Take me to Tallinn.
If I’m honest, Estonia was never on my travel wish list. It was a place a found interesting and curious, but not somewhere I had ever dreamed of going. When my wonderful friend Kayla relocated from Boston to Tallinn, everything changed. Her stories and photos completely disrupted the grey concrete, post-Soviet city I’d imagined. Naively, I had no idea that Tallinn’s walled Old Town was a UNESCO heritage site beautifully perched on the Baltic Sea. Without question, Estonia suddenly had a spot on my wish list.
When I finally touched down in the Baltics in May 2018, I was immediately charmed. Tallinn is a small city with a big, evolving personality. Estonia’s independence from German and Soviet occupation was restored in 1991, and much like someone in their mid-20s, the city is still settling into this version of itself. In the past decade, Tallinn has become a power-player in the European tech community, which means more and more recent college grads are staying in (or moving to) the city for work. Kayla’s boyfriend and friends, all in their 20s and 30s and many native Estonians, were proud to show me the cool new restaurants and bars surfacing around the city. I suspect you’ll love them too.
Eat.
Before my trip, I’d heard rumors that the Tallinn restaurant scene was impressive for a city its size, just under half a million. I can confirm, the rumors are true. The city seems to be going through a bit of a hospitality renaissance as more and more young people are staying in the city and spinning their energy into modern takes on Estonia tradition. If you’ve been through some of the smaller steel and gain cities of the United States—think Columbus, Richmond, Buffalo, even Minneapolis—you’ll understand what it feels like to be in a place where people are, once again, staying put and looking after their hometown. You can feel that sparkly magic, it’s alive in Tallin as well, and it tastes really, really good.
F-Hoone. A mainstay in the Telleskivi creative city, F-Hoone is that place that’s perfect for almost every occasion. Spend the afternoon with a book and a coffee in one of their window seats, share a snack platter bigger than your face, or get a little boozy before bar hopping around the neighborhood. Map, Website.
Lendav Taldrik. My first meal in Tallin was… Indian food. Wild and unexpected? Yes. Absolutely delicious? Also yes. Truly, this was some of the best Indian food I’ve ever had, filed in the ranks among my favorites in London. The restaurant is in a big airy former factory space and is open for lunch and dinner. Map, Website.
Restoran Ülo. The lunch I had at Ülo was perhaps the best meal I had in Tallinn, and the service is equally incredible. Owned by the same team that runs F-Hoone and a few other gems around the city, I think Ülo might be the most modern of the group. The menu is mostly vegetarian and asian-inspired, but the meat dishes aren’t to be missed. My favorite on the menu, however, is the udon bowl. Spicy, warm, complex—I crave this dish all the time and hate that it’s usually an eight hour flight away from my apartment in Brooklyn. I visited for lunch, and the restaurant was warm and quiet, but not without the background buzz of a team preparing for a busy dinner service. Reservations strongly suggested. Map, Website.
Van Krahli Baar. If you’re looking for a lunch spot in Old Town that doesn’t have pictures of food on the menu boards out front, this is the place. This small bar and cafe is part of a larger complex that’s home to a hostel, small music venue, and more upscale vegetarian restaurant. Healthy veggie dishes, some fresh takes on Estonian classics, and a really delicious wine list. Map, Website.
Drink.
Juniperium. This teensy little gin bar is almost too into itself, but the drinks are so damn good it’s worth a visit. It’s dark, sexy, and holds your hand down a dizzying gin dream. Fun Fact: gin is the preferred spirit of psychopaths. I’d suggest going right when the open for a little apéritif, because it get crowded exceedingly quickly. Map, Website.
