The best restaurants in Tallinn: Michelin Guide and White Guide
03.06.2022
Looking for the best places to eat in Tallinn? If you want a really great dining experience, definitely check out the Michelin Guide as well as the suggestions of the White Guide Nordic.
The Michelin Guide
The most recognised restaurant guide in the world, the Michelin Guide, arrived in Estonia in 2022. The new guide features a total of 31 Estonian restaurants, including the first restaurants awarded with Michelin stars in the Baltic States – Noa Chef’s Hall and Restaurant 180° by Matthias Diether. In addition, the Michelin Green Star guide specifically highlights restaurants committed to sustainable food preparation, and their Bib Gourmand award recognises restaurants that offer fantastic value for money.
Restaurants with Michelin stars
Two restaurants in Tallinn were the first in the Baltic States to be awarded Michelin stars for a fantastic culinary experience and service.
In the stylish NOA Chef’s Hall, priority is given to the best ingredients from around the globe, but local produce has a role to play as well. Chefs Roman Sidorov and Tõnis Siigur have developed a creative seven-course menu that includes exciting and unique dishes full of complementary flavours and textures.
Restaurant 180° by Matthias Diether is the second restaurant that received a Michelin star, and it is located a few kilometres from the city centre in the Port Noblessner area. The restaurant features ambitious dishes, a characteristic of the experienced German head chef Matthias Diether. Restaurant quests can choose between the four-course tasting menu entitled Flavours of 180 Degrees or the six-course tasting menu Matthias’ Inspiration.
Bib Gourmand – restaurants that offer fantastic value for money
Michelin Green Star – promoters of sustainable gastronomy
Restaurants in Tallinn highlighted in the Michelin Guide
Besides the aforementioned restaurants, Michelin inspectors felt that the following fantastic Tallinn restaurants were worth a mention in the guide.
White Guide
The White Guide Nordic culinary guidebook divides the top Baltic and Nordic restaurants into four categories: Global Masters Level, Masters Level, Very Fine Level, and Fine Level. Also, recommended restaurants deserve an extra mention.
The focus of the evaluation is on food (maximum of 40 points) while drink list (maximum of 20 points), service (maximum of 20 points), and milieu (maximum of 20 points) are also taken into consideration. The maximum score is 100 points. Based on the ranking, the jury then divides the top restaurants into different categories.
You can find more information on the 2022 results for Tallinn on the Flavours of Estonia website. Head isu!
Global Masters Level restaurants
The Global Masters Level restaurants in Tallinn must receive a minimum of 80 points in total and at least 36 points of them for food.
Master Level restaurants
The Masters Level restaurants must receive a minimum of 75 points in total and at least 32 points of them for food.
Very Fine Level restaurants
To achieve very fine level, restaurants must receive a minimum of 67 points in total and at least 28 points for food quality.
Fine Level restaurants
A fine level restaurant has received at least 60 points in total during the evaluation with minimum 22 points for food.
Recommended restaurants
Although they don't have a numerical rating, several restaurants have been brought out by White Guide as recommended.
Read more
You can find more information about Estonian cuisine and restaurants in our other thematic articles, the Flavours of Estonia website, and the electronic guides of Savouring Estonia.