a sexually supercharged club/striptease after 22:00. It has a New York studio feel to it, with its metal lights, chrome fixtures, bone rattling music and, of course, strippers’ poles. It seems to cater largely to businessmen staying at the upstairs Riga Hotel. As strip clubs go, this is one of the most professional and/or stimulating in town.
FC BARCELONA: Antonijas 26, tel. 733-3495. Open:10-24. A surprisingly fashionable, Italian-style sports bar next to Riga’s No. 1 soccer stadium and home to the best team in the nation, Skonto. Naturally, a good place for soccer enthusiasts.
JOHN LEMON: Peldu 21, in the old city; tel. 722-6647. Open:08- 24; Fri., Sat. 08-05; Sun. 10-24. A cramped bar just across from the legendary Pulkvedim (Nobody Writes to the Colonel). Bright, cheery colors, ambient background music, average but reasonably priced pub food.
MARTINI'S: Zemzaru 1, tel. 777-2779. Open: 10-24; Sat., Sun. 12-24. During the day the ground floor is a car-repair garage, at night the bar upstairs rocks with trendy Latvians. Despite natural doubts, it all works somehow.
MELNAIS KAKIS: Meistaru 10/12, tel. 751-1021. Open:09-07. Also a new, larger version on Raina blvd. 15, tel. 781-4190. Food, drinks, and lots of games: slot machines, pin-ball machines, pool tables, dartboards, even a cash machine that takes ATM cards from North America. Seems to be very popular and bustling--an awful lot of fun, by most accounts. The management aims to be on the cutting edge of game technology, and always on the lookout for the latest gadgets.
NB: Ðkunu 9, in the old city; tel. 722-6351. One of the best places in Riga for billiards; also slot machines. Another branch on Èaka 38a; tel. 728-4406.
NEO: Stacijas laukums 2, 8th tel. 707-3073. Open:10-02. A trendy coctail bar in three upper floors of the central train station’s clock tower. The best reason to come here: The breath-taking views of central Riga. Neon lights and ’70s atmosphere.
ORANGE BAR: Jana Seta 5, in the old city; tel. 722-8423. Open:11-01; Fri. 11-05; Sat. 12-05; Sun. 12-01.
PADDY WHELAN’S: Grecinieku 4, tel. 721-0249. Open:10-24; Fri. 10-02; Sat. 11-01; Sun. 11-24. Once easily the best pub in Riga, it has somewhat lost that status in recent years, given competition and some slip ups themselves. Still quite good though.
PALDIES DIEVAM PIEKTDIENA IR KLET (THANK GOD IT’S FRIDAY): 11. Novembra krastmala 9, tel. 750-3964. Open:12-02; Fri., Sat. 12-04. A very trendy, Caribbean-themed bar that has quickly become a favorite of up and coming young Latvian professionals; said to be the favorite hangout of Latvia’s winner of the 2002 Eurovision Song Contest, Marija Naumova. Colorful, greenish and pink interior, and views overlooking the Daugava River. Includes a bartender doing his Tom Cruise interpretation, shaking, flipping, and sometimes, dropping drinks. A good array of cocktails, from Mississippi Mules to Dictor’s Grogs. Very good food, too: great California ribs and other tasty snacks, Cuban black bean soup, cod rolls in spinach sauce and lemon-mango parfait; all at reasonable prices.
PILS BAR: Pils 12, tel. 704-4000, in the classy Grand Palace hotel. A decidedly upscale, English-style bar, featuring stuffed animal trophies on the walls. This is a very comfortable, stately place, perfect, not for wild nights of debauchery, but for long, thoughtful discussions between business partners or lovers. Excellent service and pleasant background music.
PULKVEDIM NEVIENS NERAKSTA (NOBODY WRITES TO THE COLONEL): Peldu 26/28, tel. 721-3886. Open:12-02; Fri.-Sat. 12-05. The raw industrial atmosphere at this nightclub/bar is about as good as it gets anywhere. You certainly wouldn’t expect such surroundings to go with fine food, but here, they do. The menu is extensive and imaginative. While patrons of all ages should enjoy the atmosphere and certainly the food, you should note that the crowd gets younger, more raucous and radical as the clock approaches midnight. Older businesspeople might consider going elsewhere when it gets late; the other option is just to rip off the darn tie, throw caution to the wind, and join in the fun. Pulkvedim has a basement with a less industrial and clubby feel.
