Kalamaja & Telliskivi
Cocktails and craft beers, friendly tattooed staff (no doubt responsible for the immaculately tasteful Spotify playlist), a high-ceilinged industrial-chic…
Must-see restaurants in Estonia
Southern Estonia
Showcasing food from the 'Onion Route', this cosy, dimly lit 'tavern', with its antique-shop-meets-junkyard decor, is built around a really competent…
Western Estonia & the Islands
Looking like it was designed by Barbara Cartland on acid (bright pink and a riot of stripes and prints), this fabulous cafe serves an appealing mix of…
City Centre
This fabulous little artisan bakery makes dense, almost fruity Estonian bread, sourdoughs, spiced pastries and other delightful things to accompany its…
Southern Estonia
Causing delicious smells to rise through the attached guesthouse above, this bakery does a delightful range of sweet and savoury baking, and sells…
Old Town
Period-garbed servers labour beneath large plates of game meats in medieval-themed Olde Hansa, once a Hanseatic merchant's house, now the place to indulge…
Western Estonia & the Islands
The name means ‘flounder and sheep’ and the emphasis is on the excellent fish and lamb that Hiiumaa is renowned for, alongside curios such as a Kassari…
Old Town
The glitzy Hotel St Petersbourg is an unlikely setting for a pocket of faux-Estonian rusticity, but this smartly whitewashed 'inn' is a great place to try…
Kalamaja & Telliskivi
Tucked unsuspectingly down an industrial complex alley, this no-frills bakery offers loaves of fresh-baked sourdough, spelt and brioche breads and house…
Old Town
The name of the ground-floor restaurant at the Savoy Boutique Hotel is a contraction of Moodne Eesti Köök (modern Estonian cuisine) – defined here as a…
City Centre
Combining excellent service, a creative menu, stylish decor and magnificent views over most of the city (except, sadly, Old Town), Horisont offers a…
Tartu
Set in the courtyard of Aparaaditehas, Tartu's hipster outpost, Aparaat serves simple and well-executed international fare. Dishes aren't nearly as…
Southern Estonia
From the 1960s to 1980s this was Otepää’s most famous restaurant, but when the Soviet Union went down the gurgler it fell from fashion. The opening of the…
Old Town
The sleek, arch-vaulted dining room, Scandi-styled furniture and moody lighting set the tone for a refined and pricey dinner. Vegetarians are quite well…
Southern Estonia
This cosy restaurant celebrates Sangaste's 'Rye Capital' status with a menu of southern Estonian cuisine featuring the grain prominently. There's…
Western Estonia & the Islands
On the western fringe of Kassari Village, this dark and atmospheric tavern (dating from 1843) offers hefty serves of simple food such as herring with…
Western Estonia & the Islands
More adventurous than many places in Pärnu's Old Town, Lime Lounge offers skilfully executed Southeast Asian cooking (the tom kha gai is creamy and…
Western Estonia & the Islands
This rustic restaurant, occupying a schoolhouse once attached to the photogenic church adjacent, just does old-fashioned Saaremaa cuisine. You'll taste…
Old Town
This sleek restaurant occupies three design-driven floors of a Soviet-era building with porthole-style windows and roughcast walls. There's a lightness of…
Lahemaa National Park
You can dine in the garden or on a balcony, but you’d be missing out on the grand ambience of Vihula Manor’s ballroom, with its original parquet floors…
Old Town
Occupying a corner position on Old Town’s main eating street, with tables spilling outdoors in summer, Ribe serves New Nordic food in a quite formal…
Lahemaa National Park
A popular pit stop for families travelling between Tallinn and Narva, this reconstruction of a fire-damaged tavern from the early 19th century serves…
Old Town
If you've ever had a hankering for braised elk roast, this warm, stone-walled place can sate it. Although it's hardly tethered to tradition, plenty of…
Western Estonia & the Islands
How often can you say you’ve dined inside a 19th-century windmill? Without being too touristy, this place keeps quality and ambience at a premium, with…
Old Town
If the quality of margaritas and guacamole is the barometer for Tex-Mex legitimacy, then call Tallinn the new Lone Star State. These here halls, bedecked…
Western Estonia & the Islands
Technically in Linnumäe, a village blending into the southeastern approach to Kärdla, this restaurant-bar is a cut above the typical roadside joint. Big…
Tartu
Truffe calls itself a cafe, and it's certainly happy to fix you up with a good coffee to brighten up your morning, but with dishes such as beef tenderloin…
Old Town
Intriguing aromas arrest visitors as they ascend the wrought-iron staircase to earth-toned dining rooms where diners linger over some of Tallinn's best…
Old Town
Food like your grandma used to make, if she was a) Estonian; and b) a really good cook. ‘Grandma’s Place’ was one of Tallinn’s most stylish restaurants in…
Western Estonia & the Islands
Paargu means 'summer house' and this slick little pavilion near the tip of the Sõrve Peninsula only kicks off in the warmer months. Grilled fish, freshly…
Southern Estonia
Set within the low-ceilinged, rough-timbered, colourfully draped space of Obinitsa’s Seto community centre, this casual place serves traditional Seto…
Western Estonia & the Islands
With more umlauts in its name than seems reasonable (the name means ‘beside the walls’), this gorgeous cafe is clearly the town’s favourite, if the crowds…
Southern Estonia
Friendly service, big portions, a pool table and upbeat options from the jukebox create a cheerful mood at 'Big Brother', a cosy pub with an undeservedly…
Southern Estonia
This traditional log cabin makes an unbeatable setting for a Seto home-cooked meal. The hearty fare is nothing fancy – cold Seto soup; fried fish; chicken…
Southern Estonia
If you’re hankering for something a little less pubby, a little more cafe-bar, this slick lakeside spot should more than satisfy. It has a pretty terrace,…
Old Town
Ancient wooden beams and stone pillars contrast with a sweeping pine staircase in a high-ceilinged dining room walled with shelves of wine – an…
Tartu
Grilled meat and cocktails is the simple formula pushed by this slick dude-food joint in the heart of town. A few interlopers like ramen and a 'schnitzel'…
Tartu
The restaurant at the Dorpat offers great river views and has a reputable à la carte menu, but it’s the weekday lunch buffet that really shines for value…
Western Estonia & the Islands
Picture windows make the most of the marina views in the bright and airy dining room of Georg Ots Spa Hotel. The food is light, fresh and creative, making…
Western Estonia & the Islands
Despite its low-key feel and tucked-away location (it's attached to a small hotel on a side street near the beach), 'Peppermint' is definitely one of…
