A gastronomic event, “Riga Taste Festival,” will take place in Riga as an expanded version of the popular Restaurant Week. This year, visitors will be able to enjoy not only outstanding restaurant offerings but also a special new feature — the opportunity to rediscover and savor the legendary ‘Vecrīga’ pastry in Riga’s bakeries.
This year’s festival is dedicated to Riga’s 825th anniversary, with a particular focus on the city’s rich history, culture, and contemporary gastronomic scene. The aim of the festival is to celebrate Riga through taste experiences, combining tradition with a modern perspective.
Riga Restaurant Week
As part of the festival, the well-loved Restaurant Week concept remains, offering visitors the chance to enjoy a three-course meal at special price levels of €30, €35, €40, and €45 (the latter for Michelin Guide restaurants only).
The restaurant menus were evaluated by a professional jury:
- Ina Poliščenko, chef at GEMOSS and culinary expert
- Arturs Arnicāns, Chairman of the Latvian Chefs Club
- Svetlana Riškova, President of the Bocuse d’Or Latvia Academy
Arturs Arnicāns comments on this season’s restaurant offer:
“The menus submitted for this year’s Riga Taste Festival are a great testament to how creative and diverse contemporary Latvian cuisine is. Our task as a jury was to maintain a high quality standard, and it is truly a pleasure to see how chefs skillfully combine the freshness of spring with deep, elegant stories rooted in Old Riga’s history. Visitors can expect a rich and masterfully crafted journey of flavors!”
Representatives of festival participant MaMà Bistro add:
“Spring is a very significant season in our profession, as it plays a major role in the creation of new recipes and ideas. Every year, nature offers us the same range of ingredients, yet each year they transform into completely new and exciting compositions. And for Latvians, the season of stewed pork snout has finally come to an end, making way for fresh green peas and cowslip salads.”
Visitors are encouraged to reserve tables in advance as seating capacity is limited.
Riga Bakery Week
This year, the Riga Taste Festival invites food lovers not only to explore the diversity of Riga’s restaurants but also to bring back to life one of the symbols of the city’s culinary heritage — the ‘Vecrīga’ pastry, which has shaped Riga’s bakery traditions for decades.
Fredis Bikovs, Director of the Riga Investment and Tourism Agency (RITA), explains:
“Like other cities, Riga must develop its own unique culinary identity — its signature cake or dessert. The ‘Vecrīga’ pastry has become exactly that, a symbol of the city’s flavor. RITA’s goal is to expand Restaurant Week by involving more industry participants, and we are delighted to see such strong engagement, especially in the year of Riga’s 825th anniversary.”
A total of 14 bakeries and restaurants across 19 locations are participating, offering visitors the chance to enjoy this classic dessert either on its own or paired with a drink. A unified price cap has been set — up to €8 for the pastry and a drink, making the offer accessible to a wide audience.
Representatives of Bazaar Bakery comment:
“We are very happy to participate in the Riga Taste Festival this year. In our bakery, we always place great emphasis on flavor, joy, and a festive feeling — something we strive to include in every product. The product we highlight this year is the ‘Vecrīga’ pastry, which we offer under the name ‘Cloud Cake’. Eating it feels like biting into a soft, delicious cloud. We are truly delighted to take part in the festival and surprise both locals and visitors with what we believe is a genuinely delightful cake.”
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Participating Confectioneries and Locations
- Crumble Cake – 14 Jāņa Street
- Fika – 41/43 Krišjāņa Barona Street
- Livi Cafe – 37 Ģertrūdes Street
- Better Bread – 31-1B Dzirnavu Street
- Mārtiņa Beķereja – 28 Vaļņu Street
- Mārtiņa Beķereja – 2 Merķeļa Street
- Cruffins – 9–11 Kalēju Street
- Bezē Konditoreja – 7 Blaumaņa Street
- Rocket Bean – 11 Raiņa Boulevard
- Chambao – 12 Antonijas Street
- Kalve Coffee – 10 Zigfrīda Annas Meierovica Boulevard
- Bazaar Beķereja – 22 Matīsa Street
- Bazaar Beķereja – 16 Audēju Street
- Bazaar Beķereja – 4 Stacijas Square
- Bazaar Beķereja – 22 Pulkveža Brieža Street
- All Cappuccino (Antonijas) – 11 Antonijas Street
- All Cappuccino (Vīlandes) – 13 Vīlandes Street
- Melnā Bite – 13 Audēju Street
- After… – 11. novembra Embankment 33
More information: liveriga.com