I Ate One of the Best Meals of My Life in Tallinn

And went back every night for more!

Best Hostel Breakfast Ever!

After consuming a plateful of pancakes cooked by our lovely hostess, Kiba, and chatting around the breakfast table with some lovely fellow hostel-stayers from both Germany and Russia, I headed off downtown.

Easy for me to say that — The Knight’s House Hostel is right at the top of the Old Town, just inside the medieval walls. I just kept walking downhill. I couldn’t stop taking photos — it was all so beautiful.

It was as if I had travelled back in time.

I reached the Town Square, took some more photos and kept walking until I reached the flower market at the very bottom of the Old Town when the skies opened.

Tourists were scurrying for shelter under the arch of the wall gate and anywhere else they could find — obviously, they didn’t check the weather forecast — but I was prepared. My rain jacket with the hood had proved its worth. So much better than an umbrella!

Not looking at my maps at all, I kept on walking the streets of the Old Town. As long as I stayed in the Old Town, I figured I couldn’t get really lost. And I didn’t. I ended up back in the Town Square. I must have circumnavigated the town — I did see a lot of different parts of the wall!

I paid for the view!

Dying of thirst, (I had forgotten my water bottle), I went into a restaurant explaining that I just needed a drink. I should have just had water, but he ushered me to a table and gave me a menu. At first, I only ordered a cider, but relented and ordered a plate of gorgonzola and grapes as well. I really needed to sit down and rest for a bit and my table had a great view of the square.

I paid €18.50! Looks like I might be supermarket shopping for food in Tallinn. I knew that restaurants closer to the tourist areas are more expensive but I was so thirsty and only wanted water!

Always venture a little off the tourist trail away from the centre of town and find much cheaper, more delicious food!

After walking up to see the beautiful Alexander Nevsky Cathedral and the prettiest Parliament House, I realised I was hungry. What to do? I has just about blown my food budget on my first day, but I was too tired to walk to the supermarket tonight.

I walked past a little restaurant called Grandmother’s Place a few metres away from my hostel and thought I’d just have an entrée as I had overspent my budget at lunch.

Having to duck down to enter the cavern in a basement, I ordered a cider (exactly half the price of my lunch drink) and Kana (honey-flavoured chicken fillet in parsley sauce, garlic potatoes, wild mushroom sauce, and marinated onion). Total price €17.50! I was really ripped off at lunch!

Seriously, it was the tastiest, moistest, most tender chicken I have ever eaten. And the nutty-flavoured brown bread I was given was a bonus. I could have just eaten the bread and butter and have been happy.

I think I’ll be skipping lunch and dining here every evening. I was going to try a new place every night, but I don’t think it’s possible to be any better than Grandmother’s!

After another day of lots of walking including a very interesting free walking tour, I made it to Grandmother’s Place in time for an early dinner.

Tonight I chose Mulgipuder Kruubivorstiga (south-Estonian porridge, barley sausage with pork and apples, and grandmother’s apple mustard.) Delicious, but not a huge meal. I had skipped lunch so deserved dessert! Rabarberid Ja Mustikad (Rhubarb and blueberries baked under a blanket of crumbs and vanilla ice cream.)

And to top off the meal, because it was my second visit, I was offered a complimentary shot glass of grandmother’s apple schnapps. The cost of this meal including a bottle of cider €17.50! ! Of course, the beautiful brown bread was served first and I scored an extra piece from the German couple beside me as they were given 6 slices, and I was starving.

I chatted with them for an hour because that’s how long my meal took to arrive! Obviously, the restaurant was very busy because of the big football match here tonight Germany vs Estonia. They follow the German team and take their holidays to wherever their team is playing and spend a few days there at the same time. Wouldn’t that be a great thing to do if you lived in Europe where everything is so close?

I ate at Grandmother’s every night.

On my last day in Tallinn, climbing down from the city tower, I pulled my right quadricep muscle and the pain kept increasing as the afternoon wore on. In hindsight, I should have iced it. Luckily Grandmother’s wasn’t too far. I struggled down the stairs for my last meal in Tallinn, and chose the Kana (yummy chicken that I’d had the first night) and a glass of white wine, and hobbled back to my room to pack my bags ready for my flight to Saint Petersburg. Goodbye Tallinn. I loved you!