Hello from Tallinn, the stunning capital city of Estonia. If you've been keeping up with our blogs you'll know how much I have always wanted to visit this city and experience its fairytale style old town for myself. Well I'm glad to let you know that Tallinn wasn't a disappointment in any way - from the sights, to the atmosphere, and especially the food! Everything about this stunning city brought me so much joy, and I cannot wait to share it with you!
Eating Vegan in Tallinn
“[Estonia is] one of the most wired countries on Earth, a global leader in e-government and high-tech start-ups. The entrepreneurial spirit of the Estonian people has been unleashed. And innovations, like Skype, are transforming the world." - Barak Obama
Estonia is a humble but impressive country: from their architecture to their tech innovations, and more... and you'd better believe this stretches to their culinary scene too! Even though Estonian cuisine isn't one of the most world-famous, it's no less fascinating and delicious. And good news for vegetarians and vegans: there's so many places where you can get your fill of local and international dishes in Tallinn! For specific information on where to try Estonian food made plant based, check our our Kartulisalat (Potato Salad) and Munavõi (Egg Butter) blogs. Then read on, and watch the video at the end of this page, for our top three places to eat vegan in Tallinn!
1st: Rohe Kohvik
Kopli 4, 10416 Tallinn, Estonia
First things first: this place was so good that we kept coming back. What seemed like an unassuming vegan cafe turned out to quickly become our favourite place to eat in all of Tallinn, and Rohe's humbleness was one of the many things that we loved about it.
They serve a reasonable sized menu of fully plant-based breakfast and lunch items, all homemade from healthy ingredients that leave you feeling satisfied and energised. The ambiance of the place is great too, with a relaxed environment that you can chill, work, socialise, or even just enjoy a quiet coffee in.
The first time we visited was for lunch: I chose the pesto pasta (€8.70 - approx. £7.54 or $9.14), while Mike went for the Caesar Salad (€8.90 - approx. £7.71 or $9.35). It was these dishes that began our love for this place. My lunch was so much more than just a pesto pasta, with surprising veggies - including fresh and juicy tomatoes, and crispy sprouts and edamame - alongside seeds all enhancing the flavour of their delicious plant-based pesto. Mike's Caesar Salad, meanwhile, was boldly awarded the title of best Caesar Salad he's ever eaten! He fell in love with their homemade vegan Caesar dressing that luxuriously coated those salad leaves, while their plant-based chicken had so much flavour and the perfect texture to complement this dish!
Later in our short visit to Tallinn, we returned to Rohe Kohvik for breakfast. Again, it was a hearty yet healthy affair, with my oatmeal porridge (€5.20 - approx. £4.51 or $5.47) really blowing my mind in terms of the delicious combination of punchy flavours. The thick and warming oatmeal was given a crisp edge with the granola and seeds, while the berries added a touch of sharpness that was made sweet by the jam. The thick hazelnut butter perfectly contrasted with the smooth and fresh bananas, and I was a massive fan of the way the warmth of the porridge made the dark chocolate drops extra melty!
Mike went with something a bit lighter, choosing the smoked sausage croissant (€4.90 - approx. £4.24 or $5.15). There was so much more to this croissant than the name suggests though! The smoky vegan sausage brought a savoury edge to the slightly sweet croissant, while the cheeze sauce, garlic mayo, tomatoes and cucumber made for a tasty and filling breakfast that left him feeling very happy! Honestly, if we had had longer in Tallinn, you bet we would have been back here again!
2nd: Kringel
Koidu 101, Planeedi 5, Kesklinna linnaosa, 10139, Estonia
If you've checked out our vegan Munavõi (Egg Butter) in Tallinn blog, then you'll recognise Kringel for sure! This friendly plant-based cafe, located a short walk outside of the main tourist centre of Tallinn, is absolutely worth visiting for its Estonian delights and international favourites alike.
The cafe itself is super cute, with both indoor and outdoor seating, a really chill ambiance, and even a small children's play area in the corner. Our mouths were practically watering at all the scrumptious sounding things on the menu, and we loved feasting our eyes on the delights that packed their counter.
