Tallinn’s Café Culture
Tallinn has a true café tradition. It started over 100 years ago with influences from Germany and Central Europe.
Pre-war Tallinn was famous for its elegant cafés and names like Stude, Feischner, Kultas and Corso are still in the minds of some of Tallinn’s older residents.
Estonian cakes are divine! Some of the best are made with pressed cottage cheese or fresh whipped cream, meaning they are not too sweet. Enjoy cakes made with fresh Estonian berries as well. Perfect as an afternoon treat with a coffee!
Reval Café is chain of coffee shops and has a few locations in the Old Town. Their menu offers light meals, and the display is always filled with appetising cakes and pastries.
Located right off the Town Hall Square, Kehrwieder must be one of Tallinn’s cosiest cafés. The low ceilings and the dim lighting add to this ambiance. Delicious cakes are on display, and the coffee is some of the best in town.Across the street you can smell the coffee roasting in the Kehrwieder roastery.
Maiasmokk has great pastries and an even better interior. The rooms have been used as a café for almost 200 years! Tables are small like in old time Parisian cafés. The walls are covered with wood and mirrors, originating from its heyday when the place was called Stude.Saiakang is one of the best people watching spots in town. With an entire window as a wall facing onto the narrow Saiakang passage, sip on a coffee while enjoying free WiFi, and watch the people the go by. Pastries and freshly made salads line the display, and hot meals are available to order from the small kitchen.
NOP-Ifyouwanttogetout of the Old Town to see a different neighbourhood, take the No. 1 or 3 Kadriorg tram to NOP, a cosy organic café and food shop just off of Narva mnt. The shop sells local and specialty products to take home, and offers a delicious selection of meals to enjoy in the café.
The locals say that Gourmet Coffee is the best coffee in town, but we’ll let you be the judge. Coffee beans are roasted on site and can be brought home, or enjoy a cup in the café along with meal or a pastry. Located in the Kadriorg area, it’s easy to get there by tram, and you can enjoy a stroll through the beautiful park afterwards.
Location
Reval Café (Old Town locations) Müürivahe 14, Tallinn Old Town
Vana-Viru 14, Tallinn Old Town
Vene 1, Tallinn Old Town
Saiakang 1, Tallinn Old Town
Pikk 16, Tallinn Old Town
Saiakang 3 Tallinn Old Town
Köleri tn 1, Kadriorg, Tallinn
Koidula 13, Kadriorg, Tallinn 
TEXT KRISTINA LUPP, PHOTOS ANDREI CHERTKOV
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