|
Riga is a classic European city. A cup of coffee, either black or with cream, and miniature pastry in an elegant cafe are an intimate part of local way of life. In Old Town squares and public gardens, you will find open-air beer gardens where locals and tourists sip beer, drink coffee, and watch the passers-by.
Riga’s cafes and restaurants are known for their high quality and relatively low prices. The cost of a meal is 2-3 times lower than in Europe, and approximately two times lower than in Moscow. The service quality is usually higher than in many other European countries.
If you want a good Latvian meal for a reasonable amount of money, the first destination point in Riga are the ubiquitous LIDO restaurants. This Latvian chain maintains a variety of buffet-style restaurants around the center of Riga, and the food is quite fresh. There is a wide variety of soups, salads, fruits, and deserts, and you may select your main course directly from the chefs. Shashlik and grilled salmon are particular favourites. A dinner will cost you anywhere from 1-5 Lats, depending on the size of your stomach and your taste for luxury items. Portions are enormous. After a 5 Lat meal you probably won’t be able to stand up. For simpler fare, try Latvian fast food. These include pelmeni (Russian meat dumplings), pancake and kebab restaurants. These restaurants do not have such a wide variety of meals, but the quality is generally higher than in western fast food restaurants, and you can often get a cool glass of fresh-squeezed juice or kefirs to accompany your meal. The 1.5-2 lat prices are the same as McDonald’s, which also operates in Riga.
For those who prefer a delicious sit-down meal with excellent service, Riga offers a wide variety of cuisines, bridging East and West taste relations. Pizzerias and steak-houses are as popular as Armenian, Russian and Georgian restaurants. Sushi bars compete for customers alongside Indian, Thai, and Ayurvedic cuisine. Fusion cooking is popular in Riga and there a variety of chefs who produce excellent dishes, such as grilled chicken in a lime, dill sauce. The average price of a meal is 5-10 Lats, although there are many good-quality restaurants operating throughout the centre offering dishes in the 2-3 Lat range.
The fanciest restaurants are usually hotel restaurants. Topping the lists are the Piramida in Hotel Ridzene, Esplanade in Reval Hotel Latvia, the elegant Otto Schwarz on the 7th floor of the Hotel De Rome, Bellevue on the glass terrace of Maritim Hotel Riga, and Seazons in the Grand Palace Hotel. A main course costs about 7 Ls there.
Let us return to our traditional cup of coffee. Riga has a variety of specialized coffee-shops, including Monte Kristo, Double Coffee, and the non-smoking Coffee Nation. There are also various independently-owned small coffee shops operating throughout the center in picturesque nooks and crannies. These shops are often the most delightful for their freshly baked, delicious pasteries and warm ambiance.
Latvians have always loved drinking a wide variety of herbal teas, both for pleasure and for health, and tea-houses have become wildly popular in recent years. Apsara and Tejas Nams both operate popular teach houses, as does Zen. In Apsara and Zen, you will be able to enjoy a skilfully prepared cup of tea, served on gleaming silver service, while you recline on big, soft pillows.
Hookah houses are also very popular lately, and you may munch on oriental sweets as you smoke your pipe and watch skilled belly-dancers perform. |
Latvia
