Riga's medicine is 45 percent proof and blacker than a notary's ink. The writ is served in thimbles, chased with folk songs, and executed on a hotel roof.
- 1 · The Cold Open
Black Magic Bar
An apothecary theatre for Riga Black Balsam, the 1752 herbal cure-all that outlived every empire that taxed it. Balsam coffee, balsam truffles, a hidden back room. The writ is drafted here.
balsam house, recipe 1752 · from morning · verified Jul 2026
- 2 · The Detour
Bufete Gauja
A Soviet 70s living room preserved down to the radiogram and the carpet on the wall, beer at honest prices, chess sets that see use. Nostalgia without the queue. Brief detour into the previous century.
the 70s parlor · day till late · verified Jul 2026
- 3 · The Anchor
Folkklubs Ala Pagrabs
A vaulted Old Town cellar of Latvian beer, pork knuckles and folk bands that get the whole room stamping by eleven. Grey peas with bacon, the national dish of stubbornness. The writ's main clause.
the folk cellar · till very late · verified Jul 2026
- 4 · The Wildcard
Labietis
Craft brewing by way of Baltic paganism: ales spiked with yarrow, meadowsweet and bog myrtle, named for spirits your grandmother feared. The taproom argues that beer predates the law. It does.
pagan taproom · evening · verified Jul 2026
- 5 · The Last Call
Skyline Bar
Twenty six floors over the spires and the winding Daugava, the Soviet Intourist tower's best revenge. One balsam and blackcurrant at the glass, writ executed, elevator to bed.
26th floor of the old Intourist · till late · verified Jul 2026 · 🏨 the night ends at Radisson Blu Latvija Conference and Spa Hotel