Kampus Tartu: Fusion Food Court

We only went to Kampus once for lunch given the short time we were in Tartu, but were very impressed by the quality of food and drinks, level of service, and general atmosphere. They were also very dog-friendly, giving us plenty of space and offering water (to us and our dog), so all in all we had a great experience and highly recommend a visit.

Kampus is a building with a couple businesses, forming a kind of small but upmarket international food court (great concept), and all the businesses seemed to offer great quality food and drinks. While each of the restaurants specialize in certain products, for example, Poke, or Burgers, they also seem to offer a kind of fusion menu, mixing the tastes and ingredients of various cuisines such as Mexican, Japanese, French and American very well.

As noted, we have only been once for lunch, and only snacked, so our experience is again very limited (and we cannot remember which business we ordered from). Also, in terms of food, I think the menus change, so am not sure if what we had is still available, so take this review as an example of the kind of food and drink to expect, rather than a description of what you can order. Nevertheless, given the high quality and interesting food, good drinks, and the dog-friendliness of the place, Kampus definitely deserves a review.

Moving on to our food experience. On our visit we shared three dishes: Korean Style Fried Chicken, Roasted Padron Peppers, and Tortilla Chips with Guacamole and Jalapenos. I do not remember the prices, but everything seemed very reasonable given the great quality. First, the chicken was excellent; very crispy, not greasy, full of flavor, and the dipping sauce complimented it perfectly. Next, the padrons were as good as we have had in any tapas bar in Spain, and we have been to many. They were cooked perfectly, beautifully salted, and unusually, served with a roasted lemon, something which worked very well. Finally, the Tortillas were home-made, or at least freshly fried, and the guacamole and jalapenos were delicious, and interestingly, the dried bonito flakes on the top really worked.

As for drinks, while they serve a lot of non-alcoholic beverages, wines, and some fantastic sounding cocktails, we just stuck with a few glasses of Estonian lagers, which were fresh, cold, and complimented our food perfectly.

In terms of price, as noted above, I do not know the exact prices, but the total bill for the three dishes and at least two beers was €38, so we left very happy.

To conclude, if you are in Tartu, with or without a furry companion, and looking for some unusual but interesting and high-quality food for lunch or dinner, or just some well-crafted drinks, then we highly recommend Kampus. We will go again for sure if we find ourselves in Tartu in the future.