Our Take on Gimlet Nordic Cocktail Bar
Baznīcas iela 37 keeps its best room below the sidewalk. Gimlet Nordic Cocktail Bar works out of a half basement in Riga's quiet Centrs, a few blocks from Brīvības iela, and In Your Pocket calls the space cosy while noting the sleek Nordic minimalism it runs on.
The program ferments its own ingredients: quince, sorrel, sea buckthorn, beetroot, dill, gooseberry cordial, the larder of the Baltic coast turned into a concise cocktail list. The World's 50 Best Discovery lists the bar and calls the decor suitably minimalist and undeniably elegant.
Cocktails land around 7.50 euros, which In Your Pocket rates quite reasonable by Riga standards. The room opens at six in the evening, Tuesday through Saturday, and not at all on Sunday or Monday.
Reading the Room
A compact half basement where the back bar carries house ferments and kombuchas instead of the usual brand wall. One Google reviewer from December 2024 noticed the Absolut marketing and wished the room trusted its own concept more; the drinks already do.
Service runs close and attentive. A February 2026 Google reviewer credits a bartender named Gustav with making sure we were looked after, and the pattern repeats across review platforms.
The Menu, Edited
Who Shows Up, and When
Cocktail destination drinkers, a mix of locals and visitors who booked ahead. Walk ins land seats early in the evening; by ten on a Friday the room runs on reservations.
This is a listening volume bar. The crowd comes for the glass, not the floor, and the half basement keeps the street out of the conversation.
The Word on the Street
- Nice gem not far from centre, they produce every infusion drink themselves, per a December 2024 Google reviewer.
- Bar staff constantly taking care of customers, per a September 2025 Google review.
- Drinks creative and delicious, service out of this world, per a February 2026 Google reviewer.
- Google holds it at 4.7 across more than 400 reviews, the highest sustained score among Riga cocktail rooms.
Go, or Skip
- Drinkers who want Riga's most rigorous cocktail program at 7.50 euros
- Dates that need a quiet room and a menu worth discussing
- Avoid if you want a Sunday cocktail; the room rests two days a week
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