TALLInn - In Your Pocket

30 restaurants restaurants 31
International
Bossanova C-2, Kinga 1, tel. (+372) 644 65 05, info@
bossanova.ee, www.bossanova.ee. Apparently everybody
in Tallinn is doing sushi now. Sitting right on Town Hall Square,
this is a dark and swank establishment with several menus
offering everything from pizza to... you guessed it - sushi. An
army of staff buzzes about the place helping diners narrow
their choices between calzones and nigiris. We just hope the
sushi chefs won't be unhealthily inspired by the oversized
aquarium and their pet shark named Eve. QOpen 11:00
- 01:00, Fri, Sat 11:00 - 03:00, Sun 11:00 - 24:00. (€16).
TJXSW
Chicago 1933 C-3, Aia 3, tel. (+372) 627 12 66,
info@chicago.ee, www.chicago.ee. If you're lookin' for
the swankiest Speakeasy in town to take your sweetheart or
just a safe place to meet with some 'associates', you'll find
Chicago provides just that. The classy dames who serve you
won't pry into the nature of your 'business' and they'll bring you
a glass of 'Canadian whiskey' or a 'Sidecar' with a smile. The
menu is a 'brothel', chalk full of juicy meats, mouthwatering
pastas and even a nifty selection for the sweet tooth. In fact,
pretty much the only thing you won't find here is a deep dish
pizza ...but we'll try not to hold that against them. In short, this
joint certainly ain't no gamble. QOpen 12:00 - 24:00, Wed,
Thu 12:00 - 01:00, Fri 12:00 - 03:00, Sat 14:00 - 03:00, Sun
14:00 - 24:00. (€14). JEXSW
Clazz C-2, Vana Turg 2, tel. (+372) 627 90 22, clazz@
clazz.ee, www.clazz.ee. Occupying a prime, Old Town location,
Clazz falls somewhere between trendy restaurant and
a plush lounge bar with live music on most nights. Actually,
the sprawling establishment has plenty of room to be both.
The menu offers a medley of international favourites with an
emphasis on jazzy dishes you'd expect to find only in the ‘Dirty
South'. QOpen 12:00 - 03:00, Mon, Sun 12:00 - 01:00, Fri,
Sat 12:00 - 04:00. (€11). J6UEW
Cru C-3, Viru 8, tel. (+372) 614 00 85, info@crurestoran.
eu, www.crurestoran.eu. Cru offers up just the same quality
and service that you would expect from Ribe and Platz,
who also belong to the same group. The interior is stylish,
the cuisine creative and the staff are at your beck and call.
Portions tend to be a little smaller than we personally would
like, but perhaps the extra calories aren't needed anyway.
We did however compensate for it with one of the excellent
desserts. QOpen 12:00 - 23:00. (€15). JW
Dominic C-3, Vene 10, tel. (+372) 641 04 00, dominic@
restoran.ee, www.restoran.ee. The historic Dominic has
two different faces - an elegant 'black & white' café in the
front and a luxurious restaurant in the back. The café is a
great place to nibble on a slice of cake while enjoying a rich
espresso or to even indulge in one of the light bites on offer.
For a more formal experience, table cloth napkins and all, the
restaurant might just fit the bill - and cost a few too. QOpen
12:00 - 24:00, Sun 12:00 - 21:00. (€13). J6W
Kalle Kusta C-3, Viru 21, tel. (+372) 644 95 27, info@
kallekusta.ee, www.kallekusta.ee. One of the oldest
'tourist traps' in all of Tallinn, somehow we missed listing
them. But if we must be honest, they haven't really been
missed too badly. The quality of the food is on par with most
older pubs around town, but the price for food ratio is a little
skewed with the 'don't-pay-much-attention-to-the-price tourist'
in mind. Not that it was awful, just mediocre and pricey for
what we got. The cellar atmosphere was also a little lacking
and left us feeling - what's the opposite of cosy? Beware of
the sketchy character standing outside trying to tempt you
into dining here. QOpen 10:00 - 23:00. (€10). J6SW
Karl Friedrich C-2, Raekoja plats 5, tel. (+372) 627
24 13. This restaurant overlooking Raekoja Plats serves
up all manner of roated meats in its nicely carpeted, woodpanelled,
second floor dining room. The food here is rather
decent, though the prices seem to have the free-spending
tourist in mind. During the warmer months you'll find a scaled
down menu out on the terrace. QOpen 12:00 - 24:00.
