11 PLACES TO EAT DELICIOUS VEGETARIAN FOOD IN TALLINN

Tallinn, may not be the first palace you think of being at the top of a vegetarian or vegan diet but you may be pleasantly surprised to see that infact, as well as stand alone vegetarian and plant based restaurants there are plenty of regular restaurants that accommodate vegetarian food in Tallinn to a very high standard. Just as we discovered in it’s neighbouring Baltic capitals food scene, Riga. We’re not just talking the one or two token dishes but, a well thought out and balanced, with alternatives, celebrating the vegetable. Read on as we share our deep dive of casual, street food and fine dining restaurants, cafes, coffee culture as well as bars that serve delicious vegetarian food in Tallinn, in this fairytale like capital of Estonia with so much to do and see.

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Map Featuring Places to Eat Vegetarian Food in Tallinn

How to use the map – this Google map features the location of restaurants, cafes, coffee shops and bars featured in this vegetarian food guide (click on the menu to reveal the legend), The map also accompanies our Tallinn guide article.

Vegetarian Food in Tallinn

For full transparency, before we share recommendations this guide not only features dedicated places to enjoy Vegetarian food in Tallinn but also restaurants that are not exclusively vegetarian or vegan but have wonderful options for non meat protein eaters. By this we mean they have not just one token dish but some well thought out dishes in comparison to their meat dishes.

Vegetarian Friendly Restaurants

Restorans Pegasus

Style: Modern European cuisine

Serving contemporary cuisine in just as sleek surroundings, Pegasus is said to be one of Tallinn’s finest restaurants. It is located on one of the main streets on a pretty square in the old town with outdoor seating on the cobblestones and a further three levels of seating inside. It was located a ten minute walk from our hotel, Schlössle Hotel, a beautiful Luxury abode in Tallinn.

We were seated on the first floor with a lovely romantic table, as our waiter, Sebastian put it. The restaurant is actually housed in a refurbished, writers apartment block! The food is truly sublime and it feels super hip and cool inside, filled with young professionals and the older crowd who are dressed like they lived close by in the old town of Tallinn.

L-R: The house bread made with beer, pumpkin seeds and hemp seeds and Starters: Marinated beetroot cuts with vegan cheese, grapefruit mayonnaise, dried kale, pine nuts and pumpkin seed oil. Burrata with fermented tomato and basil pesto.

L-R: Tallinn: Mains: slow cooked eggplant with peanut cream, smokey tomato foam, herb pesto, spinach and marinated shimeji and Dessert: Blackcurrant flavoured semolina cream with mint milk, pickled wild blueberries, cardamom and mint meringue. A traditional Latvian dish eaten during the cold war.

Be-lavie Recommendations: The menu at Pegasus Restorans changes seasonally and during our visit, we loved the Espresso Martinis, the beetroot cuts with vegan cheese and the slow cooked aubergine was really tasty with a beautiful flavoursome sauce.

Our Honest Opinion: We really liked the atmosphere at Pegasus and the service was excellent. It does feel a little fancy but with quite affordable prices and is the perfect spot for a date night meal.

The Details

• Location: Harju tn 1, 10146 Tallinn, Estonia I Find it Here: Map Location I Details: Menu.
• Opening Hours: Mon-Thurs 12:00-23:00, Fri – Saturday 12:00-02:00, Sun 13:00-22:00.
• Reservations: Preferred.
• Price Range: €€.

Restorans Noa

Style: One Michelin Star (Noa Chefs Hall) & Bib Gourmand (Noa Restorans). Creative local Estonian cuisine.

When it comes to fine dining, nothing comes closer than Noa Restorans and Noa Chef’s Hall. The restaurant overlooks the Bay of Tallinn and is the epitome of Estonian cuisine. The restaurant has two arms, Noa Restorans which has a Michelin Bib Gourmand and Noa Chef’s Hall which has a one Michelin Star. They offers outdoor drinking and casual dining and the third level to the side elevation, is known as Noa Chefs Hall where a mind blowing taster menu is served daily.

