FINE DINING
Arguably, many of the best romantic dining restaurants are upscale and many of the upscale establishments also fall under the romantic category - just keep that in mind when choosing an excellent dining experience and you’ll certainly be satisfied.
Located in the beautifully renovated and revitalised Noblessner Port area, 180° by Matthias Dieter is a cream-of-the-crop dining experience and a prime choice for those that believe food is more than mere eating. The restaurant recently became one of the two restaurants in the Baltics to have received a Michelin star.
The other Michelin star restaurant in Estonia is NOA Chef’s Hall, attached to the already popular and excellent NOA restaurant in Viimsi, just past Pirita district. This eatery provides a unique dining experience overlooking the Baltic Sea. Their multi-course tasting menu provides a rich culinary experience from start to finish, and alongside their stylish yet cosy atmosphere make NCH certainly worth a visit.
The newest addition to this category, La Cucina di Orm, has quickly become a popular spot for gourmands. The interior is stylish without being pretentious, the menu is rather simple yet well presented and their ‘Chef’s Table’ option allows guests to see the magic happen.
Back in Old Town at the high-end Telegraaf Hotel, Tchaikovsky delivers imperial cuisine with a Russian flare and every morsel, every opulent detail is truly superb - you will certainly leave with the excellent memory of a refined mea,l and a myriad of subtle flavour combinations on your tongue.
Old Town is certainly the hub of many high-end eateries and you’ll find no better example than Restaurant 38. It’s super stylish, Michelin recommended and their cuisine is more akin to an artform than mere food. Their attention to detail is superb, atmosphere on another level, and the food is something to write home about.
Swisshotel’s Horisont Restaurant & Bar may have a great view, but we think the cuisine and top-notch service are even more spectacular. The folks at Horisont treat everyone like a VIP no matter who they are, every staffer’s move is like a beautiful waltz and every morsel of food a flavourful work of art. We’re pretty sure that if you dine here once, it won’t be your last visit.
ROMANTIC
If you happen to be visiting with your partner or significant other, the choices for a romantic experience are indeed plentiful. There are a few ideas.
ISSEI Restaurant & Bar at the top floor of Radisson Collection Hotel impresses with an incredible view and offers guests a unique dining experience with delicious Peruvian-Japanese fusion cuisine and delightful cocktails.
One hot pick for this category is Anno, located right next to the bustling port area in a renovated industrial-era stone building, which is surprisingly cosy inside and certainly classy. They serve up cosmopolitan European cuisine with a twist and a flare, alongside some delightful wines. It certainly makes for a lovely date-night.
Also located on the sea, with Kakumäe’s Haven harbour providing the backdrop - Puri is as happening as it is romantic, with sailboats and yachts coming and going in the warm season. Their cuisine is a treat, and a walk around the harbour and pier are always a lovely activity.
Controvento, one of the longest-running restaurants in Tallinn is located in the most romantic streets in Old Town, the St.Catherine’s passage and offers a cosy combination of medieval Estonian and rustic Italian. This stylish eatery has been a favourite of expats and locals for years, and deservedly so. The food here is absolutely top notch, with excellent pastas and beef dishes complemented by a good selection of Italian wine.
Schlössle Hotel’s top-notch restaurant Stenhus is a combo of old world elegance, and modern style rolled into a fine Estonian dining experience.
In the beautiful Kadriorg district, French-style Rudolf impresses both in terms of style and culinary satisfaction. With a chef that has paid his dues at a Michelin star restaurant at the helm, and a team dedicated to details - Bon appetit!
CASUAL
For a little bit more of a laid back meal, with no need to dress up fancy and shell out as much as a small used car for dinner, Tallinn has got you well covered. However, it doesn’t mean the quality or atmosphere in these eateries leaves anything to be desired.
Situated on the edge of Old Town and overlooking a lovely park, Kalev Spa Hotel’s restaurant Allee has a focus on fresh and healthy cuisine - it is attached to a spa after all. They offer extremely tasty menu items, a great kid’s menu (even healthy baby puree options) and a nice leisurely breakfast from 7-11am. This can also be enjoyed on their large outdoor terrace during the warm months.
MEKK Restaurant & Bar is inspired by the rural way of living and the versatility of the blessings and gifts that the Estonian nature offers.