(€16.60). TJI
Kuninga C-2, Kuninga 3, tel. (+372) 646 60 08, info@
kuninga.ee, www.kuninga.ee. This 'kingly' café slash
restaurant appears to fill both needs quite nicely. The interior
is a nice blend of antique and contemporary and the cuisine
was also delightfully prepared - portion-wise perhaps more
fitting for a supermodel than a hungry man though - desserts
looked quite tempting though. Unfortunately they think a little
too highly of themselves and it reflects both in the level of
food and service. QOpen 12:00 - 23.00, Sun 12:00 - 21:00.
(€18). TJLSW
Magic Restaurant & Club C-3, Väike-Karja 1, tel.
(+372) 646 45 88, info@magic-club.eu, www.magicclub.eu.
The only thing 'magic' about this tourist-trap on
Väike-Karja is that it magically turns from eatery during the
day, to a strip-club at night. The food was pub-like and edible,
but some of the 'ladies' we saw sitting in the window on a
Saturday night didn't seem so appetising. QOpen 11:00 -
05:00. JS
Mannerheim B-4, Mere pst. 8A, tel. (+372) 661 89 20,
info@mannerheim.ee, www.mannerheim.ee. Although
technically an international-style restaurant, Mannerheim,
which takes its name from the famous baron and onetime
Hungarian
Kapten Tenkeš E-2, Pärnu mnt. 30, tel. (+372)
644 56 30, restoran@kaptentenkes.ee, www.kaptentenkes.ee.
An old-time Tallinn favourite, this friendly,
little restaurant sports wooden tables, garlic wreaths and
lots of strange, little doilies, all shining a nostalgic light
on the land of Estonia’s Finno-Ugric cousins. The focus
here is on tasty Hungarian favorites, prepared with your
pocket-book in mind. We quite liked the pork snitzel.
QOpen 12:00 - 23:00, Sun 13:00 - 22:00. (€9). TSW
president of Finland, certainly has a lot of Estonian inspiration
when it comes to cuisine. Under the watchful eyes of
celebrated chef de cuisine Rudolf Visnapuu, timeless classics
are transformed or recreated using only the best local ingredients,
whenever available of course. Considering the quality,
the prices are also quite reasonable. QOpen 12:00 - 24:00,
Sun 12:00 - 22:00. (€13). TJ
Mix Fusion B-2, Pikk 33, tel. (+372) 621 77 00,
maksim@mixrestoran.ee, www.mixrestoran.ee. This
café, slash lounge, slash restaurant... is indeed a fusion of
a few different ideas and as multiple-personality as it is, it
seems to cater to whatever it is that anyone might be looking
for be it a coffee and dessert, a full meal, a Stoli cocktail etc.
We're still not sure just what kind of marks to give it but overall
the experience was pleasant enough. QOpen 12:00 - 23:00.
(€9.50). J6USW
Old Estonia C-2, Raekoja plats 8, tel. (+372) 641 21
83, info@oldestonia.ee, www.oldestonia.ee. Taking full
advantage of its prime Raekoja Plats position with a ceiling to
floor glass front, Old Estonia is perfect for dedicated people
watchers. The simple stylish menu is complimented by an
extensive wine list compiled from wine regions across the
globe. QOpen 10:00 - 23:00. (€16). TJS
Reval Café's Restaurant D-2, Müürivahe 14, tel.
