TALLINN - St. Petersburg, Helsinki and Tallinn - page 218

Von Krahli Baar serves cheap, substantial Estonian grub—such as potato pancakes
(torud) stuffed with mushrooms or shrimp (€5)—in a big, dark space that doubles as a cen-
ter for Estonia's alternative theater scene; there's also seating in the tiny courtyard where
you enter. It started as the bar of the theater upstairs, then expanded to become a restaur-
ant, so it has a young, avant-garde vibe. You'll feel like you're eating backstage with the
stagehands (€4-7 main dishes, Mon-Sat 12:00-22:00, Sun 12:00-18:00, Rataskaevu 10/12,
a block uphill from Town Hall Square, near Wheel Well, tel. [phone]).
Budget Eateries
Eat, a laid-back, cellar-level student hangout with a big foosball table and a book ex-
change, serves the best-value lunch in town. Its menu is very simple: three varieties of pel-
meenid (dumplings), plus sauces, beet salad, and pickles. You dish up what you like and
pay by weight (€2-3/big bowl). Ask for an education in the various dumplings and sauces
and then go for the complete experience. Enjoy with abandon—you can't spend much
money here, and you'll feel good stoking their business (Mon-Sat 11:00-21:00, closed Sun,
Sauna 2, tel. [phone]).
Balti Jaama Kohvik, at the end of the train station near the Balti Jaam Market, is an
unimpressive-looking 24-hour diner with no real sign (look for a red awning and Kohvik
avatud 24 tundi —“café open 24 hours”—on the door). The bustling stainless-steel kitchen
cranks out traditional Russian/Estonian dishes—the cheapest hot food in town. While you
won't see or hear a word of English here, the glass case displays the various offerings and
prices (€3 meals, €1.60 soups, dirt-cheap-yet-wonderful savory pancakes, and tasty bel-
jaš —a kind of pierogi). Unfortunately, the area feels dangerous after dark.
Supermarkets: For picnic supplies, try the Rimi supermarket just outside the Old Town
at Aia 7, near the Viru Gate (daily 8:00-22:00). A larger, more upscale supermarket in the
basement of the Viru Keskus mall (directly behind Hotel Viru) has convenient, inexpens-
ive take-away meals (daily 9:00-22:00). The handy little Kolmjag “Everything” grocery
is a block off Town Hall Square (daily 24 hours, Pikk 11, tel. [phone]).
Breakfast and Pastries
The Maiasmokk (“Sweet Tooth”) café and pastry shop, founded in 1864, is the grande
dame of Tallinn cafés—ideal for dessert or breakfast. Even through the Soviet days, this
was the place for a good pastry or a glass of herby Tallinn schnapps (“Vana Tallinn”). Point
to what you want from the selection of classic local pastries at the counter, and sit down
for breakfast (€3 omelets) or coffee on the other side of the shop. Everything's reasonable
(Mon-Fri 8:00-22:00, Sat 9:00-22:00, Sun 9:00-21:00, Pikk 16, across from church with
old clock, tel. [phone]). They also have a marzipan shop (separate entrance).
Pierre Chocolaterie at Vene 6 has scrumptious fresh pralines, sandwiches, and coffee
in a courtyard filled with craft shops (daily 8:30-late, tel. [phone]).
Tallinn Connections
The bus is usually the best way to travel by land from Tallinn. The largest operator,
with the most departures, is Lux Express (tel. [phone], www.luxexpress.ee ); there's also