Gluten Free in Riga: My Field Guide to a Weekend Visit
Over my years of travel, I made it around a lot of Europe, but somehow the Baltics always escaped me. So when I started putting together a trip for this last winter, I was excited to go somewhere I had never been before. Fast forward to that trip and as I sit here thumbing through the photos, Riga turned out to be a stunning city that blew me away on so many levels. They’ve got a bit of everything: a fascinating “old town” center with incredible history and architecture, impressive contemporary spaces, several informative museums, incredibly modern transit, and, though I knew it wouldn’t be my easiest stop, some good gluten free eats.
Riga gluten free overview: 7.5/10
Navigating Riga while gluten free
Let me cut to the chase: Riga is entirely doable for gluten free travel. It isn’t Italy, Ireland, or the UK, where servers come up asking about allergens. But with one amazing dedicated bakery chain, a few very solid shared spots, plenty more places willing to talk it through, and an impressive grocery store selection of GF treats, it’s not too hard to deal with for a long weekend. Probably beyond that too, with a little extra work.
To dive deeper, Riga divides into two distinct categories: a handful of known spots that immediately get it when you walk in, and a lot more bread-heavy places that are willing to accommodate, at least on a slow night. The former is easy and gives you enough for a quick trip, but if you want to branch out, be prepared for places where menus mark allergens without necessarily understanding cross-contamination, or at least with a few language barriers in confirming that they do. You’ll want to come with your questions ready, maybe a translation app, and a backup plan.
As I’ve traveled gluten free more and more, I’ve become more accustomed to this, but that doesn’t mean I head off to just any spot for every meal either. The aim of my trips is to see amazing sights and explore new places; food is essential, and good food is nice, but I certainly prioritize function over form, especially in places where it’s a bit harder like Riga. This guide reflects that balance of exploring new spots while returning to safe, reliable favorites.
Safety second: Traveling with celiac, my goal is obviously to avoid gluten and I do that through a mix of upfront research using FMGF & Google, menu checks, and then doing a vibe check anywhere I eat with a few more questions as needed. But I know we all are going to have a slightly different take in our process and what we’re ok with, and that’s fair. More than that, places change and sometimes people get things wrong, so I encourage everyone to both make their own decisions on what feels right and double-check even the most reviewed spot.
Where I ate
Better Bread Riga
About the place: Dedicated / bakery & cafe chain / $ low cost / Counter service, with seating
The vibe: The perfect and perfectly safe spot for breakfast or a snack
When doing GF trip planning, and especially planning in a place not known for gluten free ease, it’s always comforting to know there’s at least one dedicated spot in a city. So when I discovered that Riga was home to an entire local chain of GF bakeries, I was pretty stoked. The stoke only rose after I actually made it to one of them. Better Bread is amazing and I still drool over some of their Instagram posts months later knowing just how divine their baked goods are. Their menu isn’t giant, but what they do make is really solid for breakfast, an easy lunch, or an on-the-go treat. From my several visits, it seemed like a very popular spot for locals to hang out for a coffee or a relaxed bite.
After discovering just how good their menu was, this became my daily breakfast spot (their locations are outside the tourist center but just a short tram ride away). I had their breakfast plate with different sides each visit, plus a treat or two to go. Options also vary by location, with a couple of full cafes and a smaller location that mostly just does pastries, though it’s only a few blocks from one to the other. The staff was great about chasing down ingredients, swapping out a bread with oats (something else I avoid) for one without on my breakfast trays, and checking on the pastries each time I came in.
Da Roberta
About the place: Shared / Pizza & Italian / $$ mid / Table-service, with seating
The vibe: Some of the best pizza I've had anywhere outside of Italy
If Better Bread was the daytime (food) highlight, Da Roberta was the evening winner with reviews so encouraging I had planned to make the trek (it’s about a mile from where we stayed) as soon as I booked the flight. I’ve been all over the world before and since this trip and had GF pizza in NYC, Rome, Naples, and many other “known” places, and Da Roberta remains one of my favorites. Though most certainly a shared spot, and that’s always dicey when it comes to pizza, GF is clearly a large part of their business and something they take seriously.
Given the reviews, it was no surprise the menu was well marked with plenty of options. Of course, after confirming GF was safe enough for Celiac, I went right to pizza and what came out was impressive on every level. Good looks, big portion, and great flavor with a very well done dough. Very impressive for a city where few spots cater to GF, or even list it on the menu.
Domini Canes
About the place: Shared / Modern Latvian Cuisine / $$$ mid / Table-service, sit down
The vibe: Delicious food in a moderately upscale spot
Riga doesn’t have a ton of well rated places (for gluten free that is, clearly the place is fantastic for holidayers looking to eat, drink, and see sights) but the ones they do have more than make up for it with some great cuisine. On our second night, we decided to try Domini Canes, a nicer spot serving contemporary dishes based on Latvian cuisine, which seemed like a nice spin on local eats. Sitting down at our table, I heard one of the women next to me mention Celiac and knew we’d hit the right place.
While their menu was not marked for gluten free, the waiter assured us most dishes were fine and walked me through a few options. I went with the fish served over mashed potatoes, and my friend had the spare ribs. They also had a creme brulee that looked exquisite. When possible, we both ordered GF to enable sharing, but I didn’t want to push my luck with that much rich food and dairy. Throw in the great old building and the very reasonable prices for the class of it all, and it was a great meal out.
