Best of Kalamaja: Tallinn’s Hipster District

Fun fact: the neighborhood I call home in San Francisco is considered to be hip. “Up-and-coming,” as they say. Slightly off the beaten path for visitors, but already on the radars of those in the know – craft beer connoisseurs, rock-climbers, artists, and the odd bakery ‘grammer. Well, those in the know plus me, that is. I just responded to the siren call of rent control.

Thus, I felt right at home the second I stepped foot in Kalamaja. Kalamaja is a neighborhood in Tallinn known for its hipster residents, colorful clapboard houses, bohemian atmosphere, and phenomenal food scene. It’s an easy and safe 10-minute walk from Old Town (even at midnight!), but it feels a world away. If you’re planning what to do in Tallinn, I strongly urge you to explore or stay in the Kalamaja neighborhood. While Old Town is steeped in history and charm, Kalamaja feels like a backstage pass into what real life looks like in Tallinn. (It looks delightful.)

Below, I’ve listed my Best Of Kalamaja picks: the restaurants, activities, and finds that had us seriously contemplating a move to Estonia.

Best Of: Accommodations

As the neighborhood is so residential, there aren’t many hotels. Your best bet is finding an Airbnb or Booking.com apartment – all the cozier in my opinion!

Our wonderfully eclectic Airbnb can be found here. It’s in the basement of the hosts’ family home, and so thoughtfully designed. It also smelled like heaven; every so often I catch a whiff of something magical even now that brings me right back. Plus, the location can’t beat – it’s a short walk from everything that you’d want to see in Kalamaja, and a stone’s throw from Old Town too.

Best Of: Things To Do

Telliskivi Creative City

In our pursuit of coffee on our first morning in Kalamaja, we came across Telliskivi Creative City for the first time. We then proceeded to pay a visit at least once a day for the rest of our visit – for coffee, souvenirs, dinner, you name it. This place is a GEM.

Inside of an industrial complex, the hallways are packed with small shops, art galleries, and a couple of cafes. Upstairs, there are offices for NGO’s, creative studios, and more. The main building with all of the shops is situated front-and-center, but if you’re feeling adventurous, there is a labyrinth of warehouses and eateries surrounding it to explore. In the warmer months, it also plays host to many festivals.

Shopping here, lattes in hand, was my nirvana. So many art prints, baby clothes, scarves, textiles, painfully cool fashion, records, home knick-knacks and natural skin-care products caught my eye. I loved that I was shopping from local, small businesses and that the things I’d walk away with would be precious and unique. Homeart was my absolute favorite – I squirreled away several trinkets for my apartment here.

Balti Jaama Turg

Balti Jaama Turg is an old train station that has since been renovated into a multi-level market. Downstairs, there’s fresh produce and artisanal goods in abundance; on the upper levels, you can find everything from souvenirs to cheap clothes and lots of smaller eateries as well.

We happily camped out at Humalakoda, a lively brewery, for a couple of hours. Local ciders + a cheese board of satisfyingly pungent cheeses (do you see the BLUE blue cheese?!) + hunks of rye bread stealthily torn off from our own loaf that we snuck in = a perfect break from the November chill.

Balti Jaama Turg would be a fantastic place to pick up picnic items in the summertime, or to grab a quick lunch and drink when it’s grey or drizzly outside.

Flea markets, supermarkets, and other local haunts

Part of Kalamaja’s appeal in my opinion is how livable it is, and how I could see myself happily going about my days doing very ordinary things there. So one of my favorite activities ended up being just strolling around and soaking in the various vignettes of mundane life.

The pastel rainbow of wooden fishing houses and their brightly contrasting doors. Industrial parks taken over by trendy food pop-ups like Depoo (*cackle*). Supermarkets where we loaded up on late night snacks (pierogies that we fried up later that night), funky beverages, wine obviously, and butter of all things. A little courtyard with a string of lights and a sign claiming happy hour tacos and margaritas. Flea markets with literally everything you could think of – old denim, wax dolls, tractor wheels, antique porcelain – overseen by gruff men.

