Of Tallinn, one does not forget the typical red roofs of its houses, the medieval village atmosphere, the architecture that speaks of its traditions. The capital of Estonia is ancient and serene, calm and brilliant. For all types of tourists and all ages, it is a perfect destination to find what you are looking for from a holiday.
If you are a good eater and a fan of culinary traditions, Tallinn will not disappoint you with its pies, stews and tasty dishes made of potatoes, meat and sauerkraut. Influenced by Russian cuisine more than any other, Estonian cuisine surprises even the most delicate palates. Here are 10 things you absolutely must eat in Tallinn.
1 - Marineeritud angerjas
Marinated eel is one of Tallinn's most popular and typical dishes. It is served cold, often accompanied by mixed salad, but this is a choice of the restaurant offering it, not a real tradition. The flavour is strong, assertive, tasty. It is part of the Estonian culinary tradition, like many other types of fish, after all. The preparation is very similar in all places, the thing that changes is the side dish.
Recommended for: lunch and dinner
Average cost: €9
Main ingredients: eel, oil, spices
2 - Mulgikapsad
Mulgikapsald is a preparation of pork, boiled potatoes and sauerkraut. It can be considered a kind of stew that would be a shame not to try on a trip to the Estonian capital. It is hard to find a restaurant that does not offer this pork recipe.
Recommended for: lunch and dinner
Average cost: €8.00
Main ingredients: pork, sauerkraut, potatoes
3 - Sult
This is still pork, in detail a very tasty boiled stew. It is served with jelly made by boiling the pig's bones and head. A real delicacy that is part of Tallinn's oldest tradition. Recommended if you want to get to know the city's roots through its cuisine.
Recommended for: lunch and dinner
Average cost: €9.00
Main ingredients: pork, jelly, vegetables
4 - Silgusoust
Tasty and typical, silgusoust is a fish from the Baltic Sea cooked and served with crispy bacon and a sweet sauce. Perfect for even the most delicate palates. There may be several versions depending on the restaurant offering it. This dish is one of the most famous and popular with tourists from all over the world.
Recommended for: lunch and dinner
Average cost: €13.00
Main ingredients: fish, spices, vegetables, various sauces
5 - Leib
The typical black bread that can be found in any restaurant precisely because it is part of tradition, of the oldest tradition. Leib is prepared with rye flour, many similar to our cassette bread, but the flavour is stronger. It goes perfectly with all kinds of traditional or modern recipes
Recommended for: always
Average cost: €2
Main ingredients: rye flour
6 - Rossolye
Rossolye is a typical and famous Estonian dish. Precisely, it is herring and beetroot salad in sweet and sour sauce. A strong and refined flavour, perfect for palates that like to experiment with recipes from all over the place.
Recommended for: lunch and dinner
Average cost: €5
Main ingredients: herring, beetroot
7 - Keel Hernestega
Ox tongue seasoned and served with ravano. A strong and distinctive flavour, definitely worth trying. Proposed a little in all restaurants, it deserves at least a taste to understand what it is. By eating it, we eat the true Tallinn tradition. the typical recipe is with horseradish, but it may vary depending on the restaurant offering it.
Recommended for: lunch and dinner
Average cost: €6
Main ingredients: ox tongue, horseradish, vegetables
8 - Salmon
In every sauce and of all kinds, salmon is never missing in Tallinn. It can be found at breakfast, lunch or dinner because it is an indispensable dish in this city. After all, fish is in great demand in every preparation, be it salmon, Baltic fish or herring. In short, you haven't really been to Tallinn if you haven't tasted its seafood specialities at least once.
Recommended for: breakfast, lunch, dinner
Average cost: €5
Main ingredients: salmon
9 - Kissel
A kind of pudding prepared by boiling berries and then blending, sieving and adding cornflour to the desired density. Kissel can be drunk (if left more liquid), eaten by the spoonful or can be used to garnish ice cream, cakes and yogurts.
Recommended for: as a conclusion to a meal
Average cost: €4
Main ingredients: cornflour, berries, sugar
10 - Kringle
Atwisted cake with a crispy exterior and a soft interior thanks to the use of milk in the dough. Featuring a filling of butter, sugar, cinnamon or chocolate, it is one of Estonia's most mouth-watering cakes.
Recommended for: breakfast, as an end to a meal
Average cost: €4
Main ingredients: milk, flour, sugar, cinnamon, chocolate
Where to eat in Tallinn: best restaurants, typical places and street food
Tallinn is a city that knows how to surprise, and this is also evident if you take a look at its gastronomy. Estonian cuisine is a mix of blends from neighbouring Denmark, Germany and Poland and from Russian lands.
A culinary tradition strongly linked to seasonality, with pork and beef, dark rye bread and salted herring as the main elements, prepared in different versions depending on the climate and time of year.
In restaurants it is possible to eat well at reasonable prices and enjoy different flavours for every wallet and palate. Let's look together at some suggestions on where to enjoy the best dishes in this Nordic but incredibly cosy city.
1 - Olde Hansa
Description: a restaurant located in a historic building in the city, evocative and original both in its setting and in the presentation of the dishes.
Speciality: juniper cheese
Average price: from €20.00 per person
Address: Get directions - Facebook page
2 - Leib Resto & Aed
Description: central place with an informal ambience, dedicated to leib, or bread
Speciality: rye bread
Average price: from €20.00 per person
Address: Get directions
3 - Draakon
Description: original restaurant offering medieval meals to be eaten without cutlery and by candlelight
Speciality: soups, traditional dishes
Average price: from €15.00 per person
Address: Get directions - Facebook page
4 - Platz
Description: delicious fish restaurant
Speciality: local herring, prawns, mussels, salmon
Average price: from €25.00 per person
Address: Get directions - Facebook page
5 - Bogapott
Description: a small but romantic place, located in a small courtyard, where you can enjoy both pastries and quick dishes
Speciality: coffee and cakes
Average price: from €8.00 per person
Address: Get directions - Facebook page
