Of the three Baltic countries, Latvia is the easiest to reach, with the capital Riga having by far the most direct flights from Europe. Despite this, Latvian food and restaurants are rela-tively unknown to the wider community. Falstaff's first Latvian Restaurant Guide 2024 gives you 50 good reasons why you should fly to Latvia.
Curiously, Latvia has been the home of one restaurant for almost 30 years. Vincents Restaurant was opened in Riga by the charismatic chef Martins Ritins in 1994. It quickly became Latvia's leading restaurant, setting such high standards that it was hard for anyone else to match. When Martins Ritins died two years ago, however, there was no stagnation. His longtime partner and front-of-house manager Raimonds Tomsons won the ASI World's Best Sommelier award the following year, and the standard of beverage service in Latvian restaurants began to rise magically. Instead of a single leading restaurant, there is now a steering group made up of five.
Latvia's best restaurants are concentrated in the capital, Riga. But within a hundred kilometres of Riga, the districts of Cesis and Valmiera are well worth a gourmet trip for those interested in modern country cooking. Riga is a good starting point for a short trip to other Baltic countries or to Scandinavia. The distances are short and everything you need is about an hour's flight away. It's a great opportunity to experience the wonderful variety of countries and cultures in the Nordic region.
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