Restaurants in Riga

05/16/2022

Below are three amazing restaurants in Riga that I recommend visiting!

3 Pavari

This is an absolute must visit on your list of restaurants in Riga. 3 Pavari (translating as the 3 chefs) situated in the Central District, was a foodie’s dream. You feel right in the thick of the action with an open kitchen in the middle of the restaurant.

3 Pavari serves fine dining Michelin star worthy cuisine in a relaxed and non pretentious environment .

We loved the Granny’s Lemonade: Tanqueray, very berry quince lemonade, very berry rhubarb lemonade and pineapple sugar syrup from the World Class Cocktail Menu. Served in large Tanqueray glasses, these were a great way to kick off the evening.

The Food

Whilst sipping on our cocktails we were served with some warm freshly baked bread. The chef suddenly became an artist on the baking paper in front of us drizzling different dressings to dip our bread in. We had apple puree, basil pesto, hempseed, berry and strawberry, so a real mix of sweet and savoury. We loved the pesto and hempseed which was so moreish!

The menu changes regularly and the chefs keep it simple with around 5-6 choices for starters and main dishes. First, we had the Smoke artic char: chive cream, peak onions, seaweed and the Red Wine-glazed duck breast: cherries foie gras, black trumpet mushrooms, meadowsweet. The dishes were beautifully presented and our waiter talked us through each part of the dish when presenting it to us.

For main courses we had the Tuna Steak: Hummus, sardines, fennel and the Slow cooked leg of lamb: aubergine, anchovies, sour cream, fennel, tomatoes, broth demi-glace sauce. The lamb was cooked perfectly, was not fatty and full of flavour.

The Drinks

We were offered wine pairing at the waiter’s recommendation with our dinner. The Valpolicella Ripasso 2015 was a full bodied red wine paired with the duck and lamb. With the fish, we had a light and fruity Dr Pauly Bergweiler. Given it was our first night in Riga we had to try the local Black Balsam and we also sampled some Plantation Rum which was pretty strong!!

Whilst we did not have room for dessert, we could not resist the dry ice show that the sorbet came with. It was a refreshing and light way to end a fantastic meal.

Suffice to say we left 3 Pavari full, happy and slightly tipsy! The staff were very funny and laidback and taught us about Latvian humour. Christof was an absolute legend taking us to a local bar afterwards and introducing him to his friends.

Milda Restaurant

Sadly we missed our 3pm walking tour after heavy traffic from the airport. However, with the bad always come the good as we stumbled across a gem for lunch! Milda is a traditional restaurant in Riga serving local and Lithuanian cuisine in bright wooden surroundings.

Only signposted on the side rather than the front, we only noticed it was a restaurant due to the welcome board outside. We were greeted and served by a lovely waiter called Daniel who explained the dishes to us and recommended cocktails to start.

We had an Espresso Martini to perk us up after an early flight and an Aperol Spritz, a firm favourite of mine.

Given we had dinner booked in a few hours, we did not want to overeat. We therefore decided to share the Pan Fried Cepelinai – traditional Lithuanian grated, boiled and fried potato dumplings filled with minced meat, served with sour cream cracklings and diced greens. Daniel knew we were sharing and split the portion on two plates for us. This was such great customer service!

I must admit I was surprised at how delicious this dish was. The dumplings, although fried, were not too heavy or greasy, and the minced meat filling was just delicious. The sour cream and crackling accompanying the dish went very well and I was left wanting more! Definitely recommend this dish to all visiting Milda restaurant in Riga.

We also shared the Sausage and Mash dish served with a delicious sauce. The sausages were full of flavour and the sauce was delicious. I was super impressed by Milda restaurant in Riga serving affordable, fantastic dishes with warm and welcoming service.

Domini Canes

Situated in the heart of the city centre is Domini Canes restaurant in Riga. For a restaurant within a stones throw distance from St Peters Church you might expect it to be touristy and overpriced. Luckily for us it was neither.

We dined al fresco as the sun had decided to come out on our final day. The staff were friendly and happy to answer questions on the menu. We had an Aperol Spritz and Latvian white wine to begin which was a refreshing treat in the sun.

We had the most delicious Penne Pasta with beef tenderloin, homemade tomato sauce, parsley, onions and parmesan cheese. As I was hungry, I asked for bread with it but our waitress suggested that the pasta was enough and perhaps to wait and see. Lo and behold I was presented with a generous portion of this al dente goodness. An absolute steal at only 9 euros, this dish was flavoursome and plentiful and no bread was required!

We also had the Elk Burger (deer) with onion marmalade, cucumber, tomato and spinach served with sautéed wedges. The onion marmalade complimented the burger but sadly it was a little dry but perhaps we are not used to that type of meat.