One really quirky and chill spot is Manna La Roosa which sits just at the edge of Old Town in a historic, former apothecary. It’s a refined yet über kitsch locale, with great and unique cuisine, a superb cocktail menu and great for people watching from the terrace during the warmer months.
In Telliskivi you’ll find the incredibly chill Kivi Paber Käärid (Rock Paper Scissors) bar and eatery. Great tunes, excellent people, craft beers, signature cocktails and their cuisine is all gluten free - with a focus on the fresh as well as their own take on pub grub favourites.
In the same complex there’s the equally hip Fotografiska Restaurant. Situated in the photography museum of the same name, it sits atop the building and offers spectacular views of the city, a truly unique and stylish menu yet the atmosphere here is definitely relaxed. In terms of their food offerings they focus on sustainable food as well as farm to table freshness, which provides for a one-of-a-kind dining experience.
A little further out from the city centre you’ll find a great spot called HÜGGE, they have quite an eclectic menu with continental European favourites, Russian cuisine, a wide variety of sushi as well as a great breakfast which runs until 11am. For families with kids they also offer a great play area and fun children’s menu as well.
These are just a sample of the many chill spots to grab a bite, along the way we’re sure you’ll stumble upon more.
DINING WITH KIDS
Dining with kids isn’t always an easy experience, luckily many of the eateries in Tallinn are fairly child-friendly with kids menus being the norm, and often they have a small kids play corner or at least some colouring books and crayons to help them pass the time while waiting for their meal. Some do go the extra mile however and or happen to be located with an outdoor playpark in the vicinity.
Platz in the Rotermann Quarter is one of those spots, as there’s a decent playpark just outside and plenty of room to run and hills to climb.
Literaat is the restaurant attached to the Rahva Raamat bookstore in Telliskivi area, and it’s encouraged to grab a book or three to browse while waiting for your meal here. Just make sure to wipe your little one’s fingers down pretty well before they pick up the latest comic book after they eat.
The fabulous Lee at the edge of Old Town which is situated in a lovely courtyard garden provides top-notch cuisine and they have a lot of room for the kids to roam around in their beautiful garden.
The Estonian American-style Mack Bar-B-Que chain at Ülemiste and Rocca al Mare shopping malls also have kids areas, as well as providing children’s menus which double as colouring sheets.
MOOS Resto in Mustamäe is a happy little spot with a little something tasty for everyone, large and small - including a great play area and child-friendly menu.
You can be sure that no child will wrinkle their nose if you offer to eat at the TV Tower Restaurant. A splendid menu for adults and a separate premium menu for children, combined with the spectacular views and entertainment offered by the TV Tower, will ensure a long and enjoyable dinner, during which you may not see your children too much. However, you will have to factor in the cost of tickets to the tower. Some discounts to the admission apply if you book the table ahead of time.
And the slightly further out Lucca on the way to Tabasalu, is truly a family restaurant with a large play area as well as serving up some decent Italian-style pizza.
ITALIAN & PIZZA
There is no shortage of great Italian restaurants in Tallinn and you can find something to fit any occasion and budget.
For a more upscale experience we recommend La Bottega in Old Town where the beautiful atmosphere is combined with a menu boasting classic Italian dishes with a special emphasis on seafood and fish.
Another Old Town favourite is Controvento, which we covered under Romantic dining section.
Flavore is a top-notch Italian restaurant with a great atmosphere, chefs that truly care about feeding the soul as well as the body and all of their dishes are prepared with love and freshness. The pizza here is in fact so good that barely any crusts are left uneaten.
Just at the edge of the Lasnamäe district, Ciao Ragazzi Resto serves up authentic Italian cuisine, provides a stylish dining experience and even the occasional live music on weekends. Truly a family restaurant, the experience here is just overall cosy.
PIZZA is arguably one of the most popular ‘ethnic’ origin foods in the world, add to that pasta plus other Italian favorites and usually everyone ends up with a happy tummy. Tallinn has a good deal of these restaurants in the city, and when it comes to pizza you’ll find a ‘buona selezione’ of authentic Italian, American style and even a few rather Estonian variants.
