Baltic sprat open sandwich on Estonian black rye bread, with butter, hard-boiled egg and dill. The classic afternoon snack and tavern bar bite served across Estonia year-round.
Kiluvõileib pairs Estonia's two cornerstone ingredients: smoked Baltic sprat (kilu) and dense rye bread (leib). The sprat fishery has run on the Estonian Baltic since the medieval Hanseatic period, with sprat preserved in salt and oil for the winter months. The open sandwich became the everyday small plate of the early Soviet era, when meat was scarce and the canned sprat was always available. It remains the bar snack at most Estonian taverns and a staple at home for afternoon tea.
3 editor picks for Kiluvõileib in Tallinn, ranked by editorial score. All Tallinn signature dishes · Kiluvõileib across every city.
Olde Hansa ★ 4.7
vanalinn · Vana turg 1, 10140 Tallinn
Olde Hansa on Vana turg in the Old Town is a long-running Hanseatic-feast restaurant with medieval costumes, live hurdy-gurdy music and a 14th-century menu.
Rataskaevu 16 ★ 4.5
vanalinn · Rataskaevu 16, 10123 Tallinn
Rataskaevu 16 in the Old Town is a long-running Estonian comfort-food institution, with braised elk roast and chef's choice white fish carrying a vegetable.
III Draakon ★ 4.4
vanalinn · Raekoja plats 1, 10146 Tallinn
III Draakon under the 13th-century Town Hall on Raekoja plats is a tiny medieval-themed tavern serving elk soup, pirukad pastries and house beer cellar.