The Best Vegan-Friendly Cafes & Restaurants in Tallinn (and Parnu)

I’ve wanted to write a post on vegan Tallinn for years.

That may seem a bit random,, but due to my previous job, I’ve been to Estonia’s capital countless times. However, as I was usually on work trips, I rarely got the chance to choose where I ate; when it came to vegan food, I often just had to hope for the best.

Then last month Mum visited from Australia, and Tallinn was on her “to-see” list. So, not only was I excited to show her around the beautiful city, I couldn’t wait to explore the vegan food scene in earnest.

We also took a day trip to the pretty seaside city of Pärnu (just under two hours from Tallinn by bus), so we went on the hunt for vegan-friendly food there too.

Estonia may not immediately spring to mind when thinking of vegan-friendly countries. But perhaps you need to think again…

Vegan in Tallinn

Tallinn has definitely become more and more vegan-friendly since my first visit five or six years ago. From Old Town to the newest neighbourhoods, you will be able to find good food.

After extensive research (aka extensive eating and drinking), here’s my top picks for vegan eats and dairy-free lattes in Tallinn:

Vegan Restoran V

The first place I have to mention is one of Tallinn’s original vegan restaurants – Vegan Restoran V. Located in the middle of Old Town, V serves an array of veganised cuisines from Italian to Thai to “seafood”.

Mum and I didn’t make it here on my latest visit but I’d had take-away on a previous trip. I had the beetroot “ravioli” (literally slices of beetroot filled with cashew-ricotta), and the roast pepper, walnut and chickpea burger, served with vegetable fries. It may have been super-messy but it was also super-tasty.

(Apologies for the picture quality – this was taken in a dark setting after a few too many pints…)

Kohvik Must Puudel

Another Old Town find was Kohvik Must Puudel, a trendy cafe filled with locals on laptops. They have several vegan options on their menu including scrambled tofu, a quinoa and tofu salad, and an avocado burger.

Regular readers will know that I obviously went for the burger… Such a sucker for a good vegan burger! Instead of a patty, it had chunky slices of avocado topped with salad, making it lighter than your average burger; more like a sandwich. Served with sweet potato fries, it made for the perfect lunch.

(Just a reminder that this was a different trip to the previous burger! But who’s judging, anyway?)

Raven Cafe

We stumbled upon Raven Cafe whilst wandering down one of Old Town’s pretty side streets. The cafe serves locally-roasted coffee and organic food and drinks.

The breakfast menu is very vegan-friendly with avocado toast, smoothies and smoothie bowls all on offer. They also have several vegan options in their selection of pastries and cakes. I had the smoothie bowl and though they were disappointingly out of fruit to top it, it was still delicious.

The coffee was great too and the barista offered pretty much every dairy-free milk alternative possible (soy, almond, coconut, rice, oat, cashew…). I went for cashew as a change from my usual almond or soy, which was a delicious decision. Probably the best coffee I had in Tallinn.

Basiilik

There are two branches of Basiilik in Tallinn: one in Sikupilli Center – a small shopping centre near the airport, the other in Rotermanni – a re-purposed industrial area between the city’s port and Old Town. I’ve been to the Rotermanni location twice and both times have been super-happy with the vegan offerings.

On my first visit I enjoyed the mushroom burger (using the mushrooms as the “bun”) followed by a chia pudding. On my latest visit I went for the beetroot falafel wrap, which was served toasted and was so good!

There’s plenty more on the menu to tempt your vegan taste buds including Caesar salad, grilled tofu with “cheese” sauce, carrot-pumpkin soup, and a spicy rice noodle salad.

Lounge24 (Radisson Blu Sky Hotel)

Whether or not you’re a guest there, a visit to the top floor of the Radisson Blu Sky Hotel is a must. The rooftop restaurant and bar Lounge24 is arguably the best place in Tallinn for views of the city and for watching spectacular sunsets over Old Town.

I’d only ever had drinks at Lounge24 before my latest visit. But when mum and I went up one evening to check out the views, we were pleasantly surprised by the food menu. There’s a separate vegetarian section with vegan options clearly marked and though it’s pricey for Tallinn, it’s not crazy expensive; veggie starters are from €7, salads from €11, and mains from €15.

We shared the vegan snack plate (sans olives) to start and I had the vegan pasta as my main: a light but very tasty pasta with grilled artichokes, semi-dried and fresh tomatoes, garlic, and rocket.

YUI Sushi Burrito

Right across from the Radisson Blu, we discovered YUI Sushi Burrito. This little takeaway joint offers sushi burritos (surprise, surprise) and sushi bowls. There’s several vegan options and at just €6-€7 per item, it’s a very purse-friendly dinner choice.

Everything is made fresh to order so my teriyaki tofu was deliciously warm. The food was so good, we ended up grabbing sushi here two nights in a row!

Just a word of warning – the Japanese drink they sell called “Strong” is not a super-tangy lemonade, it’s a 9% (!) alcoholic pre-mixer! I worked that one out half a can down… Oops.

Biomarket

Biomarket is similar to Planet Organic or a small Whole Foods. They sell organic food, beauty and health products, and eco-friendly goods.

There’s a few Biomarket branches in Tallinn (and one in Pärnu); we visited the one inside the Tallinna Kaubamaja shopping centre opposite the Radisson Blu. They have a great range of vegan snacks and sweets available, so I stocked up on a few tasty treats.

NOP

Short for “Neighbourhood Organic Place”, NOP is a cafe set inside a pretty wooden house in the affluent neighbourhood of Kadriorg. NOP serves seasonal, organic dishes and has a cute little store inside with local produce and handmade gifts.

There’s several veggie and vegan options on the menu including smoothies, salads, veggie bowls, and rice dishes. I had the tofu salad, which was the perfect lunch option but it was a close call between that and the chickpea casserole.

They also offer vegan desserts and baked goods, along with dairy-free milks for coffee.

Take-Off (Tallinn Airport)

Tallinn Airport may be small but no longer is a salad roll from Subway the only option for vegans. The Take-Off cafes (one in main departure hall and one in Non-Schengen departures) offer a savoury vegan croissant with “cheese” and salad.

It may not seem like much but it can be a godsend to have something like this available n an airport.

Supermarkets & More

The supermarkets in Tallinn have quite a few vegan products available. The larger stores like Kaubamaja have a great fridge section with vegan items clearly-marked, as well as lots of vegan sweets and treats. Many of the smaller stores and kiosks still have plant-milk drinks and a decent range of vegan snacks.

Here’s a small selection of vegan goodies I found at different supermarkets and kiosks throughout the city:

Vegan in Pärnu

A much smaller city than Tallinn, Pärnu isn’t the most vegan-friendly of places. However, if you too decide to take a day trip, I’ve got you covered.

Pastoraat

After checking the menus of countless eateries along the main street of town, we came across Pastoraat Cafe. They have several vegan options on their menu, with everything clearly marked. The main menu has a vegan soup and tasty-sounding wok noodles, and the breakfast menu offers porridge, vegan sweet potato pancakes, and a sweet potato “sandwich”.

Though breakfast service had technically finished, the staff were lovely and let me order from that menu anyway. I went with the sandwich; a thick slice of char-grilled sweet potato, topped with smashed avocado, sprouts and pomegranate seeds. It was heavenly!

They have soy and almond milk available, perfect if you just want to pop in for a coffee.

I’m so glad I finally got to share this post. Though I’m not sure of my chances, I do hope to make it back to Estonia one day to explore more of the country and of course, more of the food.

Have you been to Tallinn or Pärnu? Leave your vegan recommendations in the comments!

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