RIGA - Sometimes a girl just needs an evening beer, and in Riga's center, there are plenty of spots to wet your whistle in the middle of the week. On a chilly Wednesday evening, the nightlife may not exactly be hopping, but there are still a number of spots in Riga with the right ambience to spice things up a bit.
We began our adventure at Cafe Gauja, an inexpensive hipster hangout at the junction of Terbatas and Stabu streets. Cafe Gauja is an eclectically decorated and kitschy little hole in the wall, with a house collection of board games and books supplied for its patrons' enjoyment. Decoration verges on the nostalgic, with a hint of ironic Soviet chic; a Russian-language globe of '80s vintage sits in the windowsill, begging to be spun around, examined and discussed by curious drinkers. The beer on tap is strong and fruity, and the dark variety is especially popular with the patrons. However, for those ordering any drink of greater complexity 's even something as simple as a rum and coke 's be prepared to wait. And wait, and wait, while the barmaid takes her leisurely time flipping through a large binder of drink recipes.
Service is most certainly without a smile, but at least the beer is cheap, and with good company and a comfy couch to sit on, the waitress's surliness can soon be forgotten. Cafeé Gauja is vaguely reminiscent of the typical Amsterdam coffee shop 's minus the marijuana, of course. Mismatched couches and low tables grouped haphazardly together provide an intimate gathering spot for a mix of scarf-wearing pseudo-intellectuals, university types, and the odd tourist couple willing to wander beyond the old city in search of the ever-elusive "real Riga." At the stroke of 11 p.m, the stone-faced waitress unceremoniously handed me a plastic cup for my remaining beer and ordered us out of the bar. Punctuality reigns supreme at Cafe Gauja.
On the bright side, this was a good incentive to move on. We walked along Stabu Street to Sarkans 's the Red bar 's a chic spot with suggestive decorations and posh yet postmodern decor. We took the table next to a naked man: a life-size black and white photo of a strapping young fellow contorted into a strangely triangular pose that only an advanced yoga expert could master. A good conversation piece, to say the least! At Sarkans, the beer is standard, but pints are expensive, especially compared to dirt-cheap Cafe Gauja. Sarkans is a lively and trendy spot, which fills up with a fashionable dance crowd on weekends, and the prices reflect this. As midnight approached, we became aware that we were the last people in the bar, so we sallied forth to the next watering hole.
In Riga, there is a certain last resort for merry drunken mirth on a week night: none other than the French bar La Belle Epoque on Maza Monetu Street in Old Riga. The beer is cheap, as are the shots of "apple pie" (vodka and apple juice topped with an orange slice), and at any given moment in the middle of the week it is comfortably filled with a crowd out for a good time. In fact, weeknights are probably better, as the weekends can get uncomfortably crowded and even rowdy. But on this Wednesday night I found a colorful mix of foreigners and locals, tourists and students, the patrons ranging in age from the barely legal to the young at heart. A young British bloke cracked open the piano and serenaded the crowd with a medley of Beatles favorites, including "Hey Jude." Virtually the entire bar was singing along to the timeless classic. The French bar may be the ultimate dive, but what more could one ask for on a Wednesday night?
