Best restaurants in Tallinn: where locals eat in Estonia's eclectic capital
- Alex Crossley
Published: September 18, 2026 at 2:05 PM
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Explore this eclectic Baltic-Nordic crossroads city via cinnamon buns, spiced liquor-laced coffees and New Nordic cuisine
Looking for restaurants in Tallinn? Want to know where to eat and drink in the Estonian capital? Alex Crossley visits the city to eat and drink in the places locals personally recommend...
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"I’ve wanted to visit Tallinn for years to experience for myself what locals are doing with Estonian ingredients, their commitment to terroir and unique take on New Nordic cuisine. As well as the picturesque UNESCO-protected medieval Old Town of cobbled streets, colourful buildings and bustling squares, Tallinn has a selection of satellite neighbourhoods, providing hubs for eclectic entrepreneurs running contemporary bistros, craft Baltic beers and pioneering bakeries. Here are the spots I loved most in the various districts of the city."
Estonia is the winner of the emerging culinary destination in olive’s inaugural Travel&Taste awards, read more about Estonian cuisine from a young local chef here and find more European city breaks for food lovers, including Ljubljana, Prague and Stockholm.
Where to eat and drink in Tallinn, Estonia
Fotografiska – for dinner, cocktails and culture with a view
Perched atop Tallinn’s contemporary photography museum, this warehouse-style space is home to plant-forward Estonian cooking. The menu includes a map of where the team is proud to source from to create the likes of pikeperch with tomato gazpacho and tomato XO sauce, roasted carrots dressed with Estonian ’nduja and swiss roll with rooftop honey ice cream.
The rooftop bar offers 360 views of Tallinn’s Old Town, parks and neighbourhoods, as well as a kitchen garden, from which ingredients are plucked to create the likes of pear and sage pisco sours and aged Estonian rye gin negronis.
Insider tip – on the dessert menu, there is the option to buy a discounted out of hours exhibition ticket to privately peruse Baltic photography on your way out, which was a unique experience to end our meal. tallinn.fotografiska.com
Lore Bistroo – for cosy contemporary bistro vibes
It's hard to choose between outside and in at this contemporary bistro in Tallinn's Noblessner district. On a sunny day harbourside tables are hot property, while the roaring fire and soothing fish soup are welcoming in the colder months. Like most in the area, the building used to be a submarine warehouse, and many of its industrial bones are kept but made cosy with a green tiled roaring fireplace, tiled floors and logs piled for the fire below the open kitchen. We went à la carte, but the family-style Lore Experience gets you a selection of the best dishes, including the much-loved focaccia, beef tartare laced with sesame seed cream, hazelnuts and artichoke slices, and smoked Pähkla trout from Saaremaa Island in beurre blanc. Homemade lemonades come in flavours from rhubarb to blackcurrant and soothing honey and lemon, while cocktails spotlight local brands such as Tohi cloudberry gin and Moe Mahe rye vodka. lorebistroo.ee
Restaurant Moon – for contemporary Slavic twists
Slavic cuisine takes the spotlight at this sleek contemporary restaurant in Tallinn’s creative Telliskivi district. Try warm, scone-like buckwheat blinis with caviar, pickled cucumbers, salt-cured pork salo and handmade Siberian dumplings in wild mushroom sauce before signature chicken kyiv paired with homemade chilli adjika, creamy mash and crunchy kohlrabi pomegranate salad. Estonian drink options are plentiful, from craft raspberry wine to dry apple cider, Mohn Island poppy gin and caraway liqueur. Service is warm and friendly, particularly our waitress Johanna sharing insights into her favourite home-cooked Estonian dishes. restoranmoon.ee
Fume – for refined Estonian grilling with Basque influences
Martti Siimann and Tõnis Siigur need no introduction to Estonian foodies – their coastal fine dining restaurant NOA Chef’s Hall has boasted a Michelin star since 2022. This more recent opening in Tallinn’s Rotermann Quarter has a buzzy evening vibe thanks to Martti’s tongue-in-cheek nod to the gold building courtesy of bold, blingy accents.
Head chef Heinrich Liis mans the open kitchen’s bespoke Basque-style grill. The smoke treatment is given to everything from smoked pepperoncinis through homemade crisps and jamón slices to BBQ sour cream sauce to lift white fish crudo and a genius 'sauna' crème brûlée for pud. My highlight was Estonian black bread topped with beef cheek.