This did get us into trouble at one point. I wanted to check out a “very hard to find” flea market I’d read about on a few local blogs. Visions of us donning vintagey silks and serving guests with antique tea sets danced around in my head. Turns out, “very hard to find” was an understatement to say the least. Even Google Maps failed us.

Our first attempt led us to a hole-in-the-wall bakery, which I’ll count as a win. Our second attempt led us on a wild goose chase that had us ending up in the exact spot where we started. Next, we were barging into a completely abandoned building. Graffiti everywhere, dusty steps, bathrooms closed off with caution tape.

Finally, we made it to the flea market… only to leave ten minutes later because it was more church yard sale than the glamorous auction house I’d imagined. But! The fact that we spent an afternoon uncovering hidden corners, and that even Google Maps was stumped, is so special.

Seaplane Harbour*

We didn’t have the opportunity to visit The Estonian Maritime Museum, but I had to include it here because it was so highly recommended by the Internet, locals, and other tourists we chatted to. In fact, the couple that we roadtripped to Riga with told us it was the #1 thing that they did in Tallinn. You’ll definitely want to include this in your itinerary if you’re traveling with kids too!

Best Of: Food & Drink

Gustavo Gastro Cafe

PSA: that beauty on the top shelf, the “banoffe ahjukook” (banoffee pie), is heaven in a bite.

We walked into this bakery for an afternoon coffee. But once inside, we found ourselves verklempt when faced with this display of confections. The barista smiled knowingly and asked, “Do you like caramel? And want something delicious to go with your coffee?” He took our nodding wordlessly as a firm yes, and brought a huge slice of the banoffee ahjukook over to us along with a red velvet cake and our coffees.

And, well, wow. It’s a mindblowing, sinful mix of creamy banana custard, a decadent blanket of dulce de leche, and a dense and buttery crust. We came back the next day just to have it again. Even now, we’ll look at each other out of the blue and say, “remember that banoffee pie in Estonia?” And pull up Google Flights right after.

Boheem Kohvik

Boheem for breakfast is a must: it’s cheap, it’s tasty, and it’s where I’d hang out with a friend to catch-up over dumplings and omelettes and a view of the bleak outdoors if I lived in Tallinn. It was another place that came highly recommended to us, and now I’m passing along those praises.

Pro tip: order as much as you can because everything is delicious!

F-Hoone

F-Hoone would fit right in, in my own neighborhood with its grungey, graffiti-ed, warehouse exterior, and dark, moody lighting.

And the food, the food, the food!

SO good. I started off with a mulled wine, flavored with sea buckthorne. It was foamy and wintry and wonderful. Then, we proceeded to share steak tartare, mutton dumplings slathered in a rich mushroom sauce, a creamy chicken pasta, and a salad just so our mothers wouldn’t freak out after seeing picture of the meal.

Everything was so tasty, and the atmosphere was beyond. Don’t miss this.

Muhu Pagarid

Muhu Pagarid was the scene of the accidental loaf of rye bread. While on our Flea Market Hunt, we curiously followed a fellow explorer into a non-descript doorway. Immediately, we were welcomed by the heavenly scent of freshly baked bread. Going up to counter, we asked for “one slice please!” only to find that not a single person there spoke English. Sheepishly, we put up one finger, grabbed the bag handed over to us, and quickly left – and that is the story of how we ended up with an entire loaf of rye bread with only two days to eat it.

It was the most delicious rye bread I’ve ever eaten: oaty and nutty and toothsome, and especially good with generous smears of butter. It was our faithful sidekick for the rest of our sojourn in Kalamaja. We’d inconspicuously reach into our bag and grab hunks by the handful as we shopped, dined, napped…

Kalamaja is a heady maelstrom of an understated residential vibe, Scandinavian design-forwardness, and a quirky, artsy edge that makes you feel like you’re in the know too.

Well, now you are. Promise me you won’t leave Tallinn without at least a quick jaunt over the train tracks to Kalamaja! You won’t regret it.