If you are as unlucky as I was with the weather in Latvia’s capital city, check out this guide to the best cafés in Riga to warm up and escape the cold and rain. Also great if you’re just looking for a café to relax, work, or have a break from sightseeing.
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This guide to the best cafés in Riga was not planned, but rather born out of my bad luck during my trip there. Riga greeted me with heavy gray skies, rain, and cold. I know, traveling to the Baltic countries in November bears this risk. So instead of complaining, I decided to turn this into an opportunity to explore the different cafés in the city. So my stay in Riga consisted of moving from one café to another while trying to visit at least the old town in between a tea, a hot chocolate, and a slice of cake.
I must say, it was not a bad experience: trying every type of hot drink, eating cakes, and enjoying a chilled atmosphere. What else could someone wish for on a cold November afternoon? Or morning. Or lunchtime. Is there really a good or bad time to go to a café?
These very lines were written in my favorite place from the ones I got to visit, a cozy, romantic café in Old Town Riga. I actually went to this place twice, that’s how much I fell in love. More will follow in the dedicated section.
2025 Update: A few of the cafés I initially added to this guide are no longer open, so I removed them. I guess a new trip to Riga is now overdue, so I can update this guide!
For now, without further ado, here is a guide to the best cafés in Riga, based on my very personal taste.
But first, here is a map to easily locate the cafés:
Parunasim kafe’teeka
This small, hidden place in the Old Town of Riga is one of the best cafés in town. It is for sure my favorite, so it gets the first place on this list. I have to say I did some research on the best cafés in Riga before my trip, and this one surprisingly didn’t come up. I accidentally came across it while I was wandering around the old town, in the area near the famous Three Brothers.
A small blackboard invites passers-by to discover the most romantic and hidden café in the old town of Riga. At the time of my visit, Parunāsim kafe’teeka was hidden down a narrow alley, impossible to find without any indication. Now it’s more popular. Even before entering the café, you will feel the romantic and charming vibe of the place. The exterior decor features a vintage Italian Ape with old-style suitcases, a lighted café sign (also vintage), a few tables and chairs, and lots of fairy lights.
The inside is just as vintage and charming, with unique pieces of furniture, velvet armchairs, unique, old mirrors, a piano, and a reproduction of one of Raphael’s famous cherubs. Dim lights and jazz or blues music contribute to creating a chill and cozy atmosphere.
Have some tea or a nice hot chocolate and try one of the homemade cakes. You will find a variety of options, all looking incredibly good, so I think you can’t go wrong here. Between the atmosphere, the decor, and the drinks and cakes, this is a must when visiting Riga. In winter, you can take cover from the cold, while in the summer, you can enjoy the nice weather on the terrace. There are options for every taste and season.
MiiT Coffee
I found out about this place before my trip, in a few articles about the best cafés in Riga. MiiT was described as a must when it comes to coffee places in town, so I thought I would give it a try on a rainy morning (for a change).
It’s a great place if you need to study or work, but make sure to go either in the morning or in the afternoon. Between 12 and 4 pm, it’s not allowed to occupy the tables for work as they need to be free for people having lunch. Other than that, feel free to spend a couple of hours enjoying your warm drink while observing the passers-by.
The hip vibe and alternative rock music combined with a quite minimalist décor make this a nice place for young people, creatives, and freelancers. As for the coffee, I had a cappuccino, and it was very good. All their coffee is freshly brewed, and as they mention on the website, it’s imported from small coffee-growing farms and cooperatives around the world. You also have a variety of options for breakfast or lunch, with sandwiches or hot meals.
Miit is located a bit outside the Old Town, in the Central district of Riga, and not far from the Art Nouveau neighborhood. You can combine your coffee stop with a walk around some beautiful and unique buildings. In fact, Riga is quite famous for this Art Nouveau neighborhood, which was included in the UNESCO World Heritage list.
Innocent Coffee Shop
This is said to be a favorite among Latvians, so it’s a great option for a more local feel. I would mostly recommend it for the cheap brunch that offers a variety of food options. You can have classic eggs with bacon, various salads, potatoes, pickles, and even some sweet options like cereal or bread with marmalade. It’s a buffet, so you are free to choose what you want and even refill your plate.
