Pompei (Italian Restaurant), Tartu

We have only visited Pompei once but were very happy to have found such comfortable and chic dog-friendly Italian restaurant in Tartu with an interesting, unique, and high-quality menu. Obviously, our experience is very limited, but we still highly recommend Pompei to Italian food lovers looking for something a cut above your usual pizza place when in Tartu, especially those with furry friends (if those furry friends like mozzarella they will love you forever if you take them here 😊).

First, the staff were very friendly and efficient, from making the booking, allowing us to push it back by 20-minutes, to assigning us our preferred table, and to the general level of service. the service staff were also very informative and helpful when we asked for recommendations form the menu. We were able to order what we wanted when we wanted it, but were given space when we did not need anything; perfect!

Next, as to the drinks, it was a while ago so I do not remember exactly what we had, nor can I remember the prices. However, we enjoyed (a) some very good cocktails, (b) cold, crisp and well-kept beers, (c) a delicious glass or two of red wine, and (d) a digestive. As I say, I do not remember the prices, but everything seemed reasonably priced, especially given the quality.

Finally, to excellent and very interesting food. We started with the homemade mozzarella (€8) that was served with olive oil, and sea salt. We have never had fresh homemade mozzarella, and were really surprised by the idea, so were very intrigued by it, and it did not disappoint! It was quite different to store-bought mozzarellas, both in terms of taste and texture, but was excellent and very unique. Highly recommended, so give it a try, but it is only available after 6pm, so you would need to go for dinner. The other starter we ordered was the “Crispy lasagna, ‘nduja, pecorino, oregano” (€10), which was a kind of lasagna croquette. We chose this based on the recommendation of our waiter, and found it very tasty, and quite unlike anything we have had in other Italian restaurants. I guess it could be seen as an alternative for an ‘Arancini’, and seeing as we like fried crispy things but are often disappointed by arancini, this was a great substitute. For the mains we had two pasta dishes, the first of which was the ‘Canestrini, oyster mushrooms, mushroom cream, and grana Padano’ (€15), which was deep, earthy and well-balanced with perfectly cooked pasta. For the second pasta, I cannot exactly remember what it was as we ordered off the specials board, but it contained duck (approx. €15), and other than being a little too overly salted for our taste, was delicious and well-presented.

As I paid cash, I cannot remember the total bill, but I do remember we thought it was excellent value overall. Given the very interesting and well-prepared food, the lovely atmosphere and great staff, and the value for money, we highly recommend Pompei to anyone (with or without a furry friend) looking for elevated and delicious Italian food in Tartu.