EBG Rating: 7.5/10

Choice/Quality of Drinks:
❤️❤️❤️❤️
The unexpected surprise and pleasure is we found both the light and dark lagers remarkably good as foreign efforts of Czech beer go, especially as they are routinely so poor when attempted outside the country itself. Although lacking the finesse you might expect, they are more than reasonable facsimiles and you can enjoy a few beers here for sure. There is also a light lager and occasional seasonal specials. Beer is the focus but typical restaurant back bar can be found.

Style/Décor:
❤️❤️❤️❤️
Carnival style branding out front in a large venue looks a little old hat (and probably did even when it opened), but does in its own way reinforce this is a long-standing venue. Inside a typically cavernous venue with a large beer hall of communal tables and exposed brewkit to the rear of the bar.

Atmosphere/Character:
❤️❤️❤️
It depends on what time of day you visit. There is no obligation to eat food, especially outside usual mealtime hours where it is quite casual. Slow afternoons in winter, heaving evenings around Christmas, you really have to navigate typical, but predictable pitfalls to get the best out of it.

Amenities/Events:
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Food, snacks, outdoor seating, TV, club, private functions, takeaway, merchandise, live music, events.

Value For Money:
❤️❤️
Higher than the average around Riga, although not extortionate, certainly unforgiving.

Description:
Opened in 2005, Starogorod is every inch the mid-00s brewpub you’d expect. Clearly inspired by German and Czech beer halls with its large communal areas, visible brewkit at the rear of the main room and traditional food and beer offerings.

The unexpected pleasure is we found both the light and dark lagers remarkably good as efforts of Czech beer, especially as they are routinely so poor outside the country itself. Although lacking the finesse you might expect, they are more than reasonable facsimiles and you can enjoy a few beers here for sure. A nice touch is some fresh malted barley they serve with the drinks which are better toasted, more succulent and tastier than most that try the same.

As a large venue they do their best to pull in anyone for any reason. This means an evening club, sport on TV, lunches, dinners, private functions, terrace seating, all to keep the beer sales ticking over and an expensive large premises recouped in costs.

As it is an established, touristic place it inevitably invites a degree of suspicion and no doubt on a busy afternoon at Christmas or in Summer you can expect worse, slow service and erratic quality – few venues are immune to that. Most of the time though it’s a reasonably good effort that managed to navigate our usual prejudice and cynicism to such venues to the extent I can cautiously recommend it. Just ensure to visit at a sensible time.

One quirk to mention – or at least note without spoiling the surprise, can be found at the Urinals in the gents toilets.

(Added April 2026)