Editor Pick
Cheap, Tasty and Convenient
- July 3, 2008
- Rated 5 of 5 by
dangaroo from Warsaw, Poland
Pelmeni XL is a restaurant in Riga, conveniently located in old city side street. Pelmeni is a cheerful place, perhaps not because of the serious looking old lady who works there but because of the modern design of the place, orange and white tiles mosaic the walls and give it a festive feel. Orange tables (as I remember) and chairs fill up the room which often gets busy but normally has enough room, generally feel free to join others at their table too. Pelmeni XL is popular with students, young expats and any tourist lucky enough to come across it.
Pelmeni can definitely be considered as fast food, you pick up your tray and a big bowl, then begin filling it up from several pans of tasty Latvian cuisine, mostly salads or dumplings (Pelmeni )filled with vegetables, cheese, pork or beef and a variety of sauces from sour cream to peppery oil, it is then weighed by the till. You will normally pay about 3 lats (3 pounds) for a heftily filled bowl of warm goodness, soups and chips (potato wedges are particularly nice) are also available and cheap, as is beer (1.50) or vodka (0.60) as well as a range of non alcoholic beverages like kefir, coffee, cappucino, milk, yoghurt, fanta, sprite and water (normally from 0.45 to 0.60)
If you succesfully get through your food, this is likely to lead to either praise or smiles from the staff! I don't know why but they always seem happy when you finish it!
Address: There are now 3 Pelmeni XL outlets, the one you are most likely to come across is the one in the old city at Kalku 7.
There is also one at the train station and one at the shopping mall called Galerija Centrs (located at Audeju Iela 16)
Web Address: http://www.xlpelmeni.lv
Pelmeni XL
- April 25, 2006
- Rated 4 of 5 by
Iain Mac E. from Galway, Ireland
Pelmeni is Latvian for dumplings, and Pelmeni XL, in the Old Town's main street, is the place to try them. Similar to Polish pierogi, or ravioli, they come filled with cheese (siers), cabbage or meat (a knowledge of Latvian is necessary to read the names of the fillings and various sauces). It's self-service, and, best of all, you pay by weight, so you only pay for what you eat. A bowl of dumplings will never cost more than a lat. The drinks available are quite cheap, with juices and kefirs (sour milk—anyone brought up in Scandinavia or Eastern Europe will have fond memories) costing 40 santimi a glass. Beer is 80 santimi. As with everywhere else in Riga, don't expect any acknowledgement from the staff that you exist, but with prices like these, we weren't complaining.
From journal Week in Riga