TALLInn - In Your Pocket

26 restaurants restaurants 27
Caucasian
Hearty cuisine from Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan
became popular here during Soviet times and continues to
leave its mark on the local culinary scene.
new
Georgian Tavern Tbilisi D-2, Rüütli 18, tel. (+372) 742
28 28. Having opened their first eatery in Tartu and seeing
that people quite enjoyed what they had to offer, they decided
to give Old Town Tallinn a real taste of Georgia as well. The
staff of this family restaurant are very welcoming, as is the
atmosphere. Their kitchen wasn’t quite ready to serve us
when we paid them a visit, but if the food is even half as good
as they say it will be, we suggest you head over there for an
authentic, belly warming experience. Expect freshly prepared
dishes the way they do back home. NB! Set to open at the
end of September, just stroll by to see if they’re open.
QOpen 12:00 - 23:00, Thu, Fri, Sat 12:00 - 01:00. JIW
Must Lammas (Black Sheep) C-3, Sauna 2, tel.
(+372) 644 20 31, restoran@mustlammas.ee, www.
mustlammas.ee. Serving up a chic, gourmet take on
Georgian cuisine - elsewhere a relatively casual affair - Black
Sheep certainly stands out in the herd. Not that anyone’s
complaining. The restaurant’s sharp interior is worthy of a
design catalogue, and the excellent trout with raisins, plums
and estragon we had was far more exciting than anything
you’d find at the average shashlyk (kebab) stand. Rest assured
though that shashlyk and other Georgian favourites are
available here too. QOpen 12:00 - 23:00, Sun 12:00 - 18:00.
(€9.60). TJ6S
Chinese
If you’re a big Chinese food fan, unfortunately, Tallinn is not
one of the better places in the Northern Hemisphere to
indulge in your fix. There are however a couple of ‘decent’
places, sadly, none of them are that centrally located.
China Inn C-3, Viru 9, tel. (+372) 648 45 85, www.
chinainn.ee. Located smack dab in the middle of Viru street,
this 100% Chinese cellar-restaurant has all the makings of a
tourist trap, and has certainly been sliding in that direction
as of late. The food was pretty decent, the last time we ate
here - but some of the dishes are a little on the expensive
side and depending on the time of day, the freshness of
your meal may be questionable. QOpen 11:00 - 23:00.
(€18.80). JS
Golden Dragon B-2/3, Pikk 37, tel. (+372) 631 35 06,
golden.dragon@mail.ee, www.goldendragon.ee. A longtime
favourite among Tallinn’s experienced diners, this little
cellar restaurant’s food quality has suffered mixed reviews
as of late. However, we quite liked it the last time we were
here so we’ll let you be the judge. The portions of spring rolls
continue to be big enough to feed you and 1.3 billion of your
closest friends. Be warned though that the service, while
always friendly, can slow to a crawl when things get busy.
Come by for the economical weekday lunch special. QOpen
12:00 - 23:00. (€9). TJIVS
Kathmandu Hill H-2, Pärnu mnt. 36, tel. (+372) 631
42 12, kathmanduhill@gmail.com, www.kathmanduhill.
ee. Mainly catering to the local lunch crowd, this is a simple,
brick-lined, café-like affair serving mainly Chinese and a bit of
Indian cuisine to those coming in off the busy street outside.
Because the food is fairly decent, it’s developed its share of
regulars. If you want spice, be sure to tell the cook. QOpen
11:00 - 22:30, Sun 12:00 - 22:30. (€9). VSW
Estonian
Estonian Dining Room A-3, Pikk 29 (in Meriton Old
Town Garden Hotel), tel. (+372) 664 88 03, garden@
meritonhotels.com, www.meritonhotels.com/garden_
gastronomy/. Joining the long list of gastronomic possibilities
to be had at the Meriton hotel chain - the Estonian Dining
Room offers its guests the possibility to sample some local
cuisine for a reasonable price. Whether it be blood sausage,
Baltic herring, kama, kali or some interesting porridges - you’ll
find it here. Cosy atmosphere too. QOpen 12:00 - 23:00.
(€10). J6W
Kaerajaan C-2, Raekoja plats 17, tel. (+372) 615
54 00, kaerajaan@kaerajaan.ee, www.kaerajaan.ee.
Named after a popular national folk dance, this is an Estonianthemed
restaurant with a modern twist. It consists of a café
on the main floor and a slightly more formal restaurant in the
top floor. You won’t find any of the traditional, national dishes
on the menu, however you will be pleased to discover many
Estonian ingredients sporting an haute cuisine style. Check
out the upstairs toilet for a truly architectural experience.
