Our Take on Paddy Whelan's
Grēcinieku iela 4 sits one block off the Daugava embankment at the southern edge of Old Riga, and Paddy Whelan's has been pouring there since 1995, the first Irish pub in the city and by its own account the oldest in the Baltics. The tram rattles past on the embankment; the football never stops inside.
Two floors plus a summer beer garden, flat screens running football and Formula 1, and a quieter second floor hung with sports memorabilia, per Arrivalguides and Riga This Week. The taps and fridges hold more than 50 beers and ciders, the official site counts.
The Guinness costs roughly what Dublin charges, a Tripadvisor reviewer grumbled, and ordered another. The kitchen hedges its nationality with Latvian plates and homemade Indian food alongside the fish and chips.
Reading the Room
Dark wood, packed screens, and the low ceiling acoustics of a pub that has hosted thirty years of full time whistles. Match nights downstairs run loud; the second floor stays conversational under its memorabilia.
The summer beer garden does the opposite of the basement floor: daylight, long tables, and the Old Town foot traffic drifting past toward the river.
The Menu, Edited
Who Shows Up, and When
Sports fans, expats, and tourists in scarf season proportions. Arrivalguides calls it a big hit among sports fans, and the fixture list sets the room's volume.
Daytime runs on food trade; evenings belong to whichever match drew the crowd. Service reviews split sharply on Tripadvisor, brilliant on good nights, brusque at full capacity.
The Word on the Street
- Atmosphere is amazing, and the Brengulu beer is the best I have tasted, per a December 2025 Google reviewer.
- Oldest and probably the best pub in Riga, reads one Tripadvisor review title.
- BBQ platter price pretty reasonable for what you get, per a Google reviewer.
- As Irish as the Taj Mahal, counters a skeptical Tripadvisor title; a November 2025 reviewer also logged a sticky bar and rude service that night.
Go, or Skip
- Match watchers who need the game on every wall and a Guinness in reach
- Big groups; two floors and a beer garden absorb any party size
- Avoid if you want craft minimalism; this is volume hospitality since 1995
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