Seen everything in Kalamaja? Next stop is Pelgulinn area!
Telliskivi is already familiar to everyone, and most of the visitors are starting know Kalamaja as well. Pelgulinn area on the other hand, seems to be so far a little less known. It’s right next door to these two.
Like the Kalamaja, Pelgulinn area is a cozy and green wooden house district, taken over by hipsters and a young creative class one apartment at a time with mocca latte as their source of energy. Because the area is less known and less crowded, wandering around its streets can be fun alternative to the more familiar neighborhoods.
Best of Pelgulinn area
Sooloiluja visited the neighborhood for you. With the help of the map I made it is easy for you to go and see the most interesting spots of Pelgulinn area.
1. Kolm Sibulat is a classic
Fusion-confusion describes Three Sibulas themselves. The menu includes both Asian and Middle Eastern, Mediterranean and Georgian cuisine. A lasting favorite that always leaves you happy! Address Telliskivi Street 2, open Tue–Sat 12–23.
2. Restaurant Koma
Across the street from Kolm Sibulat at Telliskivi 1, you will find this relatively new restaurant. The specialty of the place is a menu built around craft beers. Nice furnishings, skillful kitchen and friendly service. Open Tue–Thu 17–23, Sat–Sun 17–24.
Sooloiluja is recommending you to test Koma Restaurant! Its menu is built to match the high quality craft beers.
3. Vegan restaurant Pelgupaik
This small restaurant boasts stunningly good vegan cuisine and other Asian-inspired delicacies. On their Insta site, you get into the atmosphere. As the name implies, the home of this place is Pelgulinn, and you will find it at Telliskivi 24. The doors are open every day: Sun– Thu 12–20, Fri–Sat 12–21.
4. Chokolade shop Chocokoo
One of the city’s most wonderful delicacy shops can also be found Pelgulinn. The name is Chocokoo, and address Telliskivi 33. This is a place which is worth stopping over if you want to find an exclusive gift or just something super good to be put to your own mouth.
Pelgulinn area is also the home of Chocokoo’s chocolate shop. There’s a showcase full of luxuriously delicious, hand-made chocolates.
5. Positiiv Galerii
Positive is a small photo gallery, and at the same time a one woman’s miracle. Gallerist and curator Kristel Schwede also publishes photo magazine called positive which comes out four times a year. The gallery is open from noon to 6 pm on weekdays, at other times by agreement. The last time I saw Silvia Pärmann’s exhibition, “Ilma jäetud”, featuring touching pictures of the Chernobyl ruins. To visit this positive little place go to Roo 21a.
6. Heart warming Ristikheinä kohvik
Ristikheinä is one of my favorite cafes throughout Tallinn. That’s why it has earned its own post (in Finnish), which you can find here. The café itself can be found at Ristiku 57. The doors open early and remain open until the evening: Sat–Sun 9–19, Mon–Fri 8–21.
7. Flo Kasearu house museum
This museum is a unique experience! Or have you visited an artist’s home with a airplanes wing in the back yard, and where you slide down from the upper floor to the street level instead of taking the stairs. Take a look at the pictures I took on my visit there, and bookmark the address Pebre 8. Admission fee 10 €, visit to be agreed in advance. Contact Flo via her website.e Pebre 8.
8. Kaja pizzaköök
The competition of who makes the best pizza in town is tightening, as Pomo in Ülemiste bakes very good pizzas in a wood-burning stove, as well as Jahu street gourmet downtown. But so does Kaja, who started this pizza boom in the city. Here’s some pics from one of my Kaja visits. Kaja opens every day at 11:30 am and closes when the doughs of that day are baked and pizzas sold: sometimes early in the afternoon, on quieter days until 18:00. The address is Õle 33.
9. Kopli puljongibaar
I took this place on the list even though it may be on Kalamaja’s side. An exotic place to look at pictures on their fb pages first, then take the direction towards Kopli 23. Closed Ma–Sun, open Sun 12–17, Wed–Thu 12–19, Fri 16–21, Sat 12–21
Although Pulgongibaar is in Kalamaja, I included it on the list, because Pelgulinn looms right on the other side of the railway yard.
Pelgulinn area ends and the wild North begins
The rest of the places are right on the northern border of Pelgulinna, in Karjamaa. However, I will include them in the post because all four are just next to each other, and they are no more than a 10-minute walk away from for example the Ristikheinä café.
