We know Estonia
2.4.2012 | Restaurants

At grandmother’s House

At grandmother’s House

At grandmother’s House

You will not miss the giant skillet hanging over the entranceway, and the old iron serving as a door handle.

Vanaema juures offers traditional Estonian fare, incorporating local ingredients. Dishes are served up just like granny used to serve them –generously portioned.

To start, try the salt cured salmon with lemon cream (5€). This dish comes served with bread, and is delicately seasoned with fresh lemon juice. It is an excellent light dish to try, especially if you don’t want to miss out on a main. Alternately, for a true Estonian classic, you certainly can’t pass up the Baltic herring with mustard, apple, and onion salad (4€). The sweetness of the apple salad balances out the full flavour of the herring.

As a second course, try the roast pork with sauerkraut (12.50€) or the roast salmon with cream sauce (13€). While these dishes will not ‘wow’ you palate, the smell of the dill garnish over the boiled potatoes accompanying the salmon or the aroma of the sauerkraut, brings you back to your Estonian grandmother’s kitchen, and the comfort of knowing that you certainly won’t be going home hungry.

If you’re a vegetarian, don’t worry, granny has even prepared mushroom and potato dumplings, served with sour cream and an assortment of salads and steamed vegetables (7€).

Still hungry? Try the pancakes, served with jam, honey or sour cream (4€) or the daily cake (3.50€). On our visit, it was a traditional fresh cheese cake, and it was certainly worth saving room for.

Location

Vanaema juures. Rataskaevu 10/12, Tallinn Old Town

 

TEXT: KRISTINA LUPP, PHOTOS: ANDREI CHERTKOV

To learn more about this and similar topics

5.5.2026 | Restaurants

Oyster Fest 2026 Celebrates Seafood

Oyster Fest 2026 Celebrates Seafood

The fifth annual Austerium Oyster Fest is happening on 9 May in the courtyard of the Estonian Academy of … Read more

19.4.2026 | Restaurants

Great Lasnamäe Food Street: Where East Meets Eats

Great Lasnamäe Food Street: Where East Meets Eats

Arguably Estonia’s most popular traveling culinary event, the Toidutänavad, or Food Street, series is coming to Lasnamäe, in the … Read more

15.4.2026 | Restaurants

Fish Dishes and Market Bustle on the Onion Route

Fish Dishes and Market Bustle on the Onion Route

For food tourism, it is well worth turning your attention—and your car—eastwards in Estonia on the last Saturday of … Read more

10.4.2026 | Restaurants

Restaurant LaBocca Expands to Telliskivi

Restaurant LaBocca Expands to Telliskivi

The Italian restaurant LaBocca, which has operated for just under a year in the gold-coloured Golden Gate building between … Read more

2.4.2026 | Restaurants

Smelt Is on the Menu in Pärnu Throughout April

Smelt Is on the Menu in Pärnu Throughout April

One of the delicacies found in the sea area off the coast of Pärnu is the silvery “meritint” or … Read more

29.3.2026 | Restaurants

Estonian Restaurants Ranked Again

Estonian Restaurants Ranked Again

Chefs trained abroad are reshaping Estonia’s restaurant scene, while also preserving and valuing traditional cooking techniques. The Estonian culinary … Read more

17.3.2026 | Restaurants

Estonia Made an Impression at the Gastro Helsinki Fair

Estonia Made an Impression at the Gastro Helsinki Fair

Estonian food producers and companies from the food events sector made a strong showing last week in Helsinki, where … Read more

11.3.2026 | Restaurants

Next Week Saaremaa Will Also Host a Restaurant Week

Next Week Saaremaa Will Also Host a Restaurant Week

It is said that 13 is an unlucky number, but on Saaremaa they think differently. Local entrepreneurs point out … Read more