Innocent Coffee Shop is located a bit outside of the old town, in the Central district of Riga. It’s around a 15 to 20-minute walk there, and on your way, you can even stop by the beautiful Vērmane Garden. That is, if the weather allows you to enjoy the walk. The light drizzle didn’t convince me to take public transportation, but in case of need, both trams 1 and 11 can take you there from the stop Aspazijas bulvāris, near the National Opera.
This is the place to go if you’re looking for a more authentic Latvian feel, instead of the usual coffee chains, which you can find all over the place and are pretty much all the same. Nothing wrong with those, by the way. In fact, a couple are coming next.
Caffeine LV
Caffeine LV is an ever-present coffee chain in Riga with lots of shops around the city. There are now three of them in Old Town, but I only went to the one in Kaļķu iela, not far from the Cat House. By the way, check out the story of this building and the reason why you will see so many cat souvenirs in Riga. Another Caffeine LV in Old Town is right in front of the shopping center Galerija Centrs. This one also looked like it had a nice vibe.
If you visit on a Sunday morning, chances are you will have the whole place for yourself, or almost. Grab a coffee (or cappuccino, in case it was not clear, that’s my usual choice) and try one of the filled croissants. The food is quite good, while the coffee might not be the best in town, but it’s pretty good. Also, everything is cheaper than the average, so that’s definitely a plus.
With many tables and seats, you can easily enjoy a bit of peace to either just relax while sipping your hot drink or take the chance to work or study. I found the atmosphere on a Sunday morning to be perfect for focusing on my work.
Costa Coffee
Okay, so this is a well-known international chain, and you might have been to a Costa somewhere in Europe before. It’s no different in Riga, but since I spent some time there, I thought it was worth mentioning.
There are obviously several Costa Coffee in Riga, two of which are located in the old town, one here and one there. I went to the one near Riga City Hall after spending almost half a day walking around in the rain. All I needed was a place to take cover, and this looked like a good option.
I have to say the coffee here is not to my taste, probably the worst one I’ve had in Riga. Maybe other drink options can be a better choice. I did like that there was a lot of space to sit and relax, a few couches and armchairs, and most importantly, some seats had a nice view of the square. I spent quite some time there undisturbed while working on my laptop, so that is another plus. The place is nice for the relaxed atmosphere and the location, not so much for the coffee.
Getting to and staying in Riga
You can easily fly to Riga from many European capitals, and flights are usually very cheap. From outside of Europe, you may find it a bit hard to find affordable flights. Use the form below to find affordable flights to Riga from some of the most popular European cities.
As for accommodation, there are plenty of options for every budget. I stayed at Red Nose Hostel, in the heart of Riga’s historic center. You can find lots of accommodations on Booking.com.
That’s about it. Have a great time discovering Riga, hopefully with better weather than I had. If that’s not the case, this article should have you covered.
Finally, I’d love it if you signed up for my monthly newsletter to be notified about new blog posts and exclusive discounts on travel tools and resources.
Travel Resources
One last thing. Here is a list of my favorite apps and platforms for trip planning. I use these on every trip and love them.
| Website/App | Category | Description | Book Here |
|---|---|---|---|
| Booking.com | Accommodation | My favorite website for great accommodations for different budgets. | Find a Place |
| Kiwi.com | Flights | My new favorite platform for finding affordable flights. | Find Flights |
| Omio | Transportation | You can book everything from buses and trains to ferry rides. | Transportation |
| SafetyWing | Insurance | One of the best travel medical insurances for frequent travelers. | Get Insured |
| Manawa | Activities | A great platform to book activities and adventures with local hosts. | Find Activities |
| GetYourGuide | Activities | My go-to platform for tours and experiences with lots of options. | Experiences |
| Viator | Activities | A great alternative for activities all over the world. | Experiences |
| GuruWalk | Free tours | A great platform for free walking tours (tipping is recommended). | Book a tour |
| DiscoverCars | Car rental | My go-to platform for car rental anywhere in the world. | Rent a Car |
| Airalo | eSIM | My favorite app for buying digital SIM cards when traveling abroad. | Get an eSIM |
| Saily | eSIM | A great alternative to Airalo, with cheaper plans in some destinations. | Get an eSIM |
| Xe | Currency | A currency converter showing real-time rates. Website or app. | Get Xe App |
| Maps.me | Navigation | My favorite navigation app for hiking trails and remote areas. | Get Maps |
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