Many tourists converge on the Town Hall Square after finishing their activities and fan out to the surrounding restaurants. This is a mistake, as you'll most likely be overcharged. Instead, try digging a little deeper to get to the real gems. Trust us, you needn't go far.
The twisting streets of the Old Town hold many culinary delights, from fashionable fringe restaurants to traditional Estonian experiences and world cuisines. Even if you're looking for a quick and simple fix you'll be glad to know Tallinn offers excellent and infinitely healthier alternatives to McDonald's, often at a lower cost.
Rewards are for those who seek them, and Tallinn's size makes seeking shamefully easy. Nothing's ever too far in this small city, so don't be afraid to push to and beyond the old walls in search of that perfect meal.
Boheem
A little local place
Mart Virkus /
Many who visit Tallinn never leave the Old Town, and we can't understand why. Walk out of the ...
Drink Bar & Grill
The beer Mecca of Tallinn
Mart Virkus /
Drink is the beer Mecca of Tallinn. Sorry, is it wrong to say that? Their selection, comprising ...
F-Hoone
Industrial gourmet
Ülane Vilumets /
An inspiring menu and a unique dining experience in an industrial setting - guaranteed ...
Hell Hunt
Legendary good times, since 1993
Mart Virkus /
Hell Hunt claims to be the “first Estonian pub”. We can't affirm or disprove that, but indeed, the ...
Kehrwieder Saiakang
Where coffee meets excellence
Mart Virkus /
Kehrwieder is well known among the locals. They operate several cafes, each ...
Komeet
Top-floor top-pastry
Kalev Külaase /
The place is famous for it's cakes and the view from the top floor, especially from the ...
African Kitchen
Taste another continent
Mart Virkus /
Well, we Estonians also want to have an exotic experience sometimes. This restaurant ...
Alter Ego
Little piece of Spain in Tallinn
Anu Laineste /
Another great place with the right attitude and great food. Alter Ego attracts mainly ...
Anneli Viik Handmade Chocolate
#1 for chocolate lovers
Jaak Ennuste /
Anneli Viik, once an investment banker, chose to do what she truly loved – making chocolate ...
Argo Baar
The best shish kebab in town
Ülane Vilumets /
You should never judge a book by its cover. Until a recent foray into Kadriorg, we were ...
Bocca
Best Italian fine-dining in Tallinn
Jaak Ennuste /
Bocca is a fine-dining Italian restaurant, run by chef de cuisine Nicola Tanda, a native ...
Bogapott
Coffeehouse in a workshop
Mart Virkus /
Look, what's that thing up on the hill? Is it a cafe? Is it a workshop? It's neither, and it's both ...
Bonaparte Cafe
French cuisine & cafe
Mart Virkus /
Started by two (actual!) French chefs, you know you'll be getting the right stuff. It makes sense ...
Cafe Josephine
Chocolaterie a la Paris
Mart Virkus /
Sometimes a chocolate bar, no matter how decorated or tasty, just doesn't cut it. Enter Cafe ...
Cafe Moon
Seaside sophistication
Ülane Vilumets /
Cafe Moon is the perfect place to enjoy an exciting menu, strongly influenced by Russian ...
Cafe Spirit
Hip to be square
Mart Virkus /
It takes a bit of class to fit in with all the cool places around the Rotermann district. Cafe ...
Chicago 1933
An overdue wake for prohibition
Mart Virkus /
Why not celebrate the end of prohibition or "the dry law" in the US by naming a bar in Estonia ...
Chocolaterie Pierre
Chocolatey sin
Kalev Külaase /
I certainly love my chocolate and Pierre is a perfect place to do some shopping and ...
Deja Vu
Red carpet extravaganza
Mart Virkus /
Deja Vu definitely attracts the most gorgeous crowd in Tallinn, and it's no wonder, given its ...
Dominic Wine Restaurant
Low-key, high-class
Ülane Vilumets /
Dominic is another place in the Old Town that has a soul and is constantly improving. Their ...
EAT
Dumpling delights for budget travellers
Mart Virkus /
The mainstay of Eat is the dumplings. There are usually four types available. All you need to ...