For a truly top-notch, authentic Italian experience, head over to Pulcinella - owned and primarily cheffed by natives of Napoli, their wood oven pizzas are melt-in-your-mouth delicious and they also offer a great selection of other national dishes at this Old Town, cellar establishment.
For a more informal experience, but also rather true to the original style and flavours of Italy, head over to the Baltijaam train station to Pizzer - great prices and they even have mini pizzas if you don’t want to commit to something larger.
A combination American pan pizza with an Estonian twist can be found at the aptly named Pizza Americana, just next to the Freedom Square. It’s fairly similar to Pizza Hut, yet looking at the menu there are a fair number of items offering ingredients that are rather unfamiliar to the traveller. You can add or take away ingredients, build your own pizzas, and in the end it’s a great and very cheesy experience.
ETHNIC
Just a few years ago, with the exception of a handful of establishments, it was a bit tricky to find good, authentic ethnic cuisine in Tallinn - that is no longer the case, and while it is still a bit lacking in a few categories, for a city of its size the choices are plenty. The sushi and Asian categories are certainly chalk full of great and even authentic options with either the chefs, owners or both hailing from all over the continent.
In terms of JAPANESE OR SUSHI, look no further than Kampai in the Noblessner Port area. The owner and head chef is Japanese and his vision to bring a little piece of Tokyo to Tallinn in the form of a rather street food market experience is truly Ichiban. It’s our go-to when we’re craving a full-on Japanese meal.
Another great, mostly sushi place (although they do offer some other favourites) and also Japanese owned is Tokumaru. They have become a chain and are so popular that several food stores carry their pre-prepared sushi boxes. Try the Solaris Shopping Centre or Baltijaam Market locations for the best experiences.
A popular sushi/Asian fusion spot is MySushi, which has a number of locations, the biggest and most central is just across the street from Old Town on Mere pst. You might even be able to catch one of their super discount days where the sushi is 50% off. Not entirely authentic, but the quality is quite decent and they offer various fried makis selections.
Moving a little further west on the continent brings us to India, and Tallinn does in fact have a few great INDIAN offerings.
Elevant in Old Town has got a great ambience and it begins with a climb up a winding staircase in a historic building and is followed by a kind of a turn of the century, upscale Indian brothel vibe. Their cuisine is very authentic and all of your favourite curries, tandooris and Naan breads are done perfectly here.
Another authentic Old Town spot is Chedi, the founder hails from Goa and the UK and his chefs prepare an otherworldly cuisine, using some rare recipes in this unique half-cellar eatery.
They have a sister location called Lendav Taldrik (a play on the Estonian Flying Saucer) in the Telliskivi Creative City which has a completely different, modern vibe yet offers food equally as good.
Just next door to India is the neighbouring Pakistan and Zaiqa, at the edge of Old Town on Aia Street prepares some excellent PAKISTANI FOOD, just the way they do back home. It’s kind of a mix between Indian and Middle Eastern cuisine, the easiest way to describe it if you’ve never eaten it before. It’s a very small place with just a few seats, best for takeaway or delivery back to the hotel or rental apartment. In addition they also offer truly delicious pizza, done in a style all its own and everything served here is Halal.
No Asian restaurant list would be complete without mentioning some CHINESE dining options.
One of the best in this category is Han’s, located near the giant tower of the Hotel Olümpia. They are full on Chinese here, and offer many of the classics as well as many delightful spicy, yet full of flavour Szechuan cuisine.
For those that aren’t too picky, yet still have a hankering for Chinese, you can check out the Old Town situated Golden Dragon or Chi, which can be found Nautica shopping centre. Both have a large range of pan-Asian dishes, with Chinese cuisine being their main focus. The prices are decent and the dishes large enough to share a few with friends.
If you’ve got a hankering for some burritos or tacos and a margherita or a refreshing Mexican beer, there are a few MEXICAN eateries in Tallinn that can fill that desire.
Located slightly off the beaten track, in Kalamaja is Ancho. They’re right up there in terms of quality and have tasty and rather authentic Mexican cuisine. The cheddar-filled, homemade jalapeño poppers are amazing and the fajitas sizzling with flavour. They also serve late on Friday and Saturday nights which if you happen to be bar hopping in the area.