10. Vegan restaurant Tru
Tru is one of the most recent stars on the Tallinn restaurant sky. I happened to visit there on the first day they were open, and I fell in love with it! Both the food menu and the café are all vegan. Blog post is still in progress, but look at the mood on their Instagram page. One of the owners is also a photographer, and it shows. Open Tue–Thu 11–22, Fri–Sat 11–23, Sun 11–18. Mo closed. Address is Kopli 25.
Two interesting new places north of Pelgulinn: vegan restaurant Tru Kitchen and Odeon restaurant / bar.
11. Restaurant and bar Odeon
Odeon has the same owners as Frank, which is one of my favorite places in Old Town. I got to peek in Odeon shortly before its grand opening. I fell in love with its atmosphere, so I decided to write a post about it before I even tested the kitchen of the place. Odeon has become a popular spot for locals both for food and hangout, so you should also navigate yourself to Odeon at Kopli 25 and Odeon. Open on Tuesdays 11–22, Fri–Sat 11–23 and Sun 11–18. Mon closed.
12. Cool cocktail bar and bistro Checkpoint Tallinn
This was a fantastic discovery on my last trip! Checkpoint Tallinn is basically a cocktail bar, but they also occasionally cook brunch when they feel like it. That’s exactly what happened when I found this place. Tasty grilled panini, and the combucha-tonic I had deserves a special mention . The address is Kopli 78b, and opening hours according to Google su–to 20–24, Fri–Sat 20–03. But as they occasionally serve brunch as well, you may want to contact them beforehand to make sure the doors are open when you go there.
The best thing about creating this site is that I get to meet some really great Tallinn people. One such sweet case was Checkpoint Tallinn’s Kadri Eisler aka Gray Eyed Baker. Check out her lovely pictures in Instagram! This picture is hers.
13. Bekker bakery and café
Finally, a wonderful little bakery-café was just around the corner of Odeon. One of the city’s best bakeries if you ask me: really tasty breads and pies, and absolutely heavenly cakes and other baked goods. Charming service! The address is Kopli 27, and opening hours Mon–Fri 8–18, Sat 9–15. Closed on Sun.
A list of places added by Pelgulinn people
After sharing this post on Facebook’s Pelgulinn group, I got lots of fun additions to the list! I haven’t tested them myself yet, but I trust the words of the locals. The name is also a link to the google map.
a) a Stylish and cozy winebar Shvips. Here I’ve visited myself, and can recommend warmly.
b) Garden restaurant Clos, open only during the summer. Their Facebook pages are here.
c) Natural Foods Store Ökosahver. They’ve got a Facebook page as well.
d) Fantom kebab restaurant, that seemed to have much other stuff on their manu as well. Soup of the day 1,5 € ja borsch 2 €. I definitely want to test this place!
e) Pelgulinna rahvamaja right next to Telliskivi. You probably find the events on their (Estonian) website.
f) Armenian “general store” Kolde and the Omakolde houses around it. Haven’t been here before, but it’s high up on my “must see” list.
g) Restaurant Nuudel on Telliskivi street.
h) Kalamaja sushi
The above images are from a sweet little Bekker bakery. This old story (in Finnish, sorry!) is about the already closed Kopli restaurant, but at the end of it, pictures from Bekker.
Pelgulinn area is lovely! But what next?
I hope you got ideas from this post to conquer new areas. I have done many other lists as well, so that you could find places worth visiting in Tallinn.
- All my favorite restaurants are on one page with the name Best Restaurants in Tallinn. Save the a link for the next time you’re looking for a good place to eat.
- Also, finding a nice breakfast spot can be challenging at times. The list of my favorite breakfast places in Tallinn will hopefully help you make your choice.
- Here are all the articles in English. I’m trying to translate the Finnish ones as much as I can. Please let me know if there is any specific ones you’d like to read in English!
Sinua kiinnostaisi ehkä nämäkin
3 Comments
Gal Jerman
WOOOOOPPPP ,…. top post ,.. gona save it!
Mark
Excellent article. I always Pelgulinn would be the next up & coming area of Tallinn. Lovely little church is the focal point.
Henna Mikkilä
I fully agree – Pelgulinn is such nice area!