Eating & Drinking with the Latvians
Riga seethes with bars, pubs, clubs and restaurants that open and close seemingly with the seasons, and our job at Stag Republic is to make sure you end up at the best of them. From the beer gardens in the old town destrict, to central Riga's bars and the outrageously fit birds who go there, to the open-air places on Jomas iela in Jurmala lining the beach, Riga has all the venues you need for a proper Riga pissup weekend.
Latvia is traditionally a nation of beer-drinkers (alus)! Several local pilsner-style lagers (quite good, save for the really cheap stuff) are always available on tap, along with a wide variety of imports from neighbouring brewing giants Poland, Czech Republic and Austria.
The national firewater is good old Vodka, showing the Russian influence on Latvia. Common varieties are distilled from plums, apricots, and pears. Another celebrated Latvian elixir is Riga's Black Balsam, which is syrupy and black and tastes kind of like Jaegermeister.
Latvians like their stomachs. Latvian cuisine typically consists of fresh produce, and meat features in most of the dishes, as seen in pirogi or shashliki.The food is generally quite fatty, and uses few spices.
The favourite local cheese is Kimenu siers (caraway cheese), traditionally served during the celebration of Jani or Midsummer. Other traditional dishes are borshch (beet soup), rasols (potato salad), and sauerkraut.
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