Snacks

Bonaparte is a well respected french cuisine restaurant in Tallinn and it comes with a small french style cafe. The cafe is open from early morning hours and serves freshly baked pastries and cake. Your best choice will be their pistachio pastry with chocolate chips.

Around lunchtime you can choose from fresh salads, soups and few heartier meals too.

For me Bonaparte Cafe is the perfect place for my breakfast cafe, nice for working day lunch and in the evening I’ll take a book with me and linger around drinking tea and eating cake. So I guess I could spend a whole day there.

In the recent years Bonaparte has spread over the town and by today they have to lunch-time delis in the center and they also run a cafe at KUMU museum. All are good choices for tasty food and nice atmosphere.

Komeet is a modernly beautiful cafe run by a locally well known chef and cookbook author Anni Arro. Anni comes from a family of artists, her sister is a ceramicist and the cute napkin holders on the table are made by her. Anni’s father is a painter and does wood carving works. The small carved coffee tables are made by him. Anni’s mother is one of the most honored painters in Estonia with dreamy angel like motives and soft colors. You can find her works on the walls of Komeet. 

Anni’s art is food. She has a passion for local produce and simple tastes and that translates into her menu at Komeet. The menu is very Estonian with some Italian influences. You can find healthy salads with components like quinoa and goats cheese as well as healthier meals. There are several vegetarian (and few vegan) options always available.

Komeet is also famous for its delicious cakes, very good coffee and long list of various teas. 

The cafe is situated on the top floor of Solaris shopping center but don’t worry, it’s not one of these cafes that are open to people rushing by with their shopping bags, Komeet is on a separate floor and as soon as the elevator doors close behind you the time slows down. Komeet has a beautiful view over Estonian National Opera House.

In summertime Komeet has a beautiful rooftop terrace with sunshine during the day and live music in the night time.

Where to get the best croissants in Tallinn? Gourmet Club. What is the best choice for on-the-go cake and cafe? Gourmet Club.

Gourmet Club is a very small pastry-cake-coffee shop just at the start of the main street in Old Town, Viru street. The cafe houses a local gourmet brand called Gourmet Club and it is run by a well know chef Imre Kose. The brand originally was born from a successful restaurant Vertigo, by today the restaurant has vanished in the mist of economic crisis but the brand still lives on and offers one of the best cakes and pastry in town.

There are only two small tables in the cafe, so most people just grab a cup of coffee and a croissant on the go in the morning and slices of delicious looking cakes in the evening. The cafe offers a wide range of cakes, cupcakes and muffins, bread and pastry.

You can also find the Gourmet Club line of foods there. The most famous being fresh Cesar Salad dressing and continuing on with pesto’s, spreads, cookies, chocolate creams and truffles.

I wouldn’t be surprised if you would find me there having a cup of coffee with milk and a croissant in the morning. I do that all too often.

You can smell it three blocks away. A smell that will hunt you down and will not let you go before a lady in a medieval dress hands you a brown paper tube of warm spiced nuts. Yes, it is that serious and it gets even more serious when you arrive home from your trip and you’ll find yourself already making plans to come back to Tallinn just to be lured by the scent of the sweet spices again.

Olde Hansa spiced nuts stand is located in the very heart of Old Town at the corner of Raekoja square and you can’t miss it. It’s a medieval looking carriage van surrounded by young people dressed in medieval costumes and equipped with big friendly smiles. When you walk by (and have shown a great deal of self restraint to resist the enchanting smell) you are likely offered to have a taste. If you do then you’ll be hooked. Girls and boys at the stand speak a very wide range of languages, so don’t be startled when greeted in your own language.

Walking around in the Old Town you will notice many similar looking nut-stands but the only original one is the Olde Hansa stand. Others may be good too but if you like to honor the tradition and get the real experience then you want to get your spiced nuts from Olde Hansa stand.

So you have been walking around the beautiful Old Town, you’re in love with the small cobbled streets and are uplifted by the charm of medieval architecture. It’s getting a bit dark and you’re in need of cozy place with some candlelight. In these moments the only thing you need is… yes, it’s obvious – hot chocolate. 

Pierre Chocolaterie is a small old French style chocolaterie situated in a small courtyard just off the corner from Olde Hansa spiced nuts stand. It’s a little hard to spot, just look out for a old 1920s looking sign on the street that points to a courtyard.

The cafe offers wide range of teas and coffees but you’re not there for that, you want to have one of their famous hot chocolates. My favorite is hot chilli with rum raisins but just ask for advice, they will gladly compose a drink to your liking (if you don’t like rum with your raisins for example).

Another reason for going to Pierre (like you would need another reason besides hot chocolate) is their truffles. They offer a variety of hand made chocolate truffles and I’m absolutely sure that you can’t get better truffles even in Paris and London. Don’t hesitate to ask the girl behind the counter to explain flavors of the truffles, they all look delicious.

If you share my love for chocolate, then Pierre Chocolaterie is the place to go in Tallinn. It is my favorite place to spend hours with a book… and chocolate.