We were at Kringel for a reason though, so we both devoured their plant-based version of the Estonian classic, munavõi, or egg butter on dark rye bread (€5.40 per slice - approx. £4.68 or $5.68). The dark rye bread was pretty dense, making it super filling, but I loved the seeds! The egg butter itself was made with tofu but still tasted really eggy and delicious, thanks to the black salt and turmeric - and honestly, as someone who used to love things like this, the consistency was perfect. I was really impressed! The butteriness made it extra luxurious and delicious: this dish was extremely yum and one I'd really urge you to try while you're in Tallinn!
3rd: Vegan Restoran V
Rataskaevu 12, 10123 Tallinn, Estonia
By far the fanciest place we ate in Tallinn was Vegan Restoran V. As the name suggests, this restaurant is also completely vegan, and with an innovative menu full of surprising plant-based twists on classic dishes, it is a favourite among tourists too. The restaurant, which is in a cute cottage style building is in the middle of the tourist area of the city.It fills up pretty quick every day, so it's highly recommended that you book a table for your visit!
The restaurant has a small but punchy menu full of different cuisines - we found it really tricky to pick what to have from all of the delicious sounding choices! In the end, Mike went for something a bit more experimental, while I opted for a safer choice! Mike's tofish bowl cost (€12 - approx. £10.40 or $12.62) and provided a whole lot of different textures and flavours! This medley of ingredients on the side included pickled ginger, pickled vegetables, long carrot and cucumber slices, alongside a wakame salad - something that was entirely new to us! The bed of rice was served warm with plenty of subtly-flavoured wasabi mayonnaise underneath. But the main event was clearly the plant-based fish items. The highlight of this dish was the fried tofish, which was battered, with a seaweed wrap providing some of that fishy flavour. The most surprising ingredient was definitely the vegan caviar, which wasn't mentioned on the menu. This was a first for both of us - and while we didn't like it, we're sure that for many of you plant-based seafood lovers out there, it would be a delicious treat!
Of course, I leaned on comfort food and chose their V Burger (€15.50 - approx. £13.43 or $16.30). The burger itself was tasty, but given its whopping size was impossible to eat without disassembling it and using a knife and fork. In fact, I did try to eat this towering burger with my hands, but when I bit into it, sauce spurted out everywhere - so messy! Honestly, this burger tasted really nice though: the patty was very tasty, and the bread bun was soft but gently grilled. I loved the massive wedge of juicy pineapple that contrasted really well with the chipotle mayo, and the enormous lettuce leaf certainly gave this dish an impressive aesthetic touch. The burger was served with chips that were hand cut, fluffy, and salty. This place felt pretty romantic (apart from my sauce explosion!) so definitely a great place to head for a special dinner while you're on your travels.
Where is your favourite place to get plant-based food in Tallinn? Are there any new places or old favourites that we've missed? Leave us a comment to let us know (and others who might be visiting too!)
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Recommendations
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Where should I stay?
Tallinn is a gorgeous city with places to stay to suit all tastes, budgets, and requirements. If you're looking for a popular and well reviewed, but really affordable place to stay, look no further than Viru Backpackers who offer clean and spacious rooms, self-catering facilities, in a great location. Another great place is Draper Startup House, where we stayed while we were in Tallinn. With amenities catering to entrepreneurs and digital nomads, Draper Startup offer private and dorm rooms, as well as plenty of common areas to work and chill.
Tours & Experiences
Though Tallinn is a really walkable city, easy to explore and perfect for a self-guided tour, there are plenty of options if you'd like an organised tour or activity. Some of the most popular Viator tours can be found in the box on the left! If you have a little extra time once you've explored this stunning city, Tallinn is a great hub for exploring a little more of Estonia: this trip to Lahemaa National Park is really popular, conducted within a small group for a quieter, more personal experience.
Please note that the tours displayed on the left are automatically selected for their popularity by Viator, not chosen or recommended by us. Please check whether any food or drink based tours are suitable for your dietary requirements, and any animal-based experiences are ethical, before booking!