PUPU LOUNGE: Marstalu 14, tel. 722-0732. Open:12-02; Fri., Sat. 12-06; Sun. 17-02. Pupu in Latvian means beans-or tits. Take one look at the menu and you know they're referring to the latter. The downstairs is a cafe during the day; at night, it rocks with funky music. upstairs in the back is a chill-out room with large screens. www.pupu.lv
PUT, VEJIN!: Jauniela 20, tel. 721-2291. Open:12-22. Old city. A German rathskeller feel, only bluesier. Often a roaring fire.
RIGAS BALZAMS: Torna 4, building 1b, in the Jekaba Kazarmas strip of stores; tel. 721-4494. Open:08:30-24; Fri., Sat. 08:30-01. A very popular bar named after Latvia’s most famous liqueur, Rigas Melnais Balzams (Black Balsam), a black gooey drink the texture of crude oil. They make things with Black Balsam that will surprise and delight you. Good pub food. They recently opened a new bar Jaunais Rigas Balzams at Doma laukums 2, tel. 721-4494. Open:08-03. www.balzambars.lv
SARKANS (RED): Stabu 10, tel. 727-2286. Open:10-04; Sat. 12-04; Sun. 12-24. A popular, trendy bar/restaurant. Disco in the basement. Also see DINING OUT
SKYLINE: Elizabetes 55, atop the 26th floor of the Reval Hotel Latvija; tel. 777-2222. Open:15-02. Fact: This place has the best views of Riga. Skyline's bird's-eye view of virtually the entire Latvian capital are reason enough to come here; otherwise, just a straightforward bar. Lots of tourists and local Latvians here gawking at the scenes. The whole place feels a little like a luxury ship that's been permanently floated in mid air. At night, candles are placed on the tables and the lights are turned down, so you can behold the city below you sparking like a field of stars.
SPALVAS PA GAISU (FEATHERS IN THE AIR): Grecinieku 8, in the old city; tel. 722-0393. This spacious, sprawling new cafe/bar is going for the hip look. It has a tasteful interior in warm earthy colors, tall windows with booths lined up against them. Splavas par Gaisu offers good pub food and has a long cocktail list. Good background music, mostly rock. There’s regular live music, and a disco bar in the basement. www.spalvaspagaisu.lv
VAIRAK SAULES COCKTAIL BAR: Dzirnavu 60, tel. 728-2878. Open:12-02; Fri., Sat. 12-04. This bright orange-and-yellow bar with plastic furniture has a slight ’70s feel to it. There’s a long list of creative cocktails on offer. They play pleasant background music, often R&B. Vairak Saules is popular with locals and tends to get crowded at night.
VEVETS: Skarnu 9, tel. 721-5075. Open:11-02; Fri., Sat. 11-04. Great location, almost-French food. At night, a dance floor at the back. Very popular.
Wine
There’s the charming IDALGO SPANISH BAR, at Teatra 12; tel. 722-1829. Open:11-23. Idalgo is in a nice red-bricked cellar with a fireplace. Good wine list, and food. Good prices. There’s also FAUSTS WINE BAR, at Kungu 1. Another wine bar is BAR MICHEL, Laipu 3/5. Very average. New wine bar recently opened: VINA SETA at Kalku 2, tel. 722-2566. Open;11-23.
Most of Riga’s finer restaurants now have good wine selections.
Cigar Lounges
CHURCHILL CLUB: Aldaru 2/4 tel. 722-1784. Riga’s first genuine cigar lounge is named after the world’s best known cigar smoker. What Churchill would have made of communist revolutionary Che Guevara’s photo hanging prominently on one wall is open to question. The Churchill Club is in the heart of the old city and has a lovely English-den atmosphere, save for the TV on one wall playing Hollywood movies. The cigar selection is not nearly as good as at arguably the best cigar bar in the Baltics, La Casa del Habano in Tallinn, but it’s not awful: they have some Cubans, and also cigars from elsewhere around the Caribbean.