Each month the restaurant celebrates Estonia’s seasons. On our September visit chanterelles were folded through creamy homemade and berries, while October promised boar, elk and local game.
Cocktails are creative and glitzy to go with the vibes, perhaps the most unique being Estonian negroni laced with dandelion wine served in a bird-shaped glass. siigur.ee/en/restaurants/fume
Põhjala Brewery & Tap Room – for Estonian craft beers
Peeter and his partners honoured the history of the Baltic porter to pioneer the Estonian craft brewery movement. The brewery, translated as northern realm, was the first in revitalising former shipyard district Noblessner and now boasts a swish brewery and taproom – you can even book a private sauna room with a fridge of beers for the ultimate Estonian experience.
Stouts and porters are still the speciality, but the roster now also includes lagers, IPAs and sours. After a brewery tour, hop out to the sunny balcony to taste the likes of juicy northern lights IPA, Kask forest lager brewed with birch sauna leaves and the original Öö Baltic porter. If you’re collecting souvenirs, the cellar series bottles are sealed with wax to age at home.
Hot tip: Book your next trip round Tallinn craft beer weekend in May 2027. pohjalabeer.com
Veino – for natural wines by the glass
This cosy wine bar is enveloped in colourful murals on the cellar-style stone walls, while bottles balance on custom-built shelves that create intimate sections to the candlelit room. There is no menu – friendly staff ask what you fancy in an unpretentious manner and make their selection from the immense roster of 400 wines by the glass. veino.info
Mon Repos – for leafy garden lunches
This stunning imperial 19th-century summer house is nestled on the fringe of sprawling Kadriorg Park. Mooch the park’s winding forest paths and perfectly manicured gardens before hopping through the gate to Mon Repos’ flourishing rose garden. Popular choices include bird liver pâté, creamy seafood bouillabaisse and lamb skewers in herby sauce. We picked from the separate seasonal section to enjoy squash blossom stuffed with tiger prawns and saffron beurre blanc and chanterelles on hasselback potatoes with dried cherry tomato ‘raisins’. The perfect sunny lunch spot that feels worlds away from city life. monrepos.ee
Karjase Sai – for seasonal pastries
Over the years, thanks to entrepreneurs taking a punt, the Kopli neighbourhood in Western Tallinn has transitioned from an area to avoid into a creative hub for independent businesses. A former rubber factory complex is now home to a community garden, ateliers, cafés, book shops and Karjase Sai. This pioneering sourdough bakery is famous for its cardamom knots, black bread, cinnamon monkey bread-style buns and seasonal savoury pastries – on my visit a fresh tomato and herb treat. There’s also an outpost by Balti Jaam Market as well as Café Tempo next door. karjasesai.ee
Pulla Bakery – for Old Town treats
Whether you’re in the mood for savoury focaccia slices or sweet, fluffy sourdough buns pulled straight from the oven, this cosy café makes a great sightseeing pitstop. Pair your treats with locally roasted coffee, laced if you fancy with spiced rum-based Estonian liqueur, Vana Tallinn – I highly recommend trying this local take on an Irish coffee to warm up from the inside out. instagram.com/pullabakery
Balti Jaam Market – for Estonian produce grazing
On the periphery of Tallinn’s Old Town, this impressive indoor-outdoor market may be visited by tourists but is still a thriving hub for locals. I was shown round by local guide Paul Toots (who leads bespoke tours at Food Sightseeing Estonia) to try award-winning black bread from Muhu Pagarid topped with sprats at neighbouring Põhjala Deli, peruse colourful sea buckthrown, blueberries and golden apples and learn about Rukki-Kama roasted flour mix traditionally mixed with kefir to make a hearty drink by farmers. Surfcafe within the market is a great pitstop for well-tuned baristas serving specialty coffee, that can of course be laced with Vana Tallinn, Estonian style. astri.ee
Chocokoo – for craft chocolate
Amongst Telliskivi Creative City’s design shops, cafés and start-ups, this open-production chocolate atelier creates craft bean-to-bar chocolate as well as individual bonbons and truffles. Flavours include sea buckthorn, Nordic lingonberry, rye sourdough and more. You can join truffle making workshops and bean-to-bar tastings or simply enjoy a coffee and treat in the small adjoining café. chocokoo.ee
