Riga’s bakery scene moves between tradition and modern pastry trends. Classic biscuits and honey cake share bakery shelves with laminated croissants, cardamom buns and playful creations like cruffins. These five bakeries reflect the variety of Riga’s pastry culture — from nostalgic local treats to contemporary masterpieces.
Riga’s bakery culture reveals itself in small, everyday rituals. Walk through almost any district of the Latvian capital and you will quickly find a bakery window filled with pastries, pies and savory buns ready to take away. Unlike in some cities where bakeries focus primarily on bread, Riga’s scene often revolves around ready-to-eat pastries.
What makes Riga particularly interesting is the way traditional Latvian sweets coexist with contemporary pastry trends. It is not unusual to see glossy croissants or muffins sitting beside classics such as riekstiņi — walnut-shaped biscuits filled with boiled condensed milk — or slices of medus kūka, the beloved honey cake layered with cream. Seasonal tray-baked cakes such as ābolmaizīte (apple cake) or rabarbermaize (rhubarb pie) still hold their place as well. The result is a bakery culture that blends nostalgia with modern technique. Here are five bakeries that capture the taste of Riga’s pastry scene.
Among Riga’s newer-generation bakeries, Mīkla has become well-known for its quality and technique. The bakery is known primarily for its sourdough bread and laminated pastries, with cardamom buns standing out as a house signature.
The project was created by chef Uvis Janičenko, whose professional path includes time spent studying and working in Sweden and Japan. Those influences are evident in Mīkla’s approach: Nordic-inspired minimalism, careful fermentation and a clear respect for ingredients. Croissants, cookies and seasonal pastries sit alongside a small selection of deli products.The space itself is bright and modern, designed as much for a relaxed breakfast as for picking up a loaf on the way home.
If Mīkla represents a contemporary way of baking, Kūkotava leans toward the elegance of a classic European pastry shop. The atmosphere is slightly more refined, making it a popular destination both for a quick takeaway dessert and a leisurely coffee break. The display case typically includes éclairs, cheesecakes, cookies and signature fluffy doughnuts with various fillings, alongside traditional Latvian sweets such as Vecrīga pastries and the ever-popular medus kūka. One of the bakery’s strengths lies in balance — desserts are polished in appearance yet never overly sweet.
Despite its polished presentation, Kūkotava retains a neighbourhood feel, often filled with locals who treat it as a dependable stop for an afternoon treat.
Riga’s bakery scene also reflects changing dietary habits, and Better Bread stands out as the city’s first 100% gluten-free bakery. Everything here — from loaves to pastries and cakes — is made with organic ingredients and baked fresh each morning. The team starts baking before sunrise, working with long-fermented doughs made from ingredients such as quinoa, rice and banana to produce brioche-style buns, pies and pastries. Many items are vegan, and the bakery also follows FODMAP-friendly principles, catering to customers with specific dietary needs without compromising flavour or texture.
Specialty coffee, roasted in Gothenburg, Sweden, accompanies the menu, making Better Bread a thoughtful stop for both breakfast and takeaway pastries.
At the more playful end of Riga’s pastry spectrum sits Cruffins, a bakery built around a single modern idea: the cruffin — a hybrid pastry combining croissant dough with the shape of a muffin. The laminated dough creates a flaky, buttery texture, while fillings range from classic sweet creams to more inventive seasonal combinations. The pastries are carefully layered and visually especially attractive, which partly explains why the bakery has quickly become a favourite on social media.
The interior is modern and stylish, making it a popular stop for coffee, dessert and photos alike. Yet beyond the aesthetics, the pastries themselves remain the real attraction — rich, aromatic and best enjoyed fresh from the oven.
Adding a more playful and globally inspired layer to Riga’s bakery scene, KŪRE centres its concept around the Portuguese pastel de nata — but with a creative twist. Alongside the classic version with silky egg custard, the bakery experiments with flavours such as pistachio, peanut and even savoury variations with mushrooms or gentle spices. A subtle touch of cardamom in some of the pastries adds an unexpected aromatic note, evoking flavours that reach beyond Portugal toward the Middle East.
KŪRE’s offering goes further than its signature cream tarts, with freshly baked bread, specialty coffee and an array of eye-catching pastries available throughout the day. On weekends, the bakery fills with locals drawn by its oversized cinnamon buns — soft, fluffy and richly flavoured, ranging from traditional recipes to more inventive versions like apple pie or salted caramel. The atmosphere is lively and relaxed, making KŪRE feel like both a neighbourhood favourite and a destination for those seeking something a little different.
