What they’re eating in Tallinn

Tallinn is fast gaining a reputation for its innovative cooking. A new generation of well-travelled chefs is adding international flavours to Estonian cuisine, which traditionally blends Russian, German and Nordic influences. The country’s distinct seasons shape a deeply cyclical menu that centres on locally sourced produce. Fermentation is crucial in preserving food during long winters, while the forests, lakes and waterways fanning out from the Estonian city provide prized ingredients like pike from Lake Peipus, venison, foraged berries and mushrooms, along with trout from the Baltic Sea.

1. Kurze at The Kurze

Housed in three shipping containers by the railyards, The Kurze feels like a rustic cabin, with mismatched furniture and homemade lemonade served in enamel cups. The kurze themselves — ridge-sealed dumplings from the Russian republic of Dagestan — are the stars of the menu. Founder Nuriyan Navruzova, a former journalist who fled her home there during the Second Chechen War, began selling them in 2018. Demand exploded and now her cosy restaurant offers five varieties — lamb, beef, potato, pumpkin and cheese, all coloured with vegetable dyes for a photogenic touch and served with a tomato dip.

2. Chanterelle hummus at Barbarea

Chef Kenneth Karjane leads the kitchen in Barbarea, a repurposed boot factory in the up-and-coming Kopli district. Hummus is always on the menu, but made with seasonal ingredients rather than chickpeas. In warmer months, that means chanterelles from the boundless Estonian forests, blended silky smooth with tahini and spices, topped with roasted mushrooms, dill and black pepper oil. Served with sourdough pitta from the onsite bakery, “it tastes like Estonian summer,” according to Karjane.

3. Reuben sandwich at Sai!

Sai!, Tallinn’s go-to spot for sandwiches, is located in a cellar overlooked by a portrait of former president Lennart Meri. Owner Daanius Aas, winner of the Michelin Young Chef Award in 2023, takes inspiration from the late-night cravings he gets after work. His take on the classic reuben respects the original but features local produce: tender Estonian brisket pastrami, sauerkraut from a local farm and marble rye bread made in a Tallinn bakery. It’s best enjoyed with a side of fried pickles, and is a budget-friendly favourite with students and homesick Americans.

4. Fish soup at Lore Bistroo

In summer, Estonians typically crave two things: sea views and a bowl of fish soup. At Lore Bistroo — in the Noblessner district, where submarines were built in tsarist times — both things are in abundance. It's a surprising rarity in Tallinn, a maritime city with few waterfront dining spots. Chef Janno Leppik’s fish soup is a classic island-style dish, made with fresh trout from the Baltic waters around Saaremaa island, along with cod and garden vegetables, generously sprinkled with the national obsession: dill. It’s light yet comforting, bringing loyal locals from all over town.

5. Cauliflower at Rado

Rado has a refreshingly straightforward chalkboard menu, listing dishes in single words — picanha (beef), tuna, cauliflower — but the flavours are far from simple. Slovakian chef Radoslav Mitro honours his mother’s cooking with the cauliflower offering: a boiled piece of the brasscia, generously coated in parmesan sauce with thyme, then crowned with grated parmesan. It’s so beloved the patrons won’t let Mitro take it off the menu, no matter how many times the rest of the chalkboard changes.

6. Kouign-amann at Sumi

Estonians have always had a soft spot for pastries, and now French bakeries are popping up all over town. The latest darling for the sweet-toothed is Sumi in North Tallinn, where American pastry chef Hannah Holman creates a tempting array of hand-crafted treats. The kouign-amann is a crowd-pleaser, the idea drawn from vintage Breton cookbooks from her grandmother’s generation — a golden pastry made from leftover baguette dough, laminated with butter and sugar in the last two folds. The resulting rich flavours belie the simplicity of the ingredients and it’s a crisp, yet melt-in-your-mouth delight. You might want to learn the Estonian version of ‘one more, please’ in advance: üks veel, palun.