Estonian Christmas food and where to find it in Tallinn

Traditionally, the centre of the feast is a delicious pork roast. In Estonia, the favoured cuts are pork collar and pork loin, which are roasted in the oven and seasoned with salt, pepper, and mustard.

Another absolute must on an Estonian Christmas table is verivorst – a traditional sausage made with pork blood and barley groats. The sausages are cooked in the oven until the skin becomes crispy and is then served with lingonberry jam on the side.

Most Estonians cannot imagine Christmas without hapukapsas – our version of sauerkraut or fermented cabbage that is cooked through and served warm. Usually, sauerkraut in Estonia is not too sour and by adding caraway seeds, the taste is slightly sweet and spicy.

Sült, a traditional jellied pork meat is also often found on the more traditional Christmas tables in Estonia. Usually, pickled pumpkin is served as a side and as for condiments, mustard and horseradish are a must. Of course, every decent feast must include potatoes. They’re served either boiled or baked and make the perfect side to all previously mentioned treats.

As for dessert, No Christmas is complete without gingerbread and many people make a traditional kringel for the festive table.

If you’re in Tallinn for the holiday season and want to try some festive food, many restaurants in Tallinn will have separate menus with special dishes for Christmastime.

Presenting a true fine dining experience, NOA has put together an exquisite 5-course menu for the festive season featuring oysters, scallops, and veal. The luxurious set menu doesn’t have to be pre-ordered but is only served if the entire table orders it.

Tuljak, a stylish fine dining restaurant with gorgeous views towards Tallinn Bay, is also offering a special Christmas menu. Instead of verivorst and sauerkraut, Tuljak is serving duck and salmon along with some more treats in their 5-course set menu. As with Noa, the menu is available only if ordered by everyone at the table.

Paju Villa, a favourite among many locals and visitors, is serving a 4-course menu seasonal menu featuring beef, duck and a gingerbread brûlée. This delicious menu is available to order for the whole table, as with Noa and Tuljak.

Tallinn’s best known medieval restaurant Olde Hansa has created not one, but two special Christmas feasts. The Joyful Christmas Feast includes black pudding and pork whereas the Noble Christmas Feast serves venison and duck.

Mimosa is housed in a quaint wooden house, creating a cosy vibe for the homey restaurant. They are offering a lovely 3-course meal, where the main course is pork – the staple of Estonian Christmas dinners.

Now, if all this meat is really not for you, then two Tallinn’s vegan restaurants have also created special menus for the season. Vegan restaurant V has their own three-course menu featuring a starter, main and dessert, all free of animal products and full of delicious tastes. Restaurant Klorofüll offers a choice between a 3-course and a 5-course meal, both fully plant-based.

In Estonia, the main Christmas dinner is traditionally held on Christmas Eve, which is why many hotels in Tallinn offer a festive evening buffet on the evening of 24 December.

The restaurants in Tallink Spa & Conference Hotel and Tallinn City Hotel are both offering Christmas buffets on 24 December, from 6 pm until 10 pm. Both hotels will also host New Year’s Eve dinners on 31 December from 7.30 pm until midnight. Palace Hotel and Radisson Collection Hotel will also have Christmas Eve dinners from 6 pm until 9 pm.

On 25 December, Original Sokos Hotel Viru will be hosting a Christmas Buffet dinner starting at 6 pm.