A Food Guide to Tallinn: where to eat, including some of the best restaurants.
Over the years, Estonia's capital has been emerging as one of the best places to eat in Europe. Tallinn. I had wanted to visit Tallinn for a while and one thing that really surprised me was how many great restaurants there were. One of the things I love about going to Eastern Europe (particularly the Baltics), is how good quality the food is and at a fraction of the price you would pay in most cities in Europe!
We did a lot of research before going to try and find the best restaurants and cocktail bars as well as trying some of the local cuisine.
Here are some of the places we ate whilst in Tallinn over a long weekend:
1. Lee Restoran
'Lee' is one of the oldest words in the Estonian language and describes the communal fireplace where people would gather and eat together. Lee Restoran is inspired by this, want their guests to enjoy food together around a table.
Lee Restorans' menu is described as 'contemporary, seasonal and local'. Their ingredients all have an emphasis on local produce and their dishes are said to be from 'farm to table,' incorporating Estonian cooking with inspiration from abroad.
Everything we ate was outstanding from start to finish, the service was fantastic and a great vibe within the restaurant, which was contemporary, yet cosy (of course there was a fire burning).
You can do the 'Lee Experience' which is a tasting menu, but we liked the look of dishes that weren't on the menu and instead opted for a la carte. We started off with the black bread and butter, then we got beef tarter, scallops and a fresh vegetable dish. For mains we got the pork belly and filet steak. Each dish was beautifully presented and tasted amazing. There was also an extensive wine list to chose from and an in-house Sommelier to help you decide what to go for.
I couldn't recommend this restaurant enough, it was one of the best restaurants I've been to in the Baltics. Make sure you book in advance as it's quite small inside.
2. NOA Restoran
NOA is one of the most famous restaurants in Tallinn and there's two parts; NOA Restoran and NOA Chef's Hall ('Estonia's Best Restaurant'). Both are Michellin star but NOA Chef's Hall is extremely premium and expensive, whilst NOA Restoran offers extremely good food and is more affordable, so we went for this option.
NOA Restoran is about a 15 minute drive from the centre of Tallinn and the restaurant has panoramic views of the sea. The food is described as 'Nordic', but seems like a mix of modern European.
The restaurant has a contemporary design and it's very open and light. We want on a Sunday (no restaurants in Tallinn seemed to be open on a Sunday and here was, but it was VERY quiet).
We did the tasting menu which started off with black bread, followed by salmon tarter, a soup (with a cheesy profiterole) then filet of beef and finishing off with an assortment of desserts. The food was really good but I wouldn't recommend going on a Sunday as it is empty and lacking a vibe.
3. Ill Draakon
Situated in the middle of Tallinn's main square, Ill Draakon is a 'medieval tavern' and entering the restaurant, you feel like you have stepped back in to medieval times. Everyone working in there is dressed in traditional medieval clothing and the inside is dark and dingy with low ceilings and old barrels.
The food menu is small and includes wild boar meats, elk meat soup, pastries (either with a vegetarian filling or game meat), pigs tails and ox ribs. These dishes are not something I would usually order and I wouldn't say it was my favourite meal in Tallinn but it was interesting to try them and going into Ill Draakon is an experience in itself.
You can't book and you just find somewhere to sit inside, so would recommend going early for lunch to ensure you have somewhere to sit.
4. RØST
Go here to grab some pastries for breakfast. Rost is a Scandinavian sourdough bakery in the heart of the Roterman District in Tallinn. They have an assortment of fresh baked goods constantly coming out of the oven and you can watch them being made.
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