The decor is modern with Baltic under tones. with leather seating and fur blankets and rugs as well as huge floor to ceiling windows that let in lots of light creating a lovely dim light once the sun sets on the outside water.

We had read lots of positive things about Noa Chefs Hall before visiting Tallinn, hence we made reservations well in advance of our visit so we would not miss out on an opportunity to dine here. We’d originally opted for a quiet table inside the Noa Chefs Hall area but when we arrived, we were asked if we’d like to sit at the Chef’s table, to which of course we replied yes please!

Rhubarb and brown butter

The experience was incredible and to be able to see the chefs putting our vegetarian menu together from the general tasting menu of the evening was such a wonderful experience. Watching the team of chefs and the camaraderie between them all really was a lovely way to eat the most inspiring food and be entertained! Read about our full evening at the Chef’s Table experience at Noa Chef’s Hall if you love fine dining, this has to be included in your visit to Tallinn.

Grilled leeks stuffed with truffle oil, buttermilk, black truffle, spinach with a slight dusting of breadcrumbs.

Be-lavie Recommendations: The taster menu at Restorans Noa changes frequently and depends very much on seasonality and foraging but the grilled leeks stuffed with truffle oil, buttermilk, black truffle, spinach with a slight dusting of breadcrumbs were a knockout. This is simple food elevated!

Our Honest Opinion: We are huge fans of fine dining and Restorans Noa (Noa Chefs Hall) really is creativity at its finest. With a stunning location right on a beach and service like no other, this could be one of Estonia’s best restaurants in our opinion.

The Details

• Location: Ranna tee 3, 12112 Tallinn, Estonia I Find it Here: Map Location I Details: Menu.
• Opening Hours: Mon-Sun 12:00-23:00.
• Reservations: Essential.
• Price Range: €€€.

Peatus

Style: Cool, casual dining in an old train carriage. Burgers, beers and loaded fries.

We actually saw Peatus being advertised on the Visit Tallinn website when we were researching our trip and loved the quirky vibe. Peatus has made good use of a former railway carriage on a disused railway track in the Kalamaja district. The former Moscow, Tallinn passenger train carriage is now home to Peatus, a café, bar and nightclub which serves a variety of snack style good quality fast food and surprisingly have some good options of vegetarian food in Tallinn. Think burgers, salads, loaded fries as well as desserts like mango and passionfruit cheesecake or vanilla creme brulee to mention a couple.

Inside the carriage, there are cosy tables and cute curtains dressing the windows. There is a serving counter at the front where guests can place their orders and take a seat in the refurbished carriage or sit in the booth seating right outside. We opted for the latter on a sunny Sunday afternoon.

Local beer, Aperol Spritz, fake burger, loaded fries.

Be-lavie Recommendations: We really enjoyed the casual nature of this place and opted for the loaded fries with cheese and jalapeños, which were a winner together with a local beer or Aperol Spritz.

Our Honest Opinion: We love the casual nature of this spot with a cool vibe and the staff are really friendly and helped with choosing vegetarian options.

The Details

• Location: Reisijate tn, 10412 Tallinn, Estonia I Find it Here: Map Location I Details: Menu.
• Opening Hours: Sun-Thurs 11:00-00:00, Fri-Sat 11:00-03:00.
• Reservations: No reservations.
• Price Range: €.

F-Hoone

By far one of our favourite lunch hang outs, F-Hoone is known as a popular spot in Tallinn and gets very busy! Again it’s located in Kalamaja and used to be a factory hence the interiors are quite rough and ragged around the edges. However, it is super cool and attracts a fun crowd. Think posters, exposed brick work, chilled vibes and great music. It still manages to retain a cosy vibe with fancy 60s style lighting.

