Tallinn’s best food districts
Tallinn is an excellent place for food lovers. The city has something for all tastes and price ranges – whether you want to have a Michelin-starred food experience or try the best street food in the city. Great food can be found all over the city. We'll highlight some of the most special places where you can tempt your taste buds.
Tallinn's cafés and restaurants also provide outdoor service during the summer. Every summer, a new street, square or terrace appears in Tallinn that becomes the centre of attraction for the season.
The Old Town – excellent food from every era
Here, you can enjoy rich dishes and delicious drinks made using 15th-century recipes, and even the staff look like they’ve stepped out of a time machine.
Viru Keskus food hall – the largest food hall in Tallinn
Rotermann Quarter – from an industrial centre to a modern city
Tallinn’s actual centre point is the former industrial area Rotermann, which has become one of the city's most prominent oases of modern architecture with a wide range of opportunities for leisure, including cafes and restaurants.
The flavours of the world, from Asian to Mexican cuisine and kosher food to Estonian cuisine, are woven in between modern and historical architecture.
The Stalker Passage on the edge of the former orchard is undoubtedly one of the most exciting parts of the whole quarter and a paradise for food gourmands that fulfils the heart's desires of both meat lovers and vegetarians. In the summer, these places smelling of good food, cardamom bread and coffee bring their products outside, right onto one of the most special streets in Tallinn.
Balti Jaam Market and Depoo food streets and one of a kind Literaat
Balti Jaama Turg is a food market where in addition to shopping for things to take home, food is also offered on-site in case you get hungry. The food street of the market attracts cake lovers, sushi and smoothie fans and has some surprises for wrap enthusiasts.
Right next to the market building, various cafes and traditional food providers have established themselves in ship containers, authentic train wagons with a colourful historical background and even in train repair depots. Hence the name Depoo for this street food area.
Just a little further is one of the most unique food places in Tallinn – Literaat. The cosy restaurant is located in the middle of a bookstore, so you can enjoy both good food and quality literature at the same time. Literaat has become an attractive addition for the Telliskivi Creative City located right next door.
Telliskivi Creative City – a special community centre
The former factory area has become Tallinn's hipster community and culture centre, enjoyed by locals and tourists alike. The rediscovery of Telliskivi began with a restaurant with a strange name, F-hoone (Building F). Back in the day, the factory buildings were referred to by letters instead of addresses and this tradition is still followed in the Creative City.
At present, dozens of food services are offered in Telliskivi Creative City including one food truck, Bueno Gourmet, which introduces the flavours of South and North America. Telliskivi also offers street food for children: La Muu, the first Estonian manufacturer of eco ice cream, prepares and offers its refreshing products here. French, Asian and Nordic cuisines are also represented in Telliskivi.
Telliskivi got a whole new breath of life when the top photography centre with Swedish roots Fotografiska set up here, whose concept includes both food and food education as well. In Fotografiska you can find a café, a bar and a restaurant where cooking is based on the principle of zero-waste, resourceful use of all raw produce.
In the summer, the cafés, bars and restaurants of Telliskivi Creative City spread out to the courtyard of the Creative City, amplifying the pleasant community feeling that prevails in the area.
Port Noblessner – a combination of marine and urban
The gem of the former industrial area Noblessner is undoubtedly the restaurant 180° by Matthias Diether, which just received its second Michelin star. Delicious food, excellent service and a beautiful sea view create an unforgettable restaurant experience.
Equally powerful is the reputation of their other food and drink spots, some right on the huge sun terrace that reaches directly over the sea during summer. Home to cosy restauants bistro Lore and UMA, Noblessner's summer terrace seems to whisper: "If you're not here, you don't exist".
The Põhjala Tap Room, a small brewery just off Noblessner’s central square, is heaven for beer lovers. The restaurant delights its guests with a wide selection of beverages, while the menu focuses on authentic Texan barbecue dishes. In the summer, you can sit on the balcony or in the front yard.
Additional tip! Tallinn also hosts various exciting food events and festivals throughout the year. See the capital's food events in our cultural calendar. You can also find inspiration in our various articles and lists:
