Haoli bistro — Restaurant in Riga

I've been hearing about this place from locals for a while now, and it recently gained even more attention thanks to a few TikTok reviews. So, I finally decided to give it a try after passing by this bistro countless times over the years.

As soon as I stepped inside, I couldn't ignore the somewhat sketchy and worn-out atmosphere. Surprisingly, it added to the charm for me, as I've found that these kinds of places often have the best food.

The bistro was bustling with people during lunchtime, mostly working folks looking for a hearty yet affordable meal. It was easy to see why the place was so packed – I managed to get a plate with a drink for just around 3,50€, which is hard to beat.

However, while the food selection was decent, the actual dishes left much to be desired. I understand that it's a budget-friendly bistro, but even so, the food was disappointingly bland, cold, and sloppily prepared. The staff seemed overwhelmed, and they couldn't even properly reheat my portion.

This visit was an utter disaster in my book, but go see for yourselves as this place has enough good reviews to refute my one...

Nice initiative, bad execution. They only use microwaves to warm up food. Noodles become dry, gummy, lack of texture and taste. Chicken tasted like old tap water. Pretty much everything was close to horrible without any sauce, and I wish the food could be great with as less sauce as possible. Hygiene does not seem to be any better too. I would not recommend. I have tried many Chinese eateries, but this one is one of the worst (at least that's how it was in my case). There are better and also cheap places in Riga. Sorry for a bad review, hopefully you...

Amazing canteen not too far from the city's center, staff is friendly and quick to serve. The food is astonishingly good for the price, the selection is wide enough to choose from, however some meat options are very sweet, if you're not into that you can always ask for just savoury options. The atmosphere inside is quite cozy, perfect to stop by for a few minutes to eat and drink some tea. Overall it is probably the best place in Riga to grab a quick lunch or dinner when you're in the mood for some good...