We went at the weekend, however ensure you do book otherwise you will not get a table. When I said it’s popular, I really meant it and we were so glad we’d made a reservation prior to our trip.

We kept our lunch pretty casual with an apple and rhubarb lemonade refreshment wise. We also picked the vegan Furberger which is a dark bread burger with vegan kebab made from Seiten, beetroot hummus, parsley and chilli pepper aioli tomato and red onions served with a side of fries. Generally not fans of Seitan or meat alternatives (we prefer having the vegetables) the burgers were really tasty and had a great flavour.

L-R vegan Furberger which is a dark bread burger with beetroot hummus, parsley and chilli pepper aioli tomato and red onions and a side of fries.

Be-lavie Recommendations: The apple and rhubarb lemonade, vegan Furberger which is a dark bread burger with vegan kebab made from Seiten, beetroot hummus, parsley and chilli pepper aioli tomato and red onions served with a side of fries. The freshly brewed coffee at F-Hoone is also great.

Our Honest Opinion: The food and atmosphere here is great, but the service was a little unfriendly to start with but that may have been due to how quickly it became busy. The vegetarian food options are pretty good and there is seating outside and inside. The interiors are shabby with open brick work and high ceilings which gives the property a lovley character feel in keeping with the whole kalamaja neighbourhood.

The Details

• Location: Telliskivi tn 60a, 10412 Tallinn, Estonia I Find it Here: Map Location I Details: Menu.
• Opening Hours: Mon-Sat 10:00-00:00 Sun 10:00-22:00.
• Reservations: Essentials, especially at weekends.
• Price Range: €.

Coffee Culture

Kohvik Maiasmokk

Style: historic cafe in grand building.

Maiasmokk is the oldest coffee shop in the whole of Estonia, the interiors of the building dates back to 1864, however the shop is now run by Kalev, who also happen to make exquisite Estonian chocolate. We saw lots about this place online and were particularly interested in the historic interiors and the place being used as a cafe since 1864.

We were lucky to bag a seat on the ground floor next to the miniature ferris wheel in the window where the baskets are swapped for cups and saucers.

Don’t miss checking out the Marzipan museum in the next room or climb the beautiful grand staircase in the middle of the building to arrive at the more formal restaurant and dining experience.

L-R Lattes and traditional pastries (we forgot to note the names but they were delicious.

Be-lavie Recommendations: We opted to coffees and some delicious pastries but would also recommend the restaurant as it did look beautiful – we just ran out of time during our visit.

Our Honest Opinion : We loved the atmosphere and old world vibes in the cafe and really enjoyed the pastries. At certain times of the day, and also due to the nature of the cafe being right in the old town, it can be quite touristy and busy. We’re glad we tried it but seriously there are lots of coffee shops in Tallinn away from the bustle of the old town too.

The Details

• Location: Pikk tn 16, 10123 Tallinn, Estonia I Find it Here: Map Location I Details: Menu.
• Opening Hours: Mon-Sun 09:00-21:00.
• Reservations: No Reservations for the cafe.
• Price Range: €/€€.

NOP Cafe & Shop

Style: Casual cafe and shop.

NOP is one of our favourite casual cake spots and is located in Kadriorg, close to the very beautiful Kadriorg Palace. It’s a short walk from the Old Town and worth popping into if you need some refuelling whilst in the area! The café occupies one part of the building and the other half is a cute little deli as well as a lovely little courtyard to sit out in the summer months! The shop is a small grocery store which sells limited produce that is however of very good quality and sourced locally.

For a quick snack, we’d recommend the freshly squeezed orange juice and a slice of the lime cheesecake!

Lime cheesecake and freshly squeezed orange juice.

Be-lavie Recommendation: Lime cheesecake and their freshly squeezed orange juice. We can’t comment on any of the other dishes and how they fair with the vegetarian food in Tallinn, we’ve had but we have heard that the savoury dishes are good. We would suggest go and find out for yourself but the cheese cake is fab!

