Wining & Dining in Tallinn

• Restaurants typically open at 12:00 and close at 24:00, kitchens close at 23:00.
• Most restaurants accept credit cards.
• The average price for a main course in the restaurant is about 10-15 Euros.
No matter what kind of food and drink your stomach demands or how fat your wallet, you should have no trouble finding what you’re looking for in Tallinn. The city is home to a wide array of dining venues, everything from inexpensive, cosy cafes that serve local fare to exclusive, gourmet restaurants, one of which even made Conde Nast Traveler’s top-100 list. And ethnic cuisine abounds in Tallinn, with choices including Argentinean, Chinese, Georgian, Hungarian, Mexican and, yes, even Medieval food, just to name a few.
Many first-time visitors will naturally want to sample Tallinn’s more home-spun flavours. Though influenced by both German and Russian traditions, Estonian cuisine consists of hearty peasant fare from the countryside and relies heavily on potatoes, pork, chicken and sausage. There are plenty of restaurants that can do justice to these dishes as well as serve them in an appropriate atmosphere, be it a hall resembling a rustic folk-style farmhouse or a 1930s-era salon harking back to the days of the first Estonian Republic.
Any fine Estonian meal is best washed down with a glass of good ale, brewed locally in Estonia. Compared with most European varieties, Estonian beer is light, fairly flat and of medium strength. Estonia’s dark beer is usually a malt lager, but Bock beers and porters are also easy to find. Another local speciality worth mentioning is Vana Tallinn, a dark, thick, bittersweet and potent liquor, which is often mixed with coffee. Some liken it to cough syrup; others swear by it.
Of course a perfect epilogue to a perfect meal involves enjoying a superb vintage in an elegant wine bar or a smoke in a sophisticated cigar lounge, both of which are easy to find in Old Town.

Bars and Pubs:

Tallinn’s bars and pubs are usually open until at least midnight on weeknights, a couple hours later on Friday and Saturday nights. The more popular Old Town pubs will stay open until the last client leaves.
A pint of local brew - Saku Originaal and A. le Coq Premium are the two local favourites - 30 and 45 EEK, equivalent to 2 – 3 EUR.
Bars & pubs in Tallinn

Theme Pubs:

A few of Tallinn’s pubs have a style that’s so unique that they don’t fit into any other category. Try these for something a little different.
• Beer House - Dunkri 5
• Depeche Mode - Nunne 4

Live Music:

Many of the bars and pubs listed above will feature local bands on Friday and Saturday evenings, but the ones in this section are particularly geared towards live performances. It should also be mentioned that Cafe Amigo, listed under Nightclubs, is known for pulling in Estonia’s big-name musical acts.
• Von Krahli Baar - Rataskaevu 10 · www.vonkrahl.ee
• Guitar Safari - Muurivahe 22
• Kolumbus Krisostomus - Viru 24
• Rock Cafe - Tartu mnt 80D · www.rockcafe.ee
• Scotland Yard - Mere pst 6E

Nightclubs

Generally speaking, nightclubs in Tallinn open their doors at 22:00 or 23:00, but they only really get going sometime after midnight. Most people will linger in nearby bars until then. On Fridays and Saturdays clubs stay open until 4:00 or 6:00. Anyone visiting on a Sunday, Monday or Tuesday should keep in mind that most clubs don’t bother operating on those traditionally slow days.
Nightclubs in Tallinn