Elevant
Indian with an Estonian twist
Ülane Vilumets /
Elevant has been cooking up authentic flavours from around India for decades already ...
Energia Cafe
Back in the USSR
Mart Virkus /
Oh my god - are we still in Soviet Estonia? The only thing that's changed in this cafe in the last ...
Fish & Wine
Good wishes and fish dishes
Ülane Vilumets /
Thankfully, the restaurant itself is more imaginative than its name. Even though the menu ...
Gotsu, Kim's Kitchen
Korean food experience
Liina Puusepp / Gotsu is a loved place among locals for enjoying great Korean food. It's is a little bit away ...
Gourmet Coffee
For real coffee lovers
Mart Virkus /
One word: coffee. Absolutely amazing coffee, from freshly ground beans from all around the ...
Hr Mauruse Pubi
The library pub
James Ramsden /
'Cos it's off the main streets of pubs and it definitely has it's own loyal customers who enjoy ...
III Draakon
Medieval food, medieval prices
Mart Virkus /
Right in the middle of the Old Town you'll find the old gothic Town Hall, the only one of its ...
Kalamaja Pagarikoda
Fresh out of the oven
Ülane Vilumets /
This bakery has the neighbourhoody feeling of Kalamaja. It's the corner bakery people just ...
Kamahouse
From factory to foodery!
Mart Virkus /
It's definitely a trend in Tallinn to make a cafe in an old Soviet factory building that has ...
Karja Kelder
Simple and reasonable
James Ramsden /
One of the first pubs in Estonia, and the very first one I visited when I moved here 7 years ago ...
Kathmandu Hill
A little bit of Asia
Kalev Külaase /
The foods, prepared with care, are reasonably priced. Far from being a suit-and-tie kind of a ...
Klaus
Design paradise from the 60s
Ülane Vilumets /
This cafe is a design paradise from the 60s where the interior changes once in a while just ...
Kohalik
Milieu valuable local cafe
Laura Randmaa /
This little homely cafe has been designed in the previous club house of local ...
Kohvicum
Hidden coffeeshop, crouching poets
Mart Virkus /
Kohvicum is a cafe with a twist. We should say right off the bat that the hot drinks in this ...
Kompott
Estonian grandma's house
Ülane Vilumets /
Sourcing raw produce from small Estonian producers, this little cafe revisits childhood ...
Kompressor
Pancake heaven
Mart Virkus /
Its windows protected by heavy duty metal bars, this place looks less like a restaurant and ...
Koogel Moogel
Live and breathe theatre
Ülane Vilumets /
This cafe in a theatre might also be a magic land, we suspect. They serve food that’s not made by ...
Kukeke
Great food in a Czarist railway depot
Ülane Vilumets /
This place represents everything we love about Tallinn. Located in an old Czarist ...
La Bottega
Best Italian food in Tallinn
Jaak Ennuste /
La Bottega as all about Chef de Cuisine Nicolo Tanda. He is also Chef de Cuisine at the ...
Leib Resto
Simple, but good
Ülane Vilumets /
Leib means bread in Estonian and Estonians have a strong connection to bread. Leib does not ...
Lounge 24
Up in the air
Mart Virkus /
Lounge 24 has arguably the best view in the city. In fact, we're thinking the only reason they ...
Matilda
Your daily cake and coffee
Mart Virkus /
If you find yourself in Tallinn, and in the Old Town in particular, chances are that at some ...
Mekk
Modern Estonian cooking
Ülane Vilumets /
One of the first places in Tallinn to apply the concept of a head chef's table where the menu ...
MoMo pood
Discover Japanese flavors!
Tiiu Leet /
It's small Japanese food store. They have over 200 different products from Japan and they ...
Must Puudel
New age fun with a Soviet feel
Mart Virkus /
A very popular cafe among the locals, Must Puudel started the trend of combining cool ...
Neikid
Discover the undiscovered!
Ülane Vilumets /
In the heart of Tallinn, at the foot of medieval Toompea, you’ll find a place that few tourists ...
NoKu
A magic door on Pikk street
Ülane Vilumets /
Once a closed club for the local art and culture crowd Club NoKu has recently opened its ...