Our Honest opinion: A cute little hangout and good to get out of the city. If you’re in the area then it’s worth a visit but you don’t necessary need to come this way if you’re concentrating your time in the old town.

The Details

• Location: J. Köleri tn 1, 10150 Tallinn, Estonia I Find it Here: Map Location I Details: Menu.
• Opening Hours: Mon-Fri 08:00-22:00, Fri-Sat 09:00-21:00.
• Reservations: No Reservations required.
• Price Range: €/€€.

Frenchy Bistro

Style: Quirky French Bistro

Frenchy is a lovely cute yet quirky artsy bistro is well placed in Telliskivi or what is known as the Creative Hub of Tallinn. It’s housed in a bright orange building in the super trendy Kalamaja district. Inside the décor is super funky with modern light fittings, bicycle displays creating a cool but casual environment.

Paris Brest with cream and coffees.

The walls are decorated with fun sketches and there is, what we can only describe as a Jean-Paul Gautier like mural on the wall at one of the seats, next to a vase of flowers on the wall. As the name suggest, expect a menu full of French bistro food such as crepes, other savouries and a great selection of patisserie items.

Be-lavie Recommendations: They serve up traditional dishes such as Croque Monsieurs but we were there for the cappuccino and the Brest. Traditionally from Paris, just to clarify a Brest is choux pastry ring filled with a sweet praline cream! Absolutely delicious.

Our Honest opinion: We really liked the atmosphere at Frenchy Bistro and the staff were really friendly in suggesting vegetarian options. We were also impressed with the variety of vegetarian dishes on the menu too. It’s pretty quirky and laid back here.

The Details

• Location: Telliskivi tn 60a, 10412 Tallinn, Estonia I Find it Here: Map Location I Details: Menu.
• Opening Hours: Sun-Thurs 12:00-23:00, Fri-Sat 12:00-02:00.
• Reservations: Not required.
• Price Range: €€.

Pierre Chocolaterie

Style: Boho – style chocolate and coffee cafe.

First opened in 2003, Pierre Chocolaterie is hidden in the master craftsmen’s courtyard on Vene Street, It is such a Bohemian cafe of 1920s style serving chocolates, choc cakes and sundaes, and a big variety of teas. There’s plenty of outdoor seating in a courtyard and eclectic indoor seating with vintage seating and eclectic artefacts, such as shoes hanging on the walls, a piano, velvet curtain tablecloths and vases filled with foliage to mention a few.

Tucked away in the cobblestone lined Masters’ Quarters, it’s a small and cosy hideaway with outdoor seating. We refuelled in between sight seeing. They do some fantastic Estonian apple pie.

Milkshakes and cheese pastries.

Be-lavie Recommendations: Ona. warm day we’d suggest the flavoured milkshakes and savoury cheese pastries, which are perfect to refuel inbetween a busy day of sightseeing.

Our honest opinion: This place isn’t for everyone due to its very eclectic vibe but the food is great and the staff are super friendly and helpful with chooseing what to have. They have a numner of vegetarian and vegan sweet and savoury options.

The Details

• Location: Vene tn 6, 10123 Tallinn, Estonia I Find it Here: Map Location I Details: Menu.
• Opening Hours: Sun-Thurs 10:00-21:00, Fri-Sat 10:00-22:00.
• Reservations: Reservations not taken.
• Price Range: €€.

Bars

Frank Underground

Style: Cool late night cocktail bar under Restorans Frank.

Part of the Frank Bistro as the name suggests, the cocktail bar portion is located in the basement and wow does it do some of the best cocktails we had in Tallinn. It’s a pretty small bar with few tables but the bar tenders make the best Espresso Martinis we had in the city and the music is chilled, it’s a great atmosphere with people chatting through the music. Although located in the old town we never saw any tourists here and it felt very much a like a little secret spot for the locals to hide out in!

Bar & Espresso Martini.

