The MICHELIN Guide Estonia 2024: Celebrating Culinary Excellence and Sustainability
Michelin is pleased to present the third edition of The MICHELIN Guide Estonia. The Michelin Inspectors have spent another year travelling the country in search of its best restaurants, with four new establishments joining the selection. In total, The MICHELIN Guide Estonia 2024 recommends 35 restaurants, including one awarded Two Michelin Stars; one with One Michelin Star; six Bib Gourmand awarded restaurants offering great value dining; and three Michelin Green Star restaurants, who are role-models when it comes to sustainable gastronomy.
Two Michelin Stars
The top story of last year was the promotion of Tallinn’s stylish restaurant 180° by Matthias Diether from One to Two Michelin Stars. The Michelin Inspectors continued to be impressed by this stunning restaurant, where the service runs like a dream and the perfectly pitched menus are made up of intricate, highly skilled dishes, which captivate guests not only with their flavours but also their eye-catching looks.
One Michelin Star
Furthermore, the striking NOA Chef’s Hall in Tallinn – run by Chef-Owner Tõnis Siigur and overlooking Tallinn Bay – retains its One Michelin Star status. Here the Michelin Inspectors once again experienced creative, complex cooking exhibiting bold flavours and great attention to detail. Charming service and a passionate sommelier top off the experience.
Four Newly Added Restaurants
The Michelin Inspectors were delighted to add four new restaurants to the Estonian selection this year.
ÂME, in Tallinn, opened at the end of last year inside an intimate Nunne Boutique Hotel on the edge of the city’s Old Town. It is an elegant place where the old and the new combine: part of the Medieval city wall runs down one side of the room, yet it also has a contemporary, design-led style. Modern dishes have a French heart, but also feature flavours drawn from around the globe. The Inspectors were particularly impressed by the harmony of the combinations, which showed skilled judgement from the chefs.
At Tallin’s Nok Nok, authentic Thai flavours are the order of the day, with fresh, zingy, flavour-packed dishes covering many different regions. Two spacious, colourfully decorated dining rooms bring an energetic vibe to proceedings and there’s a courtyard terrace for the warmer months. The Michelin Inspectors loved the chicken satay, the rich curries and the delicious desserts on offer here, with the option of trying a range of dishes on the tasting menu a real bonus.
Situated in a residential area on the edge of Tallinn, RADIO is somewhere several of the Michelin Inspectors said they would love to have at the end of their street. Part wine shop, part rustic café-cum-bistro, this neighbourhood establishment is all things to all people. It has a bistro feel – with a few sofas available for those who like it super laid-back – and the good value seasonal dishes come in the form of medium-sized plates designed for sharing; unsurprisingly, each also comes with the perfect wine recommendation.
One New Michelin Green Star
The Michelin Green Star is an annually awarded distinction which highlights restaurants at the forefront of the industry when it comes to their sustainable practices – restaurants which offer dining experiences that combine culinary excellence with outstanding eco-friendly commitments and are a source of inspiration both for keen foodies and the hospitality industry as a whole.
Existing Green Star restaurants Fotografiska in Tallinn and SOO in Maidla are re-awarded for 2024. At the former, sustainability leads their entire operation, with every ingredient used from either blossom to root or snout to tail in the kitchen and bar. Meanwhile the latter – set on an eco-estate and surrounded by woods and wetlands – was designed with the core value of preserving and protecting the surrounding environment, and this ethos guides their daily work.
Newly selected restaurant Kolm Sõsarat also sees its commitment to sustainability awarded with a Michelin Green Star. It is a sweet, intimate, remotely set place run by three sisters, and each has their own role to play: Kirti does the cooking, Triin looks after the service and Kadri tends to the kitchen garden. The playful set menu is a showcase of the area, featuring top quality produce grown in their garden, reared on their farm or foraged from the forest – and then often preserved on-site; the superb honey, meanwhile, comes from their father’s long-established hives nearby. The story behind each dish is explained as it is served and the passion of the team is palpable, as they go above and beyond to care for every guest. This is a truly special place where the Michelin Inspectors felt genuine pride and care from the team, and the 4+ hour experience simply flies by.
Bib Gourmands
The Bib Gourmand award highlights restaurants within the selection which offer good quality food at an affordable price. For 2024, all six restaurants previously awarded a Bib Gourmand retain their distinction.
These are: Fellin in Viljandi, a warm and welcoming café-cum-bistro serving homely European dishes; Härg in Tallinn, a fun all-day brasserie where chargrilling is a speciality; Lore Bistroo, a modern harbourside bistro where dishes are inspired by the owner’s travels; Mantel ja Korsten, set in a picture-postcard clapboard house and serving Mediterranean-inspired dishes; NOA, with its seasonal, modern menus and water views; and Tuljak, with its retro look and creative dishes with a Baltic heart.
These join 21 restaurants that maintain their place in the selection from last year:
38, Tallinn
Alexander, Muhu Island
Art Priori, Tallinn
Barbarea, Tallinn
Gianni, Tallinn
Hõlm, Tartu
Horisont, Tallinn
Joyce, Tartu
Lahepere Villa, Kloogaranna
Lee, Tallinn
Mere 38, Võsu
Mon Repos, Tallinn
Moon, Tallinn
Paju Villa, Tallinn
Pull, Tallinn
Puri, Tallinn
R14, Tallinn
Rado, Tallinn
Rado, Haapsalu
Tchaikovsky, Tallinn
Wicca, Laulasmaa
Souce: Michelin
Marketing Manager
Posted: 21.05.2024
Categories: News
