Riga, the capital of Latvia, is a city appreciated both for its artistic and cultural beauty and for its culinary tradition of strong, spicy flavours, the result of Nordic (Swedish, German and Russian above all) contaminations.
Although the basis of Latvian cuisine is vegetables and ingredients such as cabbage, herring and potatoes, the star of many dishes is also meat, especially pork and game. Soups such as vegetable or chicken soups and dairy products such as cream cheese are particularly popular.
Being by the sea, Riga also offers seafood delicacies, mainly salmon, sardine, herring and eel cooked in different ways (smoked, fried and marinated) and served as an appetiser or main course. The drink par excellence, on the other hand, is beer: you will almost never find foreign brands, but local beers (especially the Aldaris brand), so your tasting will always be a surprise!
Let's see together, then, what are the 10 things you absolutely must eat in Riga.
1 - Fried Herrings
Fried herring is a very tasty appetiser and is served with sour cream, a particularly popular sauce, and onions. They are simply mixed with a mixture of egg, flour and salt and then fried in oil.
Recommended for: lunch and dinner
Average cost: €6.00
Main ingredients: herring, flour, egg
2 - Speka Piradzini
Speka Piradzini look a lot like our calzones, with a tasty filling enclosed in a golden bread. They are made from a Latvian bread usually stuffed with bacon and onion, although every family has its own recipe. They are prepared for parties or eaten as a snack when smaller in size, but also lend themselves to being a main meal when larger. As well as in restaurants, they are easily found in stands as street food.
Recommended for: snack and lunch
Average cost: €5.00
Main ingredients: flour, bacon, onions
3 - Skaba Putra
Photo by Benreis. Soups are very popular in Latvia and Skaba putra is one of them. It is a fresh, velvety soup made with sour cream and barley. It is said to be very refreshing and rejuvenating: give it a try!
Recommended for: lunch and dinner
Average cost: €6.00
Main ingredients: barley, sour cream
4 - Borshch
Let's talk more about soups, which, as mentioned, are very popular and consequently there are several variations. Beetroot-based borsch is the mother of all soups: with its unmistakable red colour, it can be made of vegetables alone or supplemented with chicken meat. This soup is a real cure-all for the body, with its multiple properties, and helps you keep in line as it is low in fat... but rich in taste!
Recommended for: lunch and dinner
Average cost: €6.00
Main ingredients: beetroot, cabbage, onions, tomatoes, meat (optional)
5 - Rupjmaize
Rupjmaize is a typical Riga black bread made of rye flour. It won't be hard to taste, because you will find it just about everywhere, ready to accompany lunches and dinners. It is a bread with a sweet and sour taste that is rich in nutrients and of which Latvians are very proud: for them it is a symbol of family tradition and hard work.
You can find Rupjmaize in almost every restaurant, bakery and it will probably also be part of the breakfast buffet at your hotel.
Recommended for: always
Average cost: €3.00
Main ingredients: rye flour, water, sugar
6 - Rasols
Rasols is a special typical Latvian salad served as an appetiser or side dish. It is made from potatoes, carrots and peas mixed with mayonnaise and sometimes sausage or frankfurters cut into cubes are added. We can say that it is very similar to Russian salad!
Recommended for: lunch and dinner
Average cost: €9.00
Main ingredients: potatoes, carrots, mayonnaise
7 - Debessmanna
There are many Latvian desserts that delight the palate, and most are made with honey, prunes and berries. One of the tastiest is the Debessmanna: a fluffy milk mousse with blueberries, currants, strawberries, raspberries and other berries. It is often served in restaurants and bars, but Latvians also like to prepare it at home.
Recommended for: dessert at the end of a meal or snack
Average cost: €5.00
Main ingredients: milk, berries, sugar
8 - Klingeris
Photo by NobbiP. With Klingeris we are still in the sweet business: these are biscuits made with sultanas, almonds and saffron with a delicious cardamom scent. With the same ingredients, Klingeris can also take on shapes other than biscuits: they can look like a braid or a German Brezel.
Recommended for: snacking
Average cost: €5.00
Main ingredients: flour, sultanas, saffron, cardamom, eggs
9 - Smoked salmon
Salmon is one of the main ingredients in Latvian cuisine and is really cooked in all sorts of ways, but smoked salmon is one of the most popular. It is a hearty and very tasty dish, often accompanied by potatoes, sauces or vegetables as a side dish.
Recommended for: lunch and dinner
Average cost: €20.00
Main ingredients: salmon, potatoes, vegetables
10 - Beef stew
Another dish to try is beef stew: a meat stew usually served with vegetables (especially cabbage). In Riga, meat in 'stewed' and braised versions, it must be said, can be found almost everywhere. The stew meat is very tender and the dish as a whole is hearty: it certainly won't disappoint!
Recommended for: lunch and dinner
Average cost: €18.00
Main ingredients: meat, broth, vegetables, onion
Where to eat in Riga: best restaurants, typical places and street food
Riga's gastronomic tradition is based on seasonal ingredients, such as vegetables, which are often found on Latvian tables in the form of hot soups.
The combinations are sometimes daring, but create dishes with unmissable flavours.
Potatoes and cabbage are omnipresent in the preparations, along with sauerkraut and beans.
Latvian cuisine loves strong flavours, but is easily appreciated by visitors, who are fascinated by its refined ability to mix flavours. Here are the places to make your palate happy in the city.
1 - Folkklubs ALA pagrabs
Description: a beer hall with high ceilings, fast food, wooden tables, a fireplace and live music
Speciality: charcuterie and cheese boards
Average price: from €10.00 per person
Address: Get directions - Facebook page
2 - Black Magic
Description: Historical café in Riga
Speciality: delicious chocolates, black balzam
Average price: from €5.00 per person
Address: Get directions - Official Website
3 - Fat Pumpkin
Description: vegan restaurant in central Riga
Speciality: vegetarian and vegan specialities, smoothies
Average price: from €8.00 per person
Address: Get directions
4 - Rīgas Centrāltirgus
Description: is the central market where you can taste traditional dishes and street food
Speciality: local soups
Average price: from €6.00 per person
Address: Get directions - Facebook page
5 - Rozengrāls (Vinarium civitatis rigensis)
Description: Medieval-themed restaurant located in the city centre, where you can sample traditional cuisine.
Speciality: braised rabbit with plums and pine nuts, spit-roasted pork and stewed veal cheeks
Average price: from €15.00 per person
Address: Get directions