My super cool Baltic adventure.

The research, including all the essentials – like typing into the internet void how to translate 'dark chocolate' to Latvian, still left me unsure of what I’d find in Riga. What I discovered was an adventurous city: full of quiet old street corners, fluffy friendly stray cats, big green nature, and hidden food gems.

Slow mornings

Better Bread A tiny gluten-free bakery, located at Dzirnavu iela 31, offers some tasty-looking sweet and savory bakes with vegan options – as well as speciality coffee. I treated myself to an iced caramel oat latte, and enjoyed that sitting outside in the morning sun. It’s also a great spot to relax before heading to the popular Albert Street or the Latvian National Museum of Art, which is beautifully designed with great, unique art.

Albert Street cute meetings

KALVE Coffee Next to a Radisson hotel, close to the Old Town of Riga, another strong recommendation for any future cafe hopping. They use the Sproud milk alternative – an amazing option for plant-based coffees. The inside, however, feels like the most modern and well-thought-out project. You can explore their other branches around the city as well.

Mr. Fox As their own description says, slow food served fast, including a few cafe staples like this vegan superfood oatmeal. Even if you're not an oatmeal expert, you can surely appreciate and recognize the quality hidden in this bowl. I got mine with coconut milk, chia seeds, peanut butter, coconut flakes, banana, and berries. Served nicely warm.

Latvian National Museum of Art

Yummy & satisfying

Zula Mediterranean Restaurant and Hummus Bar - for times when you crave falafel and hummus.
Banana Leaf - delicious masala dosa and other vegetarian or vegan options.

Something sweet

Molberts An ice cream place with a line of people waiting to order - surely amongst the most standout spots. The flavor I chose, vegan mango passion fruit, tasted just like the best frozen mango lassi. Based on coconut and cashew milk, not too sweet with a strong but nice fruit kick.

Cool cats of fine stationery

Lotte's Stationery Store A great, easy-to-find location. Inside you’ll occur postcards, posters, and other pretty things. If you’re lucky, you might also run into the cutest cat sitting next to the shop. Surprisingly, for such a big city - and the capital, too, you meet cats so often. It’s honestly the greatest joy.

Manilla After the international success of the Latvian animated film Flow, you can spot the main characters here and there. At Manilla, there’s a special collaboration - cards, stickers, and more, but it’s also worth checking out their other collections. If you’ve never heard of this animation, to briefly describe it: it’s about the importance of support during hard times, shown in a more symbolic way. With that being said, you can truly feel the spirit of solidarity with Ukraine at every step in Riga, which makes it even more meaningful.

Go on a sidequest!

Water Horse Created by R. Maurs in 1930 and located in the courtyard of a rental house. A very interesting and valuable piece of sculpture.

Latvian Academy of Sciences With a fantastic observation deck - take the lift to the 15th floor and walk up two more to get panoramic views of Riga. Knowing the history behind its design, the building is also recognized as an important one - a kind of reminder of the country’s past.

Galerija Centrs Enter the food court floor - the highest one, and discover what’s probably one of the best terraces. If you get hungry, VegStop.lv offers vegan fast food - burgers, wraps, fries, and more.