Archives for “Snacks” tag

Frozen yoghurt is an amazing dessert that is widely known all over the world, but it was about a year ago that it was first introduced to Estonians by the Yo! bars.

(There are two of them in town, the one seen here is in Viru Keskus). You can get a portion of frozen yoghurt + a selection of fresh berries (or marshmallows, chocolate, etc) of your own choice for a really small price. Not to mention how cute their stands are – the pink colour really makes you want a bowl of ice cream immediately. The yoghurt tastes really fresh and creamy, just like it’s supposed to be and the berries add an extra refreshing touch to it. The choice of berries vary from more exotic mandarins to basic strawberries.

Of course, the Yo! bars offer coffee, hot chocolate and many other tasty drinks. So if the warm weather finally decides to visit Tallinn, make sure you visit the Yo! bars in either Viru Keskus or Solaris Keskus. There’s nothing like a bowl of frozen yoghurt on a hot sunny day.

Sesoon is a brand new cafe/restaurant in the district of Kalamaja which is situated in the recently renovated creative cluster building. The entrance is a bit hidden, from the yard, so be sure you follow the directions written on the poster from the street.

This restaurant is a big open space with very high ceilings. The interior is minimal (like I guess everywhere in Estonia) and the atmosphere is super sweet – probably due to being family friendly it has lots of cute kids walking around. Sesoon was opened just few months ago and it became so popular that you might have to book a table in advance, especially on Sundays, when they offer a terrific brunch. I guess, good tasty and healthy brunch could be the main reason to come here on a lazy Sunday.

The menu here includes sandwiches, meat and fish dishes, vegetarian cuisine – all fresh and healthy stuff that will make your day. Prices are reasonable and noticeably lower than in Tallinn’s downtown. I have been here only once but I am pretty sure that Sesoon (Estonian for “Season”) will be on my TOP 5 this year.

It is quiet rare that in Eastern Europe you can find a good and nice place to refresh one’s inner man close to the Central Bus Station. Yet, some of you will arrive to Tallinn by bus and I can proudly recommend Hinkaali maja for meat and vegetarian dumplings from the chain of Georgian cuisine restaurants.  

Hinkaali maja is situated just across the street from the Central Bus Station and looks rather inviting. The menu is simple and is specializing in khinkali – Georgian dumplings. The difference from other kinds of dumplings is that these ones are bigger and are eaten in a special way. You hold it by the “tail” of one piece with your fingers and take a little bite – once the khinkali is “opened” you drink the bouillon out, after which you can continue eating the rest of khinkali. 

The menu has several kinds of dumplings – with different kinds of meat, with cheese and mushrooms. My favorite are khinkali with cheese and even though they serve “only” 6 pieces I have never been able to finish all of them.

One special tip – in Hinkaali maja you can get local and not very well known Estonian beer produced in Sillamäe – München. This beer is so far the best from all the local beers I have tried, but there are really few places out there where you can order it.

This restaurant will make a good lunch stop after long drive in a bus.

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.