Our bartender from Athens knocked up the perfect Pisco Sour and an Espresso Martini! It’s a cosy environment with low lighting, leather seating and gold accents and of course the cocktails and the bar lit up with stunning bottles are the stars of the show!

Be-lavie Recommendations: It has to be a Pisco Sour and Espresso Martini of course!

Our honest Opinion: The best cocktails we’d had in Tallinn, very friendly bar staff and the fact it felt very local, like a secret basement hideout!

The Details

• Location: Sauna tn 2, 10140 Tallinn, Estonia I Find it Here: Map Location I Details: Menu (Dinner only).
• Opening Hours: Thurs 18:00-02:00, Fri – Sat 06:00-03:00, Sun 06:00-00:00.
• Reservations: Reservations not taken for bar.
• Price Range: €€.

Pan Y Vino

Style: Small outdoor bar serving light bites and wines.

Nestled in the Old Town and managed by a lovely Peruvian guy named Tony, Pan Y Vino is a cute little bar and is a great place to sit outside and watch the world go by. It’s located on one of the quieter streets near the St Olaf’s Church, it’s pretty relaxing and Tony is very hospitable. When we heard Tony was from Peru, we had to ask for a Pisco Sour, even though it wasn’t on the menu and it was a pretty good one at that! Good place to try one of the many Estonian local beers too! If you fancy a quick snack or desserts, they do small plates such as salami and cheese boards and salads including a nice caprese.

Be-lavie Recommendation: Try one of the local beers, opt for an orange wine or maybe ask for a cocktail off menu. We didn’t try the food as we loved this spot for pre dinner drinks but we did see others having the Caprese Salad which did look pretty delicious!

Our honest opinion: Pan y Vino is a really lovely local, casual bar and a great place to just sit and relax outside on the terrace. We met a lot of locals here, it’s priced well and is locaed on a cobbled stone street with views of St Olaf’s Church. They also have indoor seating for the cooler months.

The Details

• Location: Pikk tn 34, 10123 Tallinn, Estonia I Find it Here: Map Location I Details: Menu.
• Opening Hours: Tues-Sat 15:00-00:00.
• Reservations: Reservations not taken.
• Price Range: €€.

Flamm

Style: Wine bar that offers limited small plates.

Flamm is a casual dining place that offers pizza like Flammkuchen (a.k.a. tarte flambée) from the Alsace and is cooked in a hot fired oven. These are served best with one of the many fabulous wines on offer in this basement, stoned wall interior. Fantastic place for an evening snack to go with some good quality wine or you have the option of partaking in Flamm’s lunchtime specials, which we unfortunately didn’t get a chance to try on our visit as we ran out of time.

Be-lavie Recommendations: We’d definitely recommend the freshly made Flammkuchen from the open kitchen with one of their wines. They have a great selection and the staff are really friendly and helpful when going through options to suit your palette.

Our honest opinion: if you’re looking for a light lunch or small evening meal then we’d recommend Flamm. They had some of the best Vegetarian food in Tallinn with a variety of options. We also loved the cosy basement area which has original stonework walls. A great place to escape to in the heat of the summer but also warm in the winter months. There is some seating also available on the small outdoor terrance.

The Details

• Location: Rotermanni tn 2, 10111 Tallinn, Estonia I Find it Here: Map Location I Details: Menu.
• Opening Hours: Tues-Sat 15:00-00:00.
• Reservations: Reservations not taken.
• Price Range: €€.

Typical Local Vegetarian Food & Drink in Estonia

This wouldn’t be a food guide without a mention of the local typical food and drink, but the list is cut a little short as the Baltics do have more of a meat protein diet when it comes to their national dishes.

