Restaurant “Vincents” is one of the most prestigious restaurants in Riga, lead by the head-chef Martins Ritins.
Since Vincents Restaurant was opened in year 1994 it has become a favourite destination point for everybody who loves good food and sophisticated wines. The basic philosophy of this restaurant is the Slow Food movement and seasonal, fresh and local ecological products. Restaurant serves fresh products of the finest quality that are bought directly from small local Latvian farms. Menu is changed almost daily and goes hand in hand with current the season It also is offering in-house banquets and catering.
Chef of the restaurant, Martins Ritins, has surprised with his cuisine not only local gourmands, but also foreign guests. Among the guests who attended this restaurant wereJapanese Emperor, Prince Charles, Elton John, Angela Merkel, George Bush, Hestal Blumenthal and many others. In the guestbook of the restaurant you can also find autographs of Prince Andrew, Pacco Rabanne, Pierre Cardin, Mistislav Rostropovich, Montserrat Caballe, Maya Plisetskaya, Nikita Mikhalkov, Jose Carreras and many others.
The price difference between Vincents and many other restaurants close to it, is big. But then again, comparing the prices at Vincents to comparable restaurants elsewhere in Europe, it’s actually not bad. So it’s a matter of how you look at it, and at one point we decided to go there anyway.
The first thing that comes to mind when remembering our visit is the excellent aged meat selection. Having a steak of your choice as a main course is great. On top of that, all meats available are very exciting, especially the “wagyu” ones. But that is not the only highlight of a visit. The food simply is the best in town. There’s no way around it. And if chef Martins Ritins is in the house, it’s even better. Another exciting part of the dining experience is the “spoom” between starter and main. Without going into much details, it tastes perfect, helps you prepare for the main and puts a bit of a show.
We’ve been a couple of times to Vincents now, and all dishes are equally wonderful. Presented perfectly in style, great ingredients and great execution of preparation. If you are in Riga, and you have time for dinner, this is certainly one of the best places you could go to. Don’t forget to have a peek at the wall of fame, with pictures of celebrities that have dined here. You’ll see that you are in great company.
Restaurant is fully non-smoking. During a summer season they have an open-air terrace. Dress code – smart casual.