The UNESCO-listed cobbled core between the Daugava and the canal, home to most of Riga's historic restaurants, tourist cafes and Black Balsam bars.
Order Grey peas with bacon and sour cream, the national dish, served generously.
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.
Order The grey peas with bacon, the kitchen's anchor dish since opening.
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.
Order The seasonal mushroom plate when foraging season hits in late summer and autumn.
Domini Canes in Old Town between St. Peter's and St. John's churches cooks contemporary Latvian dishes with farm vegetables and wild mushrooms.
Order The six-course set menu, the kitchen's primary format and best value entry.
3 Pavāru Restorāns sits inside the 18th-century Jacob's Barracks on Torņa in Old Town, listed in the Michelin Selected guide for 2026 with a tight modern.
Order The Baltic fish of the day, plaice or sturgeon, with seasonal vegetables.
Le Dome sits inside the 400-year-old Dome Hotel & Spa on Miesnieku in Old Town, a Michelin Selected room cooking French-Mediterranean seafood with Baltic.
Order A beer flight from the 32 Latvian taps plus the grey peas plate.
Folkklubs ALA Pagrabs sits in a historic wine cellar below Peldu in Old Town, pouring 32 taps of Latvian beer and cider with folk music five nights a week.
Order Terrace seat in summer with a bistro plate and a signature cocktail; the steak frites is the steady choice.
B Bārs Restorāns on Dome Square in Old Town pairs an all-day European bistro menu with a respected cocktail program, popular for Doma laukums terrace dinners.
Order Flat white
Rocket Bean's Raiņa branch sits on the canal-park edge of Old Town, the late-opening Rocket Bean for evening espresso after a Vērmanes park walk.
Order Bacon-egg-cheese bagel
Big Bad Bagels' Audēju branch is the Old Town location of the Riga bagel-and-brunch counter, the morning stop between the Town Hall Square and Centrāltirgus.
Order Black Pina Colada or Black Mojito to taste Black Balsam in cocktail form.
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.
Order A signature cocktail at the bar; the bartenders run with the room.
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.
Also on this listFolkklubs ALA Pagrabs
The Riga Old Town Christmas Market runs on Doma Square from late November to early January, with 80 traders selling piparkūkas, mulled wine and smoked meats.
Riga's Old Town Christmas Market fills Doma laukums beneath the cathedral from 27 November 2026, with artisan gifts, Latvian gingerbread, hearty dishes and mulled wine.
Manas Garšas runs a one-hour spice masterclass at the brand's Old Town shop on Vaļņu, teaching the signature spices of traditional Latvian cooking.
Viator's Riga Latvian Cooking Class runs a small-group hands-on session covering grey peas with bacon, pirosaki and beetroot soup, finished with a sit-down meal.
byFood's Riga cooking class runs hands-on Latvian classics including grey peas with bacon, rye bread and pirosaki, with a sit-down family-style meal at the end.
RigaTrips runs a Latvian home-cooking class from a kitchen near the Mentzendorff House meeting point, covering grey peas with bacon, pīrāgi and Latvian.
On this list, shown aboveFolkklubs ALA Pagrabs
On this list, shown aboveFolkklubs ALA PagrabsFolkklubs ALA Pagrabs
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