Being the owner of the Salt’n’Pepper Lifestyle Blog project, an SMM specialist and photographer, Anastasia Maruta has been visiting and evaluating local restaurants for 5+ years, participating in the promotion of the restaurant business in Latvia and bearing a wide knowledge about it.
We interviewed Anastasia about the best options for a family dinner, a business meeting or a romantic date and general recommendations about decent dining places in Riga.
Which family-friendly restaurants can you advise for a visit?
For families with children a play room is of utmost importance: it allows to entertain infants while adults can peacefully enjoy their meals.
I can totally recommend Hercogs in Marupe, Baltic Beach Hotel & SPA and Laivas as well as GrilBārs House of Light in Jurmala. A perfect option in Vecaki is Cafe del Mar and in Mezciems I’d mention Yakuza.
GrilBārs House of Light
Laivas
I would also pay attention to the restaurants at hotels: usually, they are adapted for families, large companies and groups of guests.
Where would you suggest to go out on a date?
My favorites are Domini Canes, Restorāns 3, No73, Kaļķu vārti, Buržujs, Kolonāde. Mūsu stāsti and Bibliotēka No1. If planning something very special, I’d definitely vote for the latter one, Bibliotēka No1.
Bibliotēka №1
Aiming to enjoy a breath-taking view, you might like booking a table at Le Sommet: this place is just 1.5 years old, but has already won many hearts. Another option is Fabrikas Hercogs at Kipsala, it’s a lovely restaurant with a terrace and panoramic view over the Old Town.
The concept of romance differs to every taste, so I’d suggest visiting Skyline Bar in Radisson Blu Hotel Latvija, especially at the sunset. If you are striving for seaside splendor, go for X.O Beach Lounge & Club in Jurmala.
X.O Beach Lounge & Club
There is another venue for special occasions: the famous Vincents, whose premises are luxurious enough to even make a proposal. This high-grade restaurant proves its truly international-level at every step, starting from serving issues and ending with the most attentive treatment. As a customer, you always feel welcome there, no matter whether you order just a starter or come by for a feast.
Vincents
Personally, I would say that my perfect date could be held in a ‘higher’ venue to enjoy a view, I find it more romantic.
What to choose for business meetings?
You’d better consider lounge venue at the hotels: Radisson Blu Hotel Latvija, Piramīda in Radisson Blu Rīdzene Hotel, Bellevue Park Hotel Riga, Restorāns 3 in Old Town or Koya a bit further to Andrejosta. They are genuinely peaceful during the daytime, so you can take advantage of it.
Restorāns 3
For some reason, it is ordinary for locals to choose Costa Coffee and Caffeine for business meetings, although they are pretty busy, noisy and crowded with youngsters. You’d better not be disturbed when discussing serious matters, therefore I’d advise to exclude popular coffee houses from your list.
What places serve decent business lunches to your mind?
I’d recommend Fabrikas Hercogs, Restorāns 3, Buržujs, HolyMoly, or more casual networks places like Gan bei and Kabu. You might like No73 at the Studio69 club where you can conveniently park your car and ever get a free parking for a bill over 20 EUR.
Buržujs
There is one place that I could mention in all the categories that we’ve talked about: it’s D’arte in Galleria Riga. I discovered it a while ago and have even proudly showed it to my friends from abroad, who were very pleased with the quality, service and prices.
These venues mainly represent rather expensive restaurants. And what can you recommend from a bit lower-class category?
Lately I’ve enjoyed Grill Bar London in Akropole, and can also advise to consider restaurants with national cuisine, e.g. Georgian or Armenian Aragats, Khinkalnya, Uzbegims with large portions and reasonable prices.
Uzbegims
Among network restaurants, I can name Gan bei as a pretty competitive in terms of pricing. By the way, another place which is often criticized for long-time waiting is Tokyo City! Some people might even doubt my expert skills after that, but I believe that this place is a decent one, and just not worth selecting if you are in a hurry. But any restaurant might take 25-40 minutes to prepare your meals, so patience is rewarded.
A quick snack is always available in Lage which serves the food of Gan bei and D’arte quality but significantly cheaper. And of course, everyone’s all-time favorite LIDO is always there for you!
And where can one learn all the news about new restaurants and nice events?
Check out Salt’n’Pepper Lifestyle Blog, Riga This Week, Live Riga, Travel News. All the info is generally available on Facebook; it’s also a smart move to sign up for some venue’s page updates, if you genuinely like it.
Instagram: @anastasiasparkle