Põhjala Brewery and Tap Room. Although brewing for less than a decade, Põhjala has won some major accolades for their stouts and porters, both in Europe and the States. Their tap room, a bit outside of city-center, is a beautifully designed space complete with 24 draught lines, a view of the brewery, the coziest comfort food, and a private sauna you can rent. (Yes, for real, a f*cking sauna. Swoon.) The beers are, as expected, incredible and the team is even more wonderful. They have wine and 0% BAC options if beer isn’t your gig, and you’ll likely meet some dogs roaming around the space. I consider this a must-visit and cannot wait to go back. P.S. The beer flights are an insanely good deal, so drink up. Map, Website.
Pudel. If I could only choose on bar to visit every night in Tallin, this is it. Tucked into the pedestrians-only middle of Telliskivi, it’s a cool-but-not-pretentious bar that’s personality rests in its Scandi style interiors, wood burning stove, killer beer list, and incredible playlist. Map, Website.
Visit.
Balti Jaama Turg. The Balti Jaama Market is a three story, recently remodeled central market that’s truly worth a visit. The main floor has an lovely indoor-outdoor market, tons of tasty food stalls, and a few delicious walk-up bars. In the lower lever you’ll find a standard grocery store, pharmacy, and a few special shops. Up in the top floor, wander around some of the wildest antique stores I’ve ever been in, packed with soviet era relics and some beautiful specialty stores. Bring cash and the translator app on your phone if you want to visit the farmers market stalls. The venders are wonderfully friendly, but many of them are older and don’t speak english. Learn a few words and be patient and you’ll win them over. Map, Website.
Kumu Museum. I love a museum day and rarely travel without making at least one stop at an art gallery. I didn’t know what to expect from the Kumu and I was genuinely so impressed. The building is beautiful, the permanent collection does a brilliant job of covering Estonia’s political and cultural history, and the special exhibitions were thoughtful and unexpected. If you have a rainy or snowy day, hop on the tram and get your little butt to the gallery. The neighboring Vabakujunduslik park is a great spot for a wander or picnic lunch pre- or post-visit. Map, Website.
Telliskivi. If you’re in Tallinn to eat, drink, and get to know the modern side of the city (read: you should be, it’s great), you’ll almost certainly end of making your way to Telliskivi. A modern, creative neighborhood that’s recently moved in to a formerly rundown, industrial part of the city, Telliskivi is full of great restaurants, bars, shops, and new office spaces home to Tallin’s coolest tech, media, and design companies. During the day, the neighborhood is a great place to find lunch and browse the shops with a coffee in hand. At night, it livens up with busy bars open late. Take the tram and give yourself time to explore. Map, Website.
Take note.
Adjust to the culture. To put it frankly, Estonians are known for being a bit… stern. They’ll be the first to tell you that the cultural norm is to be very direct and a bit cold upon first meeting. If you’re used to warm, friendly strangers, you’ll feel the shift straight away. Honestly, it was a bit difficult for me to adjust, I was so certain that everyone hated me. Don’t take it personally and don’t get discouraged if service at a bar or restaurant is slow or unfriendly. Ask for what you need, directly but kindly, and everything will be a-ok. If all else fails, have a couple beers together and you’ll be fast friends in no time.
Learn some language basics. Estonian is a notoriously difficult language—it’s in Uralic language family alongside Finnish and Hungarian. Among Estonia’s young people, English is super common and well practiced, but with older generations it can be difficult to communicate. I found that learning some basics was super helpful when out running errands and hopping around the city. I don’t suspect that many tourists attempt to learn any Estonian, so I often got a rare stranger smile when attempting a simple tere, palun, and aitäh. These sweet Let’s Learn Estonia videos are a good place to start.
Take the tram. Tallin is a relatively compact city, which makes it easy to walk almost everywhere. However, if you’re there during the colder months or want to visit things a bit further outside of the city center, the tram is the way to go. It’s super easy to navigate and runs very regularly. The trams are free for all Tallin residents, so don’t expect to see ticket machines at the stops. I’d suggest getting a refillable Smartcard at the airport or any R-Kiosk shop and loading on some money. When you get on the tram, simply validate your card once onboard.