Located in the Rotermann City industrial space, the atmosphere at this Taqueria is both cosy and interesting. While the menu isn’t huge, they feature a lot of the classics (tacos, quesadillas etc.), and all with various meaty fillings - some great veggie options for you herbivores too.
One of the best in its class for a MEATY MEAL is the Goodwin Steak House, in Old Town near the sweater wall, and it’s one of the best steak spots in the city. The interior is rich and woody, the service is efficient and the imported cuts of beef are excellent. If a full-on beef-fest is a little too heavy, you could always drop by during the week for their business lunch specials or just grab a mouth-watering burger.
Pull, in the Rotermann Quarter, and operated by one of Estonia’s top grill masters - certainly fits the vibe of an upscale grill restaurant. The menu has a little bit of everything, with some nice seafood dishes, vegetarian and vegan options, and of course - great melt in your mouth steaks, and all in a superbly renovated industrial environment.
Switching gears slightly, we head over to the Georgian Tavern Tbilisi, situated at the back end of Old Town, this cosy and warm tavern offers up a real taste of Georgia. No not the American State, but the one located in Europe at the Asian continental crossroads. You’ll find all the Georgian classics such as khinkali (meat dumplings), grilled shashlik (meat skewers) and our favourite, the mouth-watering hachapuri (melted cheese filled flat-bread) among many others and everything is prepared fresh here.
For a taste of Argentina, make sure to check out Siga La Vaca, this colourful restaurant located just around the corner from Telliskivi in Kalamaja - which prides itself on its parrilla, or grilled meat. Chef Simon, a trained parilla chef offers beautifully grilled steaks from Brazil and Uruguay, all served with chimichurri. Service is very friendly and staff are very knowledgeable, and happy to talk to you about the menu which includes some great seafood and tasty appetisers as well.
There ‘aint’ a lot of great AMERICAN-STYLE places to be found in the city (other than Burger King, McDonalds and KFC), but there are a few that do a reasonable job of putting together a more Yankee dining experience - one of which is BabyBack Ribs & BBQ located in the Viru Centre. You gotta step into this authentically American-style ribs joint. Upholstered booths, bottles of Heinz 57 on the tables and a piped-in radio station from Louisiana make it perhaps more American than any place in America. The long menu includes pizzas, milkshakes and burgers, but the steaks and ribs are the stars here.
Another contender in the category is the Route 33 Grill, this American-style restaurant/night-spot is certainly aiming to become the best eatery in its class in Tallinn. From what we’ve experienced so far, they’ve done a decent job. We quite enjoyed their burger last time we stopped by and the wings had just the right amount of bite.
STREET FOOD
Who doesn’t love good quality street food? Perhaps an oversized, juicy burger oozing with some signature sauce or something that reflects local cuisine with a name you can’t pronounce... Whatever your taste or desire, there’s plenty to explore right here in Tallinn.
The first one-stop-shop for street food is hands down the Balti jaam market. The ever-growing street food section of the market offers everything from sushi and dumplings to fried chicken, pizza, burgers and wraps. Just outside of the market is Depoo, a collection of old train cars and containers that have been turned into small restaurants and takeaway street food options as well.
The newly opened Viru centre’s Viru Food Hall is covering 1500 square metres and there are a total of 15 different eateries represented here. The aim of the Viru Food Hall is to offer a rich, street food-influenced, high-quality food selection in what is arguably the heart of the Tallinn city centre, and all in a pleasant environment. From ethnic to pizza to the classic burger, you’ll find everything here.
In the scenic Noblessner Port area you’ll also find various street food examples, but if it’s burgers you’re after you certainly need to check out Patarei Burger (in homage to the nearby Patarei sea fort prison) - the interior reflects that well and the various burgers found here are both juicy and delicious.
In Kadriorg, Dereku Burger certainly offers one of the better burgers in town. They’ve got decent prices and lots of options. Fresh salads and all day breakfast are on offer here as well.
Some of the first places to start offering street fare were Papa Joe and Bueno Gourmet. Still going strong, Papa Joe offers some of the best falafel and kebabs in town, as well as a good selection of Middle Eastern dips, spreads and olives to take away. Bueno Gourmet, a food truck located in the Telliskivi area, serves up tasty burritos, burgers, wraps and sandwiches.
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