Editorial
The best bars in Tallinn are a study in contrast: medieval cellar vaults in the Old Town where you drink Estonian craft beer beneath 14th-century stone arches, and post-industrial taprooms in Kalamaja where the city's creative class has set up something genuinely interesting. We have been to all of them and this is the list that matters.
The UNESCO-listed Old Town is where Tallinn's bar scene started and where its most atmospheric venues still live. The medieval architecture does most of the work, but the best places here have also built serious drinks programmes to match their surroundings.
The former working-class neighbourhood of Kalamaja has transformed over the last decade into Tallinn's most interesting bar area. The Telliskivi Creative City complex — a cluster of converted factory buildings — anchors the scene, but the best places are scattered across the neighbourhood's wooden houses and former industrial yards.
Tallinn's bar scene runs later than most visitors expect. The Old Town bars fill up from about 9pm and stay busy until 2am; Kalamaja tends to be quieter earlier but keeps going until 3am on weekends. Prices are low by western European standards — you will pay €4–6 for a pint of craft beer and €8–12 for a cocktail at the better places.
Tallinn is a better drinking city than its reputation suggests. The combination of a thriving craft beer scene, a growing natural wine culture, and one of the most dramatic settings in Europe — medieval towers, cobblestone streets, views of the Baltic — makes it a city that rewards a long evening's exploration. Start in the Old Town at Hell Hunt, cross to Kalamaja for Frank's cocktail programme, and end at Põhjala Taproom.
Sofia has been covering the European bar scene for eight years, with a particular focus on the Baltic and Nordic regions. She makes the trip to Tallinn at least twice a year and considers Kalamaja one of the most interesting bar neighbourhoods in northern Europe.