NOP Cafe and Shop
Neighbourhood, Organic, Practical
Ülane Vilumets /
This homely cafe and eco-shop is a popular meeting point for Kadriorg's eco-friendly folk ...
Papa Joe's falafel & hummus
Vegan take away
Laura Randmaa /
This little takeaway kiosk makes 100% vegan kebabs - falafel and hummus. Hand made at the spot ...
Pizza Grande
Legendary pizzas at legendary prices
Mart Virkus /
Pizza Grande lacks the fast food joint attire usually associated with cheaper places and ...
Platz
A bit of Estonian flavour
Ülane Vilumets /
Popular among many business people as a lunch place Platz is one of the few restaurants in ...
Popular & Boheem
Hookah lounge
Mart Virkus /
A favourite of locals since 2003 as the most popular hookah place in Tallinn. In 2012 it ...
Põrgu
For your sins
Ülane Vilumets /
The choice of name ("Hell") is diabolical, as the pub itself is deviously charming. The food is ...
Reval Cafe & Restaurant
A perfect cafe experience
Mart Virkus /
It's a well known brand among locals and there are several locations around the city. The ...
Ribe
Gourmet's delight
Anu Laineste /
This restaurant is the fruit of three people who used to work for restaurants putting ...
Salt restaurant
Cozy neighbourhood restaurant
Ülane Vilumets /
In the middle of charming houses of Kadriorg sits another hidden place that serves ...
Scotland Yard
Stop, in the name of fun
Mart Virkus /
Right on the edge of the Old Town, on the Mere boulevard, you might run into a peculiarly ...
Sesoon
Extraordinary food for budget prices
Ülane Vilumets /
The quality of the food that you get in this café is unheard of for such little money, even ...
Sfäär Restaurant
North by south
Ülane Vilumets /
Italian and Nordic aren't exactly terms that get along well. Yet by some stroke of insane ...
Sinilind
Away from the mainstream
Ülane Vilumets /
A new place inside an old cinema, Sinilind transforms from a cosy restaurant/cafe during ...
Sõõrikukohvik
Donuts, Estonian style
Ülane Vilumets /
There's just something about greasy oven warm donuts. Anyone grown up in Estonia will ...
Square Kebab
Free coffee with your meal!
Mart Virkus /
Tallinn has its share of fast food joints, the biggest and best known of which are far too ...
St. Patrick's (Suur-Karja)
Estonia inside a little of Ireland
Mart Virkus /
Did you know that Tallinn has more Irish pubs per capita than Estonia has cell phones? Ok ...
St. Patrick's (Vana-Posti)
Estonia inside a little of Ireland
Mart Virkus /
Did you know that Tallinn has more Irish pubs per capita than Estonia has cell phones? Ok ...
Sushi Cat
The playful sushi place
Mart Virkus /
If we had to pick three things that we like about Japan, they'd be robots, sushi and those ...
Sushimon
Japanese planet
Ülane Vilumets /
With its roots in Japanese subcultures and anime Sushimon lives and breathes like sort of ...
Texas Honky Tonk & Cantina
Best American food in Tallinn!
James Ramsden /
Texas is kitsch, but in the best sense of the term. No one in Estonia does the hot American ...
Vanaema Juures
Homecooked meal in a homely environment
Mart Virkus /
Grandmothers quite like cooking for their grandchildren. And while it can take some time ...
Vana Villemi Pubi
Real local pub
James Ramsden /
The pub has a nice interior and sports a proper "pubby“ feel. They also have a pretty big ...
Vertigo Gourmet Deli
Seasonal freshness
Ülane Vilumets /
One of the most recognised chefs in Estonia, Imre Kose, has opened an unpretentious little ...
Vesivärava Grill
The best burgers in Tallinn
Tiiu Leet /
All burgers are made with great love, all components are domestic and burgers are fresh ...
Von Krahl
The mecca of all things underground
Mart Virkus /
Not everybody is content with Tallinn's mainstream club scene, and those people have long ...
Von Krahli Aed
The embassy of pure food
Kalev Külaase /
Sometimes vegetarians might feel a bit left out in Tallinn. Estonians, remembering their ...