Seasonal Food in Tallinn, Estonia: What to Eat

What is in season in Tallinn, and what to order when the market changes.

Next up in Tallinn

30 Oct to 8 NovAll-cuisine restaurant week

Spring

Birch sap (kasemahl): Tapped from birch trees in late March and April across Estonia, sold at markets and brewed into spring water across Tallinn kitchens.
Nettle and sorrel: Wild nettles and sorrel arrive at Balti Jaama Turg in April and May, used in soups and salads at Bib Gourmand kitchens like Fotografiska and Vesta.
Spring perch: Perch caught fresh from the Baltic and Estonian lakes appears on tasting menus at NOA and 180 by Matthias Diether through April and May.

Going to Tallinn Restaurant Week (Spring)?

Hotels in Tallinn, 11-22 Mar 2027

Holidufrom USD 58 a night

Estonian strawberries: Maasikad ripen in June and July, sold by the basket at Balti Jaama Turg, Nõmme Turg and Keskturg, eaten with cream and on kringel.
Wild blueberries (mustikad): Estonian wild blueberries arrive in late July, sold in plastic buckets at the markets and folded into pies and porridges across the city.
Smoked Baltic herring: Smoked sprats and herring from the August fishery anchor the kiluvõileib open sandwich and bar snacks across the city's pubs.
Garden cucumbers and dill: Estonian summer cucumbers and dill arrive at the markets by July, going into the year's pickle jars and cold cucumber soups.

Wild mushrooms: Estonian forests yield chanterelles, porcini and cep mushrooms from late August through October, sold at Balti Jaama Turg by foragers.
Estonian game: Wild boar, elk and venison enter restaurant menus in October, with NOA Chef's Hall, Tuljak and Rataskaevu 16 leading the seasonal game course.
Apple harvest: Estonian apples ripen across September and October, sold at markets and stewed into hapukapsas-side dishes for the winter.
Lingonberry and cranberry: Wild lingonberries (pohlad) and cranberries (jõhvikad) arrive in October, hand-foraged from northern bogs and sold as jam across the markets.

Going to Tallinn Christmas Market?

Hotels in Tallinn, 20 Nov to 6 Jan

Holidufrom USD 58 a night

Verivorst at the Christmas market: Blood sausage with lingonberry jam and hapukapsas anchors the Tallinn Christmas Market on Raekoja plats from late November through early January.
Sült and Christmas table: Pork-hock head cheese (sült) appears on Estonian Christmas Eve tables alongside verivorst, with most Old Town traditional rooms running it through December.
Glögi mulled spirits: Tallinn's Christmas market sells glögi (mulled wine), often spiked with Vana Tallinn liqueur, plus mulled Põhjala porter through the dark months.
Smoked fish and rye bread: Winter Estonia leans on the smokehouse: smoked salmon, herring and eel pair with dense Karjase Sai rye for everyday meals from December through March.