QOpen 10:00 - 24:00. (€11.80). JW
Kuldse Notsu Kőrts C-2, Dunkri 8, tel. (+372) 628 65
67, knk@schlossle-hotels.com, www.notsu.ee. Heaven
for pork-lovers, at the ‘Golden Piglet Inn’ the cooks even put
bacon in the bread! This country-style Estonian restaurant
undeniably caters to the tourist crowd, but we really liked
the bright, folk-art motif. The menu is much more interesting
than the heavy food however, offering such dishes as the
‘Estonian sausage feast for two’… get your minds out of the
gutter ladies, or the ever popular ‘crisp pork knuckle with
sauerkraut.’ Despite the carnivorous theme, a selection of
vegetarian dishes is available for those herbivores out there.
QOpen 12:00 - 23:00. (€12.80). JUISW
Leib Resto ja Aed B-3, Uus 31, tel. (+372) 611 90 26/
(+372) 53 49 68 32, info@leibresto.ee, www.leibresto.
ee. Another one of our new favourites, Leib - which means
bread in Estonian, has hit the mark on each of the several occasions
we’ve visited. The service has been stellar, the fresh
and interesting cuisine has certainly pleased the palate and
the atmosphere - is refreshing, for lack of a better term. One
of the owners is always on site and they bend over backwards
to make sure your experience is mention-worthy. Fantastic
home-made bread and prices that won’t leave you broke.
QOpen 12:00 - 23:00. (€11). TJIEW
Liisu Juures C-2, Raekoja plats 13, tel. (+372) 644
19 83, info@liisujuures.com, www.liisujuures.com. Set
in a historic cellar on Town Hall Square, you’ll find authentic
Estonian food presented in a gourmet fashion at Liisu’s Place.
Choices such as ‘pork knuckle for 2’, served with sweet and
sour red cabbage and braised potatoes are on offer as are
‘frisky sausages’ for the kids, all of which can be enjoyed on
the outdoor summer terrace, weather and season permitting.
QOpen 11:00 - 23:00. (€10.25). JIS
Mekk D-2/3, Suur-Karja 17/19, tel. (+372) 680 66
88, info@mekk.ee, www.mekk.ee. For modern Estonian
cuisine done right, make sure to pay a visit to the Savoy
Boutique hotel’s culinary gem that is Mekk. Although the
portions are somewhat dietary, the fare is fresh, prepared
imaginatively and the meals come complete with home-made
artisan bread. The service was pleasantly welcoming, as were
the prices for the overall experience. We highly recommend
the to-die-for desserts, which in our opinion belong under
glass in an art gallery. QOpen 12:00 - 23:00. Closed Sun.
(€12.80). TJ6USW
Ö B-4, Mere pst. 6e, tel. (+372) 661 61 50, restoran@
restoran-o.ee, www.restoran-o.ee. Despite being named
for one of Estonia’s hardest-to-pronounce vowels, Ö is well
worth seeking out. The atmosphere of stylish, charcoalcoloured
furniture, with dove-wing chandeliers overhead add
an artistic touch. The equally fashionable menu, prepared
by one of Estonia’s most decorated chefs, is inventive and
modern with emphasis on the use of local ingredients. Here
you can find mouth-watering moose dishes, home-made reductions
and fresh seasonal fish. QOpen 12:00 - 23:00, Fri,
Sat 12:00 - 24:00, Sun 13:00 - 22:00. (€22.35). JLSW
Vanaema Juures C-2, Rataskaevu 10/12, tel. (+372)
626 90 80, vanaema.juures@mail.ee, vonkrahl.ee/et/
toit/vanaemajuures. True to its name, Grandma’s Place
treats its guests to a warm welcome and a cosy dining room
filled with antiques. Take heart that there’s no sign of the big,
bad wolf here, though wild boar is occasionally on the menu.
Elk roast is a regular feature and the lamb with bleu cheese
comes highly recommended. Reservations are a good idea
for Friday and Saturday evenings. QOpen 12:00 - 22:00, Sun
12:00 - 18:00. (€9.60). TJS
Wirulane B-3, Pikk 41, tel. (+372) 646 43 11, wirulane@hot.ee,
www.wirulane.ee. Kind of a tourist-trap,
as they only open during the warmer months, Wirulane’s
1930s-style décor suggests a nice romantic location to sip
on a glass of wine while enjoying some home-style Estonian
food. This was not the case when we last ate here. The
overpriced and boring dishes left a ‘bad taste’ in our mouths
and the small portions were lack-lustre and overwhelmed by
seemingly, previously frozen vegetables. Stick to the snacks
and a glass of wine if you do decide to dine here. QOpen
11:00 - 23:00. (€13.40). J
Tallinn In Your Pocket tallinn.inyourpocket.com tallinn.inyourpocket.com
October - November 2012