Savoury

• Buckwheat – Although buckwheat doesn’t originate from Estonia, we saw a few dishes where it was cooked with vegetable and a stock then served with roasted veggies and bread. It’s almost like a risotto in consistency and appearance. 
• Mulgipuder – This is eaten as a side dish  and is made up on barley and mashed potatoes. In some restaurants they make the non vegetarian version as a main and then mix bacon and onions with it so be aware and it’s best to ask what it contains before ordering.
• Estonian Cheese – many restaurants we went to ended meals with an offering of a cheeseboard. We did find the actual baked Estonian cheese rather heavy but the other cheeses are delicious and go beautifully with the black rye read, available everywhere in the country!
• Pirukad – these small baked empanadas style pastries are usually stuffed with meat but the vegetarian version are stuffed with mushrooms or vegetables including potatoes and are found in many of the Old Town bakeries too.

Sweets & Bakery

• Vastlakukkel – traditional cream buns served for Shrove Tuesday. You can eat these in the popular cafe Maismokk in the Old Town of Tallinn where they also have them filled with cream and jam as well as chocolate.
• Kirju Koer – a dessert made of biscuits or cookies, marmalade, fruit, butter and chocolate but not baked. 
• Kama – made up of barley, oats, rye and peas this is called Kama and is used in quite a few desserts we had in Tallinn. It generally has quite a sweet taste but is of course a great vegetarian base.
• Kohuken – a sweet curd cheese which is covered in chocolate and is available in a number of flavours such as blueberry and vanilla. It does sound a little odd but actually they’re quite moreish! Generally available in the refrigerator sections of gravely stores or larger supermarkets

Drinks

• Estonian Lagers & craft Beer – There are quite a few great beers that are served in casual bars in Estonia and we’d recommend you ask about these. The bartenders usually let you have a try too establish if you like! Saku Originaal is a popular bottled lager in Estonia and is pretty pale with grassy flavours.
• Klaar – produced by Ale Cort, this is an apple juice lemonade that was first made in the 1970’s. It’s a great non-alcoholic local drink if you’re tea total or driving!
• Kali – containing a little fermented rye bread this drink is great if you don’t like overly alcoholic drinks as it only contain 1.5% and is even considered non-alcoholic by many Estonians. 
• Birch Sap – another non alcoholic drink, this literally is the sap of the birch tree. It’s clear like water but a little more thicker with a sweet taste. If you’re travelling around the country, then head to the island of Saaremaa and particularly Kuressaare, where you can try this unusual drink!

Be-lavie Tip: The coffee in the Baltics, particularly in the cities of Riga and Tallinn is excellent. We’ve suggested plenty of cafes so do check these out, especially if you’re a coffee lover like us!

A Few Food Tours in Tallinn

If you’re a bit of a foodie and love going on food and drinks tours whilst on your travels, we’d recommend these hand picked options that we researched for our own trip to Tallinn. Most of them last less than half a day and you’ll always be accompanied by a local guide who are happy to give you more personal recommendations of dining in the city like a local.

Vegetarian Food in Tallinn FAQs

Vegetarian Food in Tallinn Guide Roundup

We hope this food and drinks guide is a great base for discovering the availability of vegetarian food in Tallinn. Whether its a formal affair like Noa or a more mid range spot like Pegasus or even something casual, we’re thinking Peatus, Tallinn really has a great choice. Coffee and cake lovers won’t be disappointed with the coffee culture as the coffee in the Baltics, especially Tallinn is delicious and when it’s time for pre or post dinner drinks, the array of cool bars are never ending. A little advice we would give is to take our advice regarding reservations, it really is worth making reservations to prevent disappointment, some places are super busy at weekends and after all, Tallinn is the capital city of Estonia! We think you’ll be pushed to decide where to pick!

Related Articles:

• The Ultimate City Guide to Tallinn.
• Schlössle Hotel: A Luxury Hotel in Tallinn.
• The Most Incredible Dining at NOA Chefs Table.
• A weekend Guide to 3 Days in Riga, Latvia.
• Vegetarian-friendly Dining Guide to Riga, Latvia.

À bientôt

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