Best Hostels with Happy Hour in Riga
3 top-rated hostels with happy hour in Riga Handpicked for travelers who want the best.
Three Riga hostels run genuine nightly happy hours with discounted Latvian beer and Riga Black Balsam shots: Naughty Squirrel's 8-10pm slot, Hedgehogs' 6-8pm earlier pour, and Cinnamon Sally's rotating pre-crawl bar specials. Together they form a stackable pub-crawl circuit within a 5-minute walk of Merķeļa iela 1.
Riga's drinking scene is cheap by Baltic standards — a €2.50 Latvian pint at Naughty Squirrel's happy hour is close to half the €5 you'd pay at a Tallinn hostel bar for the same beer. The Riga Black Balsam culture (45% herbal liqueur, bitter, often mixed with blackcurrant juice first time) gives the hostel bars an easy local-flavor hook: a Black Balsam shot on arrival is a hostel tradition here, not a gimmick. Combine that with Valmiermuiža and Labietis as the craft-beer rotations most bars run, and you get a hostel happy-hour scene that punches considerably above the room rate.
🍸Why Riga is Perfect for Happy Hour
Naughty Squirrel's happy hour runs 8-10pm every night of the week. Latvian beer at €2.50, house Black Balsam shot at €2, wine by the glass at €3. The 24-hour bar means the vibe continues long after happy hour ends, and the same pricing re-opens briefly during pub-crawl warm-ups. The first-floor bar has better energy, the outdoor courtyard is the summer overflow.
Hedgehogs runs the earlier 6-8pm happy hour in the same Merķeļa iela 1 building. The pricing is similar (€2.50 Latvian beer, €3 cocktails), but the vibe is more restaurant-bar than party-bar because of the ground-floor Latvian restaurant crowd mixing in. Great for travelers who want drinks plus dinner without walking between venues. Karaoke Wednesdays overlap with happy hour.
Cinnamon Sally doesn't publish formal happy hours but the in-house bar runs pub-crawl warm-up specials Thursday, Friday, Saturday from 9pm until the crawl leaves at 10pm. Shots are €1.50 during these windows, and the included breakfast the next morning (waffles, dark rye, coffee) is the cheapest hangover cure on Merķeļa iela.
Traveler's take
“The happy-hour circuit is why you stay near Merķeļa iela 1 even if you're not a party traveler. Start at Hedgehogs 6-8pm for the earlier pour and the Latvian restaurant dinner, walk 30 seconds down the stairwell to Naughty Squirrel's 8-10pm slot for beer pong, and if Cinnamon Sally has a pub crawl night you'll end there before rolling into Old Town. All three bars accept non-guests if you ask at reception, so you can mix and match freely. Pints at €2.50 during happy hours vs. €4.50-5 in Old Town tourist bars — the savings add up over a three-night stay.”
Our Top 3 Picks
Hostels in Riga with happy hour, sorted by guest rating.
Cinnamon Sally Backpackers Hostel
Centrs (opposite Central Station)
Wonderful
2,315 reviews
Cinnamon Sally sits at Merķeļa iela 1, directly opposite Riga Central Station and a five-minute walk to the Old Town. Famous in Baltic backpacker circles for its homemade breakfast, bottomless free coffee and a strict adults-only, no-stag-party policy that keeps the vibe travel-sociable rather than chaotic.
From
€18//night
Why travelers love Cinnamon Sally Backpackers Hostel
“Interrailers on the Warsaw-Tallinn loop check in here for a reason. The breakfast buffet is unusually generous for the price bracket, the coffee machine runs around the clock, and the staff push free Riga walking tours and pub crawls at check-in. Entry is signposted through the McDonald's courtyard, which catches new arrivals out.”
Naughty Squirrel Backpackers Hostel
Vecrīga (Old Town)
Excellent
503 reviews
Naughty Squirrel has been Riga's headline party hostel since 2007, a three-minute walk from Town Hall Square and home to the 24-hour on-site bar that runs beer pong, trivia and movie nights on rotation. Australian-owned, dog-friendly, and famous for organizing the Latvian Olympic bobsled trip in Sigulda and the AK-47 shooting day at the firing range outside town.
From
€21//night
Why travelers love Naughty Squirrel Backpackers Hostel
“Not for light sleepers. Guests come here for the social scene, not quiet mornings, and the 24-hour bar with happy-hour pricing draws a stag-party crowd in summer. Old Town's medieval square sits three minutes away, the shared kitchen keeps food costs low, and the smart-card dorm access and under-bed lockers handle security without making it feel institutional.”
Hedgehogs Backpackers Hostel
Centrs (Merķeļa iela, opposite Central Station)
Very Good
525 reviews
Hedgehogs sits on the second floor of the same Merķeļa iela 1 building as Cinnamon Sally, opposite Riga Central Station. The split is clear: Cinnamon Sally does breakfast and quiet, Hedgehogs does the bar, karaoke, ping-pong and live music nights. In-house restaurant, mini-mart, 24-hour front desk and a 9.6 couples location rating anchor it.
From
€19//night
Why travelers love Hedgehogs Backpackers Hostel
“Expect a busier evening scene than most Riga hostels — happy hour nightly, live music some weekends, karaoke mid-week, ping-pong tournaments, movie nights. The lounge has a vending machine for late snacks and the mini-mart downstairs saves the Rimi walk. Cinnamon Sally's free walking tour and Hedgehogs' bar crawl start from the same stairwell, which makes stacking activities easy.”
💡Tips for Choosing a Hostel with Happy Hour in Riga
- 1Stack Hedgehogs 6-8pm then Naughty Squirrel 8-10pm for 4 hours of €2.50 pints in the same Merķeļa iela 1 building.
- 2First Black Balsam shot at Cinnamon Sally is free on arrival if you ask at reception. Mix it with blackcurrant juice your first time — the straight 45% bitter is an acquired taste.
- 3Old Town bars (Chomsky, Piens Bar, Folkklubs Ala) run pints at €4.50-5. The €2 happy-hour savings per drink add up fast on a multi-night stay.
- 4Naughty Squirrel's bar is 24-hour, but happy-hour pricing only applies 8-10pm. After 10pm, beer jumps to €3.50-4.
- 5Ask reception about pub crawl pricing — some crawls include 3 shots and a drink at the first bar for €15, which beats paying €2.50 per drink at the hostel bar alone.
- 6Valmiermuiža and Labietis are the two local Latvian breweries you'll see on happy-hour taps. Labietis has the smoked beer (Rauchbier) that's worth trying if you know German beer styles.
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