We visited the Viru food court a few times on our last visit to Tallin; twice for lunch, once for morning coffee, plus bought some take away food for our journey back to Finland. Each time, we were extremely pleased and surprised to find such great quality food and drinks in a food court environment.
We are not 100% sure of the dog policy, but (a) the shopping centre it is located in welcomes dogs, (b) we were told by one staff member that he sees a lot of dogs here and did not have a problem with it, and (b) nobody blinked an eye while were there. Thus, we are presuming that dogs are either officially allowed in, or at least nobody minds; so give it a try!
We did not count how many food sellers there were, nor did we look at all the menus in detail, but according to the “Vist Tallinn” website, the food court has 15 different vendors, each offering different world cuisines, with vegan, vegetarian and gluten- and lactose-free options, and has a common indoor seating area of over 1,500 square meters. In addition, in summer months, they also have a fairly large terrace area.
Now the basics have been dealt with, I will move on to our experience, which was in early October 2022.
On the first afternoon, we shared some loaded fries, chicken wings, and home crafted beers at Mikkeller. Mikkeller apparently originated in Copenhagen and claims to be “one of the world’s top 5 best craft beer producers”, but I am not sure what metrics were used to support this claim. Either way, in terms of drinks, we tried a couple of their craft beers (two IPAs and a lager) and they were all very good. In addition, to their beers, they also offer some cocktails, G&Ts, and other beverages, all of which sounded yum and were reasonably priced (beers were around €6.50, and cocktails between €7 and €10 I think). Next, as for food, we cannot remember exactly what food they serve, but Mikkeller mainly serves a selection of chicken wings, burgers and hot sandwiches, and loaded fries. As mentioned above, for our part, we just had a portion of loaded fries (about €7 or €8), and a serving of chicken wings (also about €8). The fries were delicious, and even with the good amount of toppings, the fries remained crispy. the chicken wings were very tasty, but not as crunchy as we like. Other customers were having their burgers, we only saw the chicken burgers, and they looked really good, and I imagine would pair really well with the beer. All up, even though there are many choices in the food court, we think Mikkeller is a great option.
On the second day, we came again for lunch, and shared some lovely dishes from two of the vendors, plus had beers again from Mikkelor. First, we had some excellent pork carnitas tacos from Stereo Street Food. The tacos were freshly made on the spot, the marinated pork was delicious, and the toppings excellent. Some of the best tacos we have had, and at about €8 for two, were excellent value for money. Next, we also had an excellent Salami pizza (€11) from Kolm Tilli Pizza. The Neapolitan-style pizza base was great; chewy and crispy at the same time, the tomato sauce delicious and tangy, and the salami was not only in PLENTIFUL supply, but was also very high quality and suited the pizza perfectly; very tasty but not overpowering.
Next, in the even of our second day, we bought some delicious savoury pastries (samsa and Tšeburekid) from Samsa Family Bakers to eat on the ferry back home the next day. These Usbeki snacks are delicious, but as we have only ever had them form Samasa (two locations; see note below), we cannot compare them to the norm. We had one chicken and one lamb, both of which were fantastic, and at between €3 and €5.50 each, we feel they are good value for money, especially given the quality and size. Our first experience with Samsa family Bakers was a few years ago at the market location (Balti Jaama Turg) where, in addition to the pastries, we had their AMAZING and highly recommended Uzbek Pilaf with Lamb, also available at the Viru food court (€12). Won’t go into details, but this UNESCO World Heritage listed dish is a must try!
Finally, on the morning we left Tallinn we enjoyed two excellent coffees from Paper Mill Coffee & Roast House. The coffees (flat white I think) were not the cheapest, but were very good, so worth it. Paper Mill sells a variety of coffees, teas, juices and other beverages, plus some delicious looking pastries and snacks.
So, all in all, we cannot recommend the Viru food court highly enough if you are looking for a casual place to try excellent foods at reasonable prices. On our next visit, we will have to resist the urger to have the same dishes again, just so we can try some of the offerings from the other 12 amazing looking vendors. If you are staying at the Original Sokos Hotel Viru, the food court is less than a 1 minute walk from the lobby, and you do not even have to go outside to get there! If you are staying in other parts of the town, it is easy to get there on foot, or by the excellent tram system.
| Number of Visits | 2 |
| Last Visit | October 2022 |
| Dog Policy | All dogs welcome |
| Website | https://virukeskus.com/toitlustus/ |