Røst – for coffee and cinnamon buns
This entry came from our original Tallinn guide by local food writer Katrina Kollegaeva, and I can concur that this was the best cinnamon bun I tried on my visit to Estonia. Kollegaeva says, “Inside Tallinn's recently redeveloped Rotermann Quarter, with its clutch of independent stores and cafés, Røst bakery specialises in two things and does them both extremely well: Scandinavian-style cinnamon and cardamom buns made on site, and great coffee sourced directly from roasters.” rost.ee
Wine Safari Estonia and Secret Wine Garden – for elegant Estonian fruit wine tastings
As well as running Estonia’s northernmost winery, Valgejõe Veinivilla, with his mother, Gregor Alaküla has recently launched his own wine safaris. He will pick you up in a soviet-era yellow Lada, take you to Estonian wineries and/or scenic spots in the city where locals like to picnic, and end at his secret wine garden. Here, beneath the apple trees, you’ll taste a selection from Gregor’s family Estonian winery, from dry Estonian regent grape rosé to delicate lingonberry wine and my favourite sparkling rhubarb. If you’re a Schitt’s Creek fan, there’s no Moira Rose catastrophes here, just elegant options that are stocked in well-established Nordic restaurants. winesafariestonia.ee
Where to stay in Tallinn – Nunne Boutiqe Hotel and Âme Restaurant
Offering a true sense of place, this 74-room boutique hotel is built around one of Tallinn’s ancient limestone walls, set at the foot of historic Toompea Hill. Rooms are therefore quirky in shape, with ‘historical’ rooms showcasing original brickwork and medieval features alongside finishing touches made by Estonian artisans.
On-site restaurant Âme is a cocoon of elegant Nordic design, using Estonia’s bounty of ingredients to create contemporary French-inspired dishes such as goat’s cheese and redcurrant mille-feuille, venison tartare and pikeperch with pickled fennel.
A breakfast buffet showcasing local specialities is also served here, with everything from potato röstis, sprats and rye bread to apple cake, pancakes and raspberry cayenne booster shots.
The basement spa boasts Finnish, aroma and steam saunas, marble-lined massage pool and a relaxation area for a moment of calm between restaurant hopping. nunne.ee
Where to book for an extra night during your Tallinn trip – Maidla Resort and Restaurant SOO
Perched in the wetlands only 45 minutes from Tallinn, this intimate nature resort encourages guests to switch off and soak up the serenity of untouched nature. There are just three villas, each distinct in design and accessible by long board walks. Complete with thatched roof, POKU is designed in the vein of its namesake Estonian fairytale characters, with its own sauna and outdoor plunge pool, while glass and ash structure KÄBI boasts a birch-fringed hot tub, and award-winning KASEKE’s roof doubles up as a multilayered terrace, built into the landscape to ensure not a single birch tree had to be cut down to accommodate. All offer plush furnishings: king-size beds, wood burners and handwoven Estonian throws to keep cosy.
At the resort’s heart is an enchanting 16th-century manor, home to SOO Restaurant. With only five tables per evening, plus a few more on the terrace during summer, every dinner feels deeply personal. Eight-course tasting menus follow the seasons’ natural cycles to showcase ingredients in unexpected combinations: think smoked eel and green strawberries, grilled fallow deer and truffle, fermented redcurrants and chanterelles. Off-cuts provide inspiration for homemade infusions, combined with craft Estonian spirits to create cocktails such as juniper shrub and apple sours.
For those wanting to enjoy the privacy of the villa, attentive ‘house fairies’ bring three-course dinners prepared by SOO head chef Oliver Saaremäel. This might be beef carpaccio followed by pan-finished fish cakes, and fresh fruit and meringue for dessert.
Order your breakfast in advance (sundried tomato and fresh herb omelette, coconut oatmeal porridge or wild berry pancakes) and enjoy accompanied with an array of freshly baked breads, local cheeses, cured fish, seasonal fruit and a smoothie of the day. maidlaresort.com
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All photographs taken by Alex Crossley, apart from the two hotels
Authors
Alex CrossleyDigital Editor
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