We stayed in Riga for four nights in September and arrived armed with a list of recommended restaurants and bars from a Latvian friend.
Siļķītes un Dillītes or Herrings and Dills was only a five-minute walk from our hotel. Although there was a small outdoor terrace with blankets, we sat inside what was essentially a posh fish and chip shop. Having chosen a table in the window, we discovered we needed to order at the counter. Here we found a chilled counter with an array of cold fish appetisers, and we chose a platter with three types of marinated herrings, a bowl of cottage cheese and two types of bread. It was an ideal tasty starter and pretty good value at €6.99 even though a bottle of Pinot Grigio was relatively expensive at €35. Having seen huge portions of fish and chips being served, we decided to share. Our plate (€15.85) had a mound of thin fries underneath the fillet of deep-fried cod which was accompanied by lightly pickled red cabbage and a cross between tartare and marie rose sauces.
After eating at a traditional Latvian restaurant, we decided on a more international treat the following night. At 7pm we got the last table at Indian Raja, and although tables were vacated, they were quickly refilled: in addition, many others were turned away. What looked like a husband-and-wife team were managing what was the small but incredibly busy restaurant and we had to wait a little while to order. As we’d enjoyed in-room drinks and nibbles beforehand, we dispensed with the need for poppadoms and went straight into a chicken curry, aloo gobi, pilau rice and garlic naan. The food was delicious and authentic and with a great value bottle of Italian Trebiano (€21), our total bill came to €50.
Our final evening was spent at Ala Pagrabs, recommended by ChatGPT. My WhatsApp message for a reservation wasn’t responded to, but we decided to take a punt. The small entrance didn’t look promising, but we then spotted stairs leading downstairs. But on finding a long dark corridor lined with grand chairs and beer barrels, we wondered whether we were in the right place. Eventually we reached a lively noisy area with several dining rooms, and after waiting for a while, a guy with a bun, shorts and Doc Martins found us the last table for two. The hexagonal shaped table was pushed against one of the central pillars in the vaulted brick room, and we sat surrounded by both large and small groups. We chose a bottle of French Cote de Gascogne (€24) and from the special’s menu opted for a shared starter, julienne of mushrooms topped with cheese and warm bread, and a shared main, Grandma’s Latvian meatballs served with potatoes and sauerkraut. The service was relatively slow, and so we indulged in a second bottle along with a pudding of meringues Ala’s Cielavina which was huge but light. The bill came to €87.
For drinks we chose the recommended Cydonia, a gastro pub in Berga Bazārs, an historic shopping and dining arcade. We sat on a pavement terrace, where the service was great and a bottle of Italian Trebiano was €26.
Other options recommended which we didn’t have time to try were:
Kolonade, a gourmet restaurant, with Latvian cuisine with international influences located in an historic building with views of the Freedom Monument and Opera Garden.
Andalūzijas Suns or Andalusian Dog which was busy when we passed by. As the name might suggest, it was pet friendly with a special menu for dogs, with options like meatballs or vegetable dishes in different sizes for small, medium, large dogs.
