Yakuza
Restaurants
By Anatol Steven.
13.05.2013
Yakuza is fast building a reputation as the go-to place in Riga for decent sushi, with two restaurants positioned just beyond the Old Town.
The joint on Ģertrūdes, one of the city’s most atmospheric streets, is a particularly enjoyable spot especially as it recently knocked up the boarding for some summertime street-side seating.
The yakuza, of course, are members of Japan’s notorious organized crime network, and the restaurants named after them here feature big anime-style gangster portraits in the décor and logos.
Other than that, the eateries are pleasingly unpretentious with clean-and-simple furniture, just as you might find in the Land of the Rising Sun. There’s free Wi-Fi too.
Lunchtime bento trays are available between 11.00 and 17.00 on weekdays for around €7, with miso soup, tempura, salmon on a skewer, and salad.
But there’s plenty more to whet the appetite on the glossily illustrated menus, including sashimi and gunkan sushi. Nothing comes cheap, though, with some of the bigger sets on sale for around €35.
When we last called in we took advantage of an offer of 16 pieces of sushi for the price of eight (or two for the price of one) and left without feeling as if we’d been shortchanged.
Try a yakuza roll (€9.30), featuring smoked salmon, tobiko (flying fish) roe, Philadelphia cheese and Kaizo seaweed. The woks on offer include tori ebi (chicken fillet with shrimps). Or make your own choosing noodles, sauce and optional rice.
The Yakuza chefs can rustle up more European dishes, such as lamb ribs with vegetables in red wine (€18.50) or even a delicious beefsteak. A handful of throw-in desserts include chocolate cake and cheesecake. But you can have these elsewhere, as Yakuza does sushi and woks best.
