BALTHASAR

Beautifully-restored dining rooms overlooking Town Hall Square provide Balthasar the perfect aristocratic setting for its refined establishment. The specialty of the house is garlic, and everything that can be made with it. The number of bulbs next to each menu item indicates the dent it will put in your evening's social prospects. Just when you thought you had enough garlic, a quick look at the dessert menu reveals …garlic ice cream! Reservations are recommended.

CLAZZ

Occupying a prime, Old Town location, Clazz falls somewhere between trendy restaurant and a plush lounge bar with live music on most nights. Actually, the sprawling establishment has plenty of room to be both. The menu offers a medley of international favourites with an emphasis on jazzy dishes you’d expect to find only in the ‘Dirty South’.

DOMINIC

The front room is a pricey, black and white café that serves up a small selection of tapas, soups, omelettes and the like. Our pasta was tasty, albeit of dietary proportions. In back is a very formal restaurant with a killer wine selection.

MAIKRAHV

Named for the 'May Count' of Tallinn's medieval days of yore, this respectable establishment hidden under Town Hall Square hints at old-style regality all the while providing a decidedly modern and down-to-earth dining experience that won't bust your budget. The menu is international, dominated by fillets with a couple of pastas thrown in for good measure. Delicately prepared food and professional service made the experience come off without a hitch.

OLDE HANSA

Many frequent travellers would say that you haven't really been to Tallinn unless you've visited Olde Hansa. This mecca of medievaldom in the heart of Old Town doesn't just serve historically authentic fare made from carefully-researched recipes, it provides guests with a whole experience using a combination of candlelight, waiters and waitresses in period costume and medieval background music. Chamber musicians round out the ambience every night of the week. Make sure to check out Olde Hansa's newest addition called the Waggehus located just around the corner at Vanaturu Kael 8.

PEPPERSACK

Peppersack makes wonderful use of the 15th-century building it calls home - both the vast main hall and the more intimate rooms further back exude comfy medieval-ness. The menu is European-based and fun-loving, with clever choices like Lady Margareta's weakness (chicken fillet) and Mansion Lord's contemplation (duck fillet). The fresh, hot rolls are a nice touch. Every day at 20:00 there's a theatrical swordfight on the staircase,  on Fridays and Saturdays followed by Oriental dancing.

TROIKA

One of Tallinn’s must-see cellar restaurants, Troika wows its clientele with a cosy, old-style Russian décor and a singer who belts out folk songs from a balcony from time to time. (When choosing your table, you may want to consider just how close you want to be to this spectacle.) But the best thing about this place is the food - excellent bliny and pelmeni as well as a selection of traditional main courses. Great service. Book ahead.

VANA TOOMAS

Named after the famous Town Hall weather vane that can actually be seen from some of the tables here, this international-style restaurant/café offers fresh baked goods, pizzas, salads and other hearty but healthy dishes. While nothing fancy, the food is quite decent and they even present respectable and inexpensive breakfast options from 08:30 – 12:00 every day. We dare you to try the chocolate cake, you may or may not regret it.