Cocktails, wine bars and dives: drinking in Riga for grown-ups.
Cocktail bars, wine bars, dive bars and gastropubs: drinking in Riga for grown-ups.
Black Magic Bar on Kaļķu in Old Town is the dedicated Riga Black Balsam stop, a medieval-themed bar pouring cocktails built around the city's 1752 herbal.
Signature drink: Riga Black Balsam cocktails
Food: Chocolates, light snacks
Order: Black Pina Colada or Black Mojito to taste Black Balsam in cocktail form.
Tip: Sells bottles, hand-made chocolates and souvenir gifts; the cellar tasting room is the way to sample the full range.
Skyline Bar sits on the 26th floor of the Radisson Blu Latvija on Elizabetes, the city's most-cited rooftop view with cocktails and Asian-leaning bar food.
Signature drink: Signature cocktails with Asian-cuisine snacks
Food: Asian small plates
Order: A signature cocktail at sunset with a small plate from the Asian-fusion menu.
Tip: Sunday brunch with live music; DJ sets Friday and Saturday from 21:00. The lift queue moves slow on summer nights.
B Bārs on Doma laukums anchors the Old Town cathedral square with classic cocktails, a respected bartender team and a European bistro menu until late.
Signature drink: Classic and signature cocktails
Food: European bistro menu
Order: A signature cocktail at the bar; the bartenders run with the room.
Tip: Cathedral-square terrace is the city's prime aperitif perch at 18:00 in summer; the bar runs to 02:00 Friday and Saturday.
Kaņepes Kultūras centrs on Skolas is Riga's longest-running cultural-centre bar, an 1895 building hosting 300 to 400 art events a year with a working bar.
Signature drink: Beer, wine and event-night cocktails
Food: Snack menu
Tip: Check the event calendar before going; the bar's character changes per night, from poetry to jazz to DJ sets.
Folkklubs ALA Pagrabs is Old Town's deepest cellar bar, 32 taps of Latvian beer and cider with live folk music five nights a week and Wednesday dancing.
Signature drink: Latvian craft beer and cider
Food: Latvian pub food
Order: A four-beer Latvian craft flight; the cellar pours small breweries you won't see elsewhere.
Tip: Open until 04:00 on Saturday; the cellar acoustics mean folk music nights book up.