Onion Route Buffet Day 2025

Text Stewart Johnson
Photo Ahto Sooaru

Estonia’s famous Sibulatee, or Onion Route, invites anyone who loves onions, fish, and home-cooked meals and pastries to visit the area. Saturday, 13 September, is essentially a “home café” day throughout the entire region in Central-Eastern Estonia. This part of the country is known for growing onions, and creating all sorts of exotic dishes based on onions.

These pop-up cafés will mostly be in people’s yards, gardens, and courtyards. Restaurants will of course also be open throughout the area. What’s on the menu? Not just all things onion, and fish, but also venison recipes, vegetables, mushrooms—especially chanterelles—and naturally, onion pies.

The Onion Route area is a unique cultural blend of Estonians and Russian Old-Believers living side by side. Specifically the charming villages of Varnja, Kasepää, and Kolkja along the shores of Lake Peipus should be your main destinations, but the Onion Route Buffet Day is located in several other equally beautiful sites as well.

While you’re in the area, you should also take advantage of the excellent opportunity to visit Alatskivi Manor. This grand example of Baltic-German heritage serves as a museum. The Eduard Tubin Museum is also in the area, as well as the Juhan Liiv Museum, and both are very much worth visiting.

More information, as well as destinations, are available here.

To learn more about this and similar topics
Day Trip Estonian Cuisine Events in Estonia Fish Lake Peipus Onion Route Onion Route Buffet Day Sibulatee