The Coolest Cafés in Tallinn - 2020 edition
If you are in Tallinn and crave some good coffee, this is the post for you! This post is concentrated on the specialty coffee cafés in Tallinn. Tallinn has many great cafés to visit, but here are my top picks to visit in Tallinn.
RØst Leib ja Kohv - great coffee and delicious paistries
Very cozy little place, with just six small tables and some window seats, located in Tallinn City Center in Rotermanni district. At this place, two great things are combined together: freshly brewed coffees and freshly baked bread and pastry. They bake fresh bread all day long and place truly smells amazing. :)
Their coffee menu is very simple, mostly espresso-based drinks like espresso macchiato, cappuccino and flat white. But also you can find their coffees made with pour over such as Chemex, V60, Aeropress and Kalita. They offer a small selection of small roastery coffees. Selection of coffees changes from time to time. The day I visited them they had the selection of US West Coast roasted coffees: Sight Glass, Mothership Coffee Roasters, Dark Horse Coffee Roasters, Blue Bottle, etc.
I chose Kenya Windrush, Kiambu Peaberry by Sight Glass roasters brewed with V60. It was juicy, fresh and delicate with a distinct taste of blackberry. So if you want cup of good coffee and have a bite of fresh bread/pastry this is your place to go in Tallinn.
PS! If you will be there then you are obligated to try cinnamon or cardamom buns ;)
Address: Rotermanni 14, 10111 Tallinn
Paper Mill Coffee - New kid on the block!
The newest addition to the Estonian specialty coffee market is Paper Mill Coffee, located near Tallinn Bus Station and city center. Paper Mill Coffee roasts coffee in their cafe, with Probat coffee roaster and currently they have 4 single origin coffees and an espresso blend in the selection. Their coffee menu includes espresso-based drinks, batch brew filter coffee and and also they offer healthy lunch.
Enviromental mattees are are really important to Paper Mill Coffee, which is why they have set a goal to deliver all customer orders within Tallinn by bicycle in the future. Also they use innovative methods to pack coffees to reduce waste. In addition, on-site drinks are served in Huskee cups which are made using waste husk from coffee farms. Super inspiring!
Paper Mill is an ideal, bright, spacious place to meet a friend, grab a good cup of coffee, and eat a healthy lunch. In addition, Paper Mill offers brunch on the weekends, so it's worth taking a trip to the café every day.
Address: Masina 20, 10144 Tallinn
Brick Coffee Roastery - Full on coffee experience
Brick Coffee Roastery, which has operated in Telliskivi area for almost 5 years, have moved to a new place, of course still in Telliskivi. Their new space they all to themselves and their focus is only on coffee. They also roast their coffee on-site with Diedrich coffee roaster. Brick Coffee Roastery is a great place for a person who wants to see, hear and feel how coffee is made under one's own eyes. Every day there is a possibility to choose between two different batch brew coffees, so filter coffee friends, enjoy! On the day of the visit, the thermos were full of wonderful Tanzania, tasting very juicy and fruity. They also have plans to start offering delicious homemade pastries alongside the delicious coffees.
Behind The Brick Coffee Roastery are two men who are very strongly connected to coffee - Henry Politanov & Märten Kuusemets. Guys have said “So there are two main paths we are following – high-end and quality coffee.”
Address: Telliskivi 60M, 10412 Tallinn
Fika - mindfullness and great coffee moments
The word Fika comes from Swedish language where it means a coffee and cake break but it also has a deeper meaning. The meaning of Fika is not only to enjoy good coffee with pastries, but it is rather the best form of social interaction. Fika is a pleasure from being and life.
Fika is also a café in Telliskivi, which offers specialty coffee, delicious pastries, healthy salads, which can be enjoyed on-site or taken away. Fika currently offers both Mission Coffee Roasters and Paper Mill Coffee. Both, espresso based drink and batch brew filter coffee are present and you can usually choose from multiply coffees.
Fika is a coffee place with a very pleasant atmosphere and cozy lighting, where baristas care about good coffee and offer good coffee experiences. A good example is the last visit, when I asked what daily coffee you have for today, the barista understood my intensions perfectly and replied "Kenya which I was already enjoying this morning because it tastes just wonderful".
I must admit that it has happened more than once where I combine two of my favorites, a good cup of coffee from Fika and then head out to La Muu ice cream café in Telliskivi, where I grab a wonderful ice cream.
Address: Telliskivi 60a-1, 10412 Tallinn
City Kohviteek - fancy latte art
In the heart of the city is the pleasant and cozy City Kohviteek. The spacious and with a pleasant atmosphere Kohviteek is suitable for enjoying good coffee, breakfast and of course wonderful espresso based drinks. l recommend you to try out especially the espresso based drinks because of the head barista Patrick Paidla is the winner of the 2020 Estonian Latte Art Championship so you can be sure that you will get something really fancy latte art in your drink! Kohviteek uses coffees from The Barn from Germany, but they are also offering guest coffees every once a while.
A definite recommendation if you are in the city center and want to see amazing latte art and enjoy homemade pastries or a good lunch.
Address: Pärnu mnt 15, 10141 Tallinn
Gourmet Coffee Ülemiste – best quality takeaway coffee shop
Gourmet Coffee has a small take away coffee shop located in Ülemiste business district near Lennart Meri Tallinn airport. Little far from City Center but still worth a visit if you have spare time. They work Monday – Friday from 8:00-17:00. This is the place where you can grab your morning coffee to go on a workday and be sure that the quality is always excellent. Coffees they use are roasted by Estonian coffee roaster Coffee People as both Gourmet Coffee and Coffee People belong to the same owner. From their selection, I ordered Honduras Inga Aponte brewed with Hario v60. It was very well brewed coffee with all the flavours in balance. I would call that kind of coffees my perfect morning coffee.
From this shop, you can also buy the wide selection of coffee beans from different origins, teas and all sorts of different coffee gadgets. Everything you need to make your own quality coffee at home.
Address: Valukoja 10, 11415 Tallinn
Björn Espresso Bar - the best espresso in Tallinn
Your place to go when you want to have good espresso. This espresso bar is located in City Center, not far from Radisson SAS. Their main focus is coffee and especially espresso. Selection of coffees served varies from time to time. I had an opportunity to taste some Tanzanian PB coffee from small Latvian Kalve Coffee Roasters. Very nicely balanced and bright tasting espresso was served to me. Coffee was treated with respect and explained to me very well. A definitely place to go back to.
In addition to excellent espressos, they also make pour overs and sell fresh pastry to go with coffee. Very nice place to get together with your friends for good cup of coffee.
I love the place because of its simplicity, good service and excellent espresso.
Address: Maakri 19, 10145 Tallinn
These I yet to test but I'm sure you won't be disappointed with the coffee:
Kiosk №1
Address: Toompuiestee 22a, 10149 Tallinn
Kiosk №2
Address: Müürivahe Tänav 22, 10140 Tallinn
Värav Coffee and Toast
Address: Väike Rannavärav 4, 10111 Tallinn
