When bloggers say that something has been ‘highly requested’, be suspicious. But hand on heart, this post has indeed been requested by a significant number of people, both from Estonia and elsewhere. It is therefore especially important to stress that this is a very, very personal and by no means comprehensive selection. There are places I haven’t yet managed to get to and places I have gotten to, but long ago or not enough*. It is rather telling that I felt on much firmer ground with my overview of the drinking establishments… Be that as it may, I stand by every recommendation on this list.

1. If you like very fancy fine dining: 180 Degrees. Not everyone is into – or can afford – fine dining, but if that’s your plate of foie gras, then Matthias Diether’s impressive eating temple is your best bet in Tallinn. It delivers the obsessive attention to detail and quality that you’d expect in a place like this, from food and wine to design and service. The flavours are very complex and the champagne cabbage is excellent. There is a big open kitchen in the middle of the restaurant, so if you are fascinated by the process (usually) behind the scenes, this is ideal. They only serve tasting menus – with the optional addition of wines and cheeses -, so keep that in mind.

2. If you like the fine and the dine, but don’t care that much for the fancy bit: KOMA. KOMA is my nomination for the most underrated restaurant in Tallinn – it is slightly out of the way and is shyer about self-promotion than is required in today’s world. The food, however, is excellent and innovative. They are known for unorthodox dishes like the legendary potato pudding; fortunately, things that may seem gimmicky on paper actually make perfect sense once you eat them. There is a simplicity and precision to the dishes that contrasts pleasingly with the creativity of the flavour combinations (pike perch, anise hyssop, buttermilk). The beer selection is also excellent and the prices are very reasonable for what you get.

3. If you like old school: Tchaikovsky. I believe I’ve been eating in Telegraaf Hotel’s Franco-Russian restaurant for about 15 years now, certainly at least 10. I especially love to eat there alone, there’s something exceedingly decadent about having blinis with caviar, slow-cook lamb with excellent Bulgarian wine and a big Pavlova all by yourself. It is also one of the most opulent eating places in Tallinn, so it’s a good choice if you feel like dressing up (no wonder I like it). If all the gilt and caviar and truffles are too much for you, they also have a lovely summer terrace, where you can enjoy an okroshka in a more relaxed environment – and spend less money.

4. If you like new school: Fotografiska. Peeter Pihel is as close as Estonia comes to having our own Rene Redzepi. I’ve got his cookbook at home and I love it, but I don’t think I could cook anything from it – and I’m a pretty experienced cook. His terribly hip restaurant on the top floor of the terribly hip Fotografiska museum does terribly hip nose to tail, root to leaf eating. All this trendiness has put off some people, but I recommend taking a step back from the hype and just enjoying the food. Obviously, if something like ‘onion baked in compost’ annoys you to the point of unreason, don’t go. I for one am happy that someone in Estonia is taking the zero waste concept seriously and proves that despite all these constraints, it’s possible to eat very well.

5. If you like new school, but also chill: Ülo. Hipsterish in a good way, Ülo puts a lot of focus on plant-based dishes like sweet potato fries with kimchi and mushroom ramen. It is a really good option if you want to go out with a group of friends that includes vegans, vegetarians and omnivores – everyone is likely to find something suitable and tasty. The space is colourful, the atmosphere informal and the service very friendly. The only not-entirely-positive thing I have to say is that the portions are rather small: for me, this is a plus, but that’s not the case for everyone.

6. If you are in the Old Town among 700 billion tourists and suddenly hungry: Pegasus. Quite a few people would probably recommend Pegasus’s sister restaurant Rataskaevu 16 in this category and that would be a worthy entry. However, I haven’t eaten there lately (it was fully booked last time I was in Tallinn), while I eat in Pegasus almost every time I go back home. The centre of the Old Town is a minefield of tourist traps and while there are tourists in Pegasus, there’s also great food and excellent service. One reason I like them so much is that they were being polite and attentive years before most Estonian eateries discovered the concept of customer service. I also like that the space is light and airy, a rarity in the medieval part of the town.

7. If you are on the hunt for ‘authenticity’: Derevyashka. I’m not one for Soviet nostalgia and overall think it’s positive that there aren’t many places left in Tallinn that carry the spirit of that time. Then again, it’s also stupid to pretend history didn’t happen and potato salad and Moscow pastries were surely one of the least problematic aspects of the Soviet occupation. For a quick trip through the time portal, there are the Narva and Energia cafés in the very centre of Tallinn (when I visited the latter recently, a customer of a certain age announced loudly that EVERYTHING HERE TASTED BETTER IN SOVIET TIMES). However, my own favourite in the genre takes a bit more effort to get to. Derevyashka bar sits in the unglamorous Kopli, at the very end of the tram line. To me, it feels less Soviet, more very early independence era. It has a distinctly Russian flavour, an eerily authentic 90s interior, decent pelmeni and cheap coffee.

What would you add to the list?

*I think I’ll do a follow-up at some point.

Images by Getter Kuusmaa, MUAH by Kaubamaja. Eternal gratefulness to KOMA for the location and food. Disclaimer: I know one of the owners of KOMA, but this fact is entirely unrelated to the content of this post.