(+372) 641 81 00, reval@revalcafe.ee, www.revalcafe.
ee. Attached to a café of the same name, this is the first fullfledged
restaurant in the popular Reval chain and we have
to admit it's certainly worth a try. The interior is cosy with
an old-worldly feel, and the menu is dominated by a large
selection of rich pastas and a variety of fillets. Our duck was
succulent, however our rosemary potatoes didn't seem to
have much to do with rosemary, perhaps they were prepared
by a woman with the same name and oddly enough, they
cost extra. QOpen 12:00 - 24:00. (€11). TJLXSW
Rumours Restaurant & Lifestyle C-4, Vana-Viru
13/ Aia 4, tel. (+372) 644 10 00/(+372) 55 53 23
02, mibs@mibs.ee, www.rumours.ee. Psssst... have
you heard the rumour? Not only is this a restaurant, it's
also a lifestyle. Eatery by day and lounge by night, Rumours
certainly is trendy and, at least the last time we stopped
by, filled with apparently beautiful people. The food was
quite nicely prepared as well, however, as often happens
with these kind of establishments - we did leave kind of
hungry and lighter in the wallet. QOpen 12:00 - 23:00, Fri,
Sat 12:00 - 03:00. (€15). JIESW
Scandic Palace Restaurant E-2, Palace Hotel, Vabaduse
väljak 3, tel. (+372) 640 73 00, palace@scandichotels.com,
www.scandichotels.com. The airiness and frenetic
lunchtime activity makes the Palace Hotel's restaurant feel like
a busy train-station café at times, but if you happen to be in
the area it's worth stopping by for a bite. The small selection of
heavily Italian influenced mains (pastas, Caesar salad) is filled
out by other items such as burgers and grilled dishes. Stay near
the back if you want it quiet. QOpen 12:00 - 22:00, Fri, Sat
12:00 - 23:00. Closed Sun. (€14.50). TJW
Senso H-3, Liivalaia 33, tel. (+372) 631 58 70, senso@
radissonblu.com, www.restoransenso.ee. With loads
more character and cutting-edge décor than your typical
hotel restaurant, Senso pulls in a good number of business
people and other civilians from around town. The huge range
of cuisine on offer includes sandwiches, burgers, pastas,
pizzas and grilled items, all served with a professional (but
not over-starched) manner. QOpen 12:00 - 23:00, Fri, Sat
12:00 - 23:30. (€13). TULSW
— Nordic cuisine and wine bar
Mere pst 6E Tallinn
Phone (372) 56 992 200
www.sfaar.ee
Sfäär C-4, Mere pst. 6e, tel. (+372) 56 99 22 00,
resto@sfaar.ee, www.sfaar.ee. In terms of décor, this
eatery/fashion and wine shop is kind of a cross between
an old Soviet-era cafeteria and a stylishly retro second living
room. The 'New Estonian' cuisine with Italian leanings and
the artisan breads certainly had us impressed, as did the
complimentary (before 4pm) cucumber and citrus infused
pitchers of water. We've already been back for seconds.
QOpen 11:30 - 22:00, Thu, Fri, Sat 11:30 - 24:00. (€8.30).
TLW
Vana Toomas C-2, Raekoja plats 10, tel. (+372) 631
42 27, reserve@vanatoomas.ee, www.vanatoomas.
ee. Named after the famous Town Hall weather vane that
can actually be seen from some of the tables here, this
international-style restaurant/café offers fresh baked goods,
pizzas, salads and other hearty but healthy dishes. While
nothing fancy, the food is quite decent and they even present
respectable and inexpensive breakfast options from
08:30 - 11:30 every day. We dare you to try the chocolate
cake, you may or may not regret it. QOpen 08:30 - 24:00.
(€14). JS
Von Krahli Aed C-2, Rataskaevu 8, tel. (+372) 626
90 88, aed@vonkrahl.ee, www.vonkrahl.ee/toit/
restoranaed. The 'Garden' is a highly chic establishment
with plenty of opportunity to lounge while enjoying a fresh
meal or light snack. The emphasis here is on healthier
choices and you can choose from mains that involve
spelt, hemp seeds and other intriguing additions. They
even mark items on the menu that contain gluten, eggs
and lactose. We thought the duck fillet cooked at a low
temperature with roasted vegetables and Põltsamaa wine
sauce seemed rather interesting. QOpen 12:00 - 24:00,
Sun 12:00 - 18:00. (€6). J
Tallinn In Your Pocket tallinn.inyourpocket.com tallinn.inyourpocket.com
October - November 2012