A restaurant not to miss in Tallinn is definitely Olde Hansa. It is a medieval restaurant located just behind the old Town Hall, so easy to find. If you notice a cart with some people dressed in a medieval style and selling glazed almonds, then the restaurant is as good as found. The almonds are delicious by the way…

The restaurant – well, it gets six out of five points in every category. The ambiance in the rooms is truly medieval: painted walls, high wooden ceilings, candle light (no electricity in medieval times!), rough clay tableware, an occasional dark monk walking across the room, waiters in delightful bright-coloured tights. If you happen to come with a bigger group for one of the feasts, you are kindly helped to wash your hands before starting the meal and given knives on the house, just in case you forgot yours at home. The service is good plus with an extra attitude and performance you will vividly remember.

The last but not least – the star is the food! Guaranteed out of this time, out of this world experience. Since the food offered is also prepared along medieval recipes, don’t expect to be served potatoes for example! When the food is brought to the table you are kindly explained everything what is on the plate. In this restaurant there is a great choice of meat, in addition to the usual beef, pork and salmon, you can find also wild deer, wild pig and even bear meat. Everything is delicious. If you have any room after the ample meal, try to still find place for the dessert. We have tried a few of them and everything was great.

You will not miss this restaurant driving on the seaside in Viimsi. Viimsi is a peninsular, just east of Tallinn. Count with a 20 minute drive from the center. Driving on the Rohuneeme road admiring the view on the church towers of the old town at the other side of the Tallinn bay your attention is caught by the building in the shape of a huge boat turned upside down. This is Paat, the name meaning “boat” in Estonian.

The location is magnificent, you can really enjoy yourself sitting by the window (or outside) and looking at the sea 30 meters away and the view on the Old Town. The service is nothing memorable, so no especially good or bad experiences.

The food however – well, just go there to have a drink and enjoy the view! And if you absolutely have to eat something, take pancakes with marmalade.

If you are and you happen to be in Tallinn or the vicinity, then head for Kaberneeme. Kaberneeme is a peninsular about 40 minutes drive east of Tallinn. In a tiny 600 years old fisherman’s village you will discover the Kaberneeme hotel and restaurant at the port.

While the village seems asleep one is surprised by the amount of people at the restaurant. It is a lovely place, calm and crowded enough, with a wonderful sea view from all the tables. Plus if the weather allows, there is a lovely outside terrace that just invites. We only had a soup and an entrée and were very happy with what was served.

Try the spicy tomato soup on a cloudy Sunday afternoon. A bit surprisingly the price level at the restaurant is that of Tallinn. But the experience is worth it!

Troika is a Russian restaurant on the Town Hall Square of Tallinn. Being located at a tourist hotspot does influence the character of the place. It was crowded and loud even on a Monday evening, so if you are looking to spend a romantic evening, this is probably not where it will take place. The best thing about this restaurant is probably the interior of the room. Vaulted ceiling of an ancient house, the massive tables, wall paintings, dimmed lights.

Service is quick…too quick for relaxing and enjoying your time. One course chases the other and in about 1 or 1,5 hour everything is over. People leave, tables are cleaned and the next set of guests can arrive. As for food try the blinis. The main course was a big disappointment. If you want to have at least as good or even better Russian food for half the price, drive 180 km south of Tallinn to Tartu and step in to Rasputin. Ah yes, the price level in Troika is that of a normal “touristically” well located restaurant in Tallinn, but the quality price relationship of food is not in balance.

What you get for the money, is the location, if you are ready to pay for that, it is good!

Estonia and Tallinn are great places for the good food lover. There are many places where one can enjoy good food and thanks to the reasonable prices the experience can be repeated often.

But with the exception of the “In your pocket” guides, there are not that many guides that help you to discover all this places, especially for the tourist or the expatriate who doesn’t master the Estonian language.

So my wife Ingrid asked me to set her up a blog where she could write about our experiences. Here it is, Bon appétit!