Tallinn: An overview - Part 11

Tourist places near the Town Hall Square - continued

Olde Hansa is spread over three very creaky old floors. The tables have bits of old candle wax and medieval waitresses can be seen rushing around to serve the guests. It can be quite expensive but the local view is that the food here is quite reasonable, so at least you get something worth eating for the higher cost.

Peppersack which is directly across the street competes in the same price range. It feels marginally more real but there are not huge differences.

A choice of Russian Food will give you a bigger range of places to try. This is because more than a third of the local population is enthusiastically Russian. Consequently, there are plenty of places serving Russian cuisine. If you had to pick just one then Troika is probably the best choice for Russian food. It is right on Town Hall Square and has all the wait staff dressed in folk costumes. They serve €7-11 bliny /pancakes and pelmeni/dumplings, and €11-20 main dishes. You can sit out on the square or in the more casual, Russian village themed tavern; or even underground in the trendy, atmospheric cellar. A balalaika player usually plays and wanders around after 19:00

In the Rotermann Quarter

This modern and up and coming district of the town, it is just across the busy road from Tallinn’s Old Town, is well worth exploring for a look at the cutting edge architecture and hipster trends. It is a complete opposite of the central area’s ‘ye-olde’ atmosphere. As more and more buildings in this zone are being renovated, this is a fast-changing scene. If you want to pick two places to start then begin in a long brick building facing the Old Town. Both of these places are well established and a good starting point.

Sfäär or Sphere has combined an unpretentious bistro with a design shop. It is a killing-two-birds look for the Rotermann Quarter. In this lively and pleasant place, tables are tucked between locally designed clothes and home decor. The menu is bold and affordable, featuring Estonian and international fare with a touch of molecular flair

Retoran Ö which is Swedish for “Island” is just a few doors down in the same building. The dressy, trendy, retrofitted warehouse interior feels a world away from the Old Town’s tourist traps. The cuisine tries to highlight an Estonian approach to “New Nordic” cooking. There are small dishes carefully constructed with seasonal and local ingredients. This may not be to everyone’s taste.

Continued in part 12