Zila Govs Restorāns
About the place: Shared / Steak & Grill / $$$ mid / Table-service, sit down
The vibe: Less known but tasty spot that's more than capable
For our last night in Riga, we stopped by Zila Govs Restorāns, which I had scoped out earlier in the day as a “maybe” from a few older reviews. Like Domini Canes and most less known spots I had scoped out, their menu didn’t mark GF options outright. But it was a slow night for them and while I wasn’t entirely certain they understood cross contamination or I understood them, their willingness to engage made it feel like the right place to work it through.
With a quick chat, I asked our waiter about options and then to simplify a chicken dish that he suggested, skipping sauce off and cooking in a separate pan if possible. Given the limited crowd, I didn’t feel like this was pushing, and after a check with the kitchen, he was equally willing to explain the dish might not be as hot or tasty as normal, but that they could make it work. What I got was exactly what I was looking for: simple, still plenty tasty, something that left me without issues of any sort.
GF may not be widely known at every spot but I suspect this would have been the norm at kitchens all over, at least if they were having a slower moment. Keep the ask simple, contained and they can make it work!
Pilsētas Elpa (in Jelgava)
About the place: Shared / Latvian & European / $ low / Table service
The vibe: Impressively decent (and safe) for a very busy, tour focused spot
On our second day in Riga, we skipped town for several hours to take a tour across the border and into Lithuania to the Hill of Crosses, which is UNESCO recognized for its role in defying the Soviet regime during the occupation. The history is well worth reading up on even if you don’t go yourself, and having local tour guides to add their own inflection was well worth going with a group.
We didn’t eat out in Lithuania, but instead stopped at Pilsetas Elpa, a place in Jelgava, Latvia that the tour had some sort of arrangement with, and which offers a special limited menu for groups. My expectations were certainly zero for an organized meal and I had a bag of snacks, but as it turned out, they were completely ready for GF with a few suitable options. I went with the potato pancake platter to play it extra safe, and my only regret was not having two servings (it was all of 5 euros). Not on any review lists, but worth knowing about!
Riga Black Magic Bar
About the place: Shared / bar & chocolate shop / $$ mid / Table & counter-service, with seating
The vibe: Super unique even if touristy cafe for a quick stop
A themed and presumably touristy bar, Riga Black Magic was too fun not to step into. The place is worth a visit just for the space, as they’ve decorated the old building into an interesting themed spot with plenty of small rooms to sit and hang out in. While there’s a bar and cafe, they also have a large selection of chocolates. Mentioning gluten free, they turned out to have an entire menu, at least a chocolate menu, of things made without gluten. Definitely unexpected and with a shared space risk but a cool option for those comfortable.
Burger King
About the place: Shared / Burgers / $ low / Counter-service, with seating
The vibe: Potentially safe for an easy eat but subject to the moment
One of the unexpected finds in my trip research was seeing that Burger King in Latvia does gluten free food, so arriving into Riga mid evening, I was excited at the idea of walking across the street, ordering some easy fast food, and eating 15 minutes later.
But I am also a huge believer that vibes outdo any protocol, rule, or reviews (well, there were just two of those). Stepping into the Burger King by our hotel, the cashier who greeted me was clearly beat. When I asked about GF, he gave me a look of defeat, explained they had just been slammed by a giant group, and came across as someone who could, but really did not want to. I neither wanted to ask that of him nor risk a slip from a tired team, and so that’s as close as I got to BK in Riga. For what it’s worth, his reaction suggests they can do it right, but it depends on the timing and team on shift.
Grocery store options
There are several Rimi markets in the city center, almost all of which had some GF labeled food plus the usual naturally GF yogurts, fruit and such. But the best stop I found was Stockmann, just outside the tourist center and on the way to the public market. Stockmann is a large, seemingly upscale grocery store attached to a department store and home to a huge wall of GF items. They had more Schär items than I’ve seen before or since, and that’s just on one shelf. They’ve also got a great assortment of general groceries, deli meats, and other items to poke through, but be warned, the gluten section is massive too, including a pancake bar, yes, that’s right. So it’s both amazing and rough to wander!
Beyond groceries, the Riga Central Market as found on plenty of tourist to do lists is full of all sorts of fresh food. While most meals were gluten dependent (and so many bakery treats), there are certainly loads of safe and amazing looking fruit and veggies too. For those more open to a little discussion, there were plenty of salted meats and pickled items around as well, many of which are usually GF, but worth confirming. Definitely the right place to grab some fresh items!
Closing thoughts on a (weekend) gluten free Riga visit
By now it should be clear that I think Riga is doable and yet takes some sorting to venture beyond the few established spots. In my chats at Better Bread, I couldn’t quite tease out if GF is driven by preference or a growing necessity, but either way, I got the feeling that the interest is picking up and so hopefully that means more places marking menus and more reviews to try. As things stand, there was enough for an easy couple day visit and while it may not be a thing everyone knows, as my few moments exploring outside the reviewed path showed, others are more than willing to take it on too.
Exploring the Baltics?
Other Baltic guides: Visiting Tallinn GF
