A bright pink summer soup of grated beetroot, kefir, cucumber and dill, served cold with halved hard-boiled eggs and a side of boiled potatoes.
Aukstā zupa is the Latvian sibling of Lithuanian šaltibarščiai and Polish chłodnik, all derived from a shared Eastern European peasant tradition of cold dairy-and-beet soups served through the short Baltic summer. The dish appears on Latvian tables from late May through August. Every grandmother has her own ratio of kefir to buttermilk to sour cream; the canonical Latvian version leans hard on kefir for tang. Lido and similar counters serve it alongside boiled potatoes in summer.
4 editor picks for Aukstā zupa (Latvian cold beet soup) in Riga, ranked by editorial score. All Riga signature dishes · Aukstā zupa (Latvian cold beet soup) across every city.
Milda ★ 4.5
vecriga · Grēcinieku iela 26, Rīga, LV-1050
Milda on Grēcinieku in Old Town holds a Bib Gourmand for great-value traditional Latvian and Lithuanian cooking, named for the figure atop the Freedom.
Pētergailis ★ 4.2
vecriga · Skārņu iela 25, Rīga, LV-1050
Pētergailis has worked the Old Town corner between St. John's and St. Peter's churches since 1978, cooking traditional Latvian dishes with mostly Latvian.
LIDO Atpūtas Centrs ★ 4.0
centraltirgus-maskavas · Krasta iela 76, Rīga, LV-1019
LIDO Atpūtas Centrs on Krasta is the flagship of the Latvian buffet chain, a wooden-castle complex serving freshly cooked Latvian classics from open counters.
LIDO Vērmanītis ★ 3.9
centrs · Elizabetes iela 65, Rīga, LV-1050
LIDO Vērmanītis on Elizabetes is the central Riga branch of the Latvian buffet chain, plating classics from a hot counter beside the Vērmanes park.