Join us as we tour some of the city’s most memorable coffee shops.
BY TANYA NANETTI
SENIOR ONLINE CORRESPONDENT
Cover photo courtesy of Kalve Coffee
Riga, the capital of Latvia and the most populous city in all of the Baltic states, is a gem of a town that welcomes visitors with its stunning Art Nouveau architecture and vibrant food and coffee scene. Situated at the mouth of the Daugava River, the city feels deeply connected to the water—and strolling through it on a sunny day is an indescribable pleasure.
Within Riga, many incredible restaurants stand alongside specialty cafés and bars, ready to serve tourists and locals alike. We’ve compiled a short list of coffee shops worth visiting when exploring the city.
Better Bread
Just a short walk from Jugendstila eka Rig, the city’s main Art Nouveau area, Better Bread welcomes customers with house-baked goods and perfectly brewed specialty coffee.
The shop’s coffee, brewed with a classic Linea PB from La Marzocco, comes directly from Gothenburg and is roasted by da Matteo, one of Sweden’s best-known roasters. The bread is baked in-house—and, like its name suggests, the coffee shop strives to offer something “better” with its scratch-made items.
“We believe in a healthy and genuine lifestyle, which is why our brand name reflects our core values and passion. Our top priority is to provide the best-quality ingredients and end products,“ says the team at Better Bread.
The team also explains what makes their bread so special: the use of leaven, a natural leavening agent that includes both yeast and lactobacilli. “Leaven has been around for over 1,000 years and is known (for being in) products such as yogurt, sour cream, and kefir. Initially, bread was made using only fermented flour and water, not yeast,” the Better Bread team says.
“We decided to embrace (our) roots and have maintained our style from day one. Bread made with leaven boasts an advantageous nutritional profile and longer shelf life. In addition, the use of organic flours further enhances its taste and nutritional value,“ the team shares. “We incorporate quinoa flour in our bread for its high protein content, as well as buckwheat and corn flour. In addition, we at Better Bread set a new standard in gluten-free bread, made with a carefully refined recipe that contains no chemical additives or flavor enhancers.“
Come to Better Bread for a breakfast sandwich paired with a delicious flat white, and don’t forget to take a piece of bread to go. You won’t regret it!
Miit Coffee
Located right alongside St. Alexander Nevsky Orthodox Church, just a 10-minute walk from Better Bread’s headquarters in the Art Nouveau district, Miit Coffee is a cozy sanctuary for coffee lovers. Notably, the café’s menu offers tasty options for vegans and vegetarians, with an array of satisfying dishes and desserts.
The establishment is open from breakfast to dinner, and when my partner and I visited in the late hours of the morning, we were delighted by the tasty vegetarian breakfast omelet, which paired perfectly with their quinoa milk flat white.
With coffee roasted by European roasteries like Five Elephant, Keen Coffee, and Morgon Coffee Roasters, Miit is an excellent place to go for a coffee break and an appetizing (and healthy!) bite.
Kalve Coffee
The specialty-coffee scene in Latvia began to emerge rather late compared to other European countries—and yet, in less than a decade, Riga has managed to build a vibrant coffee community led by a few key local roasters, including Kalve Coffee.
Co-founders Raimonds Selga and Gatis Zemanis launched the coffee shop in January of 2019, and over the past few years, the two have managed to help Kalve evolve into one of Latvia’s most recognized coffee roasters. Their coffee offerings range from classic espresso blends to seasonal single-origin coffees—a diverse selection of coffees that creates a truly unique café experience.
Kalve has three “Espresso Rooms” within Riga’s central district and surrounding neighborhoods. These modern spaces are perfect for enjoying delicious coffee and homemade pastries, like Portuguese pastel de nata and cardamom sandwiches.
Zvaigzne Café
Zvaigzne Café is slightly off the beaten path in Riga, but still centrally located. The small, cozy coffeehouse is attached to a book store and is just a five-minute walk from the National Museum of Latvian Art. It’s perfect for enjoying tasty treats like pavlova, washed down with a tasty brew or creamy flat white.
And if you need a break from walking around the city, Zvaigzne has many books you can curl up with while you sip your coffee: the perfect way to relax for a couple of hours, especially in the colder months.
These four coffee shops make up just a handful of the gems that Riga has to offer. If you’re ever in the area, be sure to stop to get a glimpse of the city’s incredible coffee scene.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Tanya Nanetti (she/her) is a specialty-coffee barista, a traveler, and a dreamer. When she’s not behind the coffee machine (or visiting some hidden corner of the world), she’s busy writing for Coffee Insurrection, a website about specialty coffee that she’s creating along with her boyfriend.
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