Eat like an Estonian: A taste of tradition (and hospitality!) at Tore Toit with Reilika

When we visited Tallinn, we were eager to dive deep into authentic Estonian cuisine. While the Old Town boasts famous medieval-themed restaurants like Olde Hansa, serving up traditional-sounding platters of elk meat and herring, we craved something real. We wanted to know: what would an Estonian mum actually make for dinner? Enter Reilika: foodie, chef and mum of two. Spotting a gap in the market for tourists who wanted to experience genuine Estonian home cooking, she founded what went on to become Tore Toit. Starting as a food and bike tour in 2016, today Reilika offers more than just a meal; it's an immersive, heartwarming journey into Estonia's culinary soul.

Tucked away above the same bike shop where it all began, Tore Toit is a bright and airy attic space, newly opened in February this year. Here, the long tables, which Reilika explained are how Estonians gather for celebratory meals, are placed on rugs and adorned with vases of huge pink peonies, and historic wooden cabinets, filled with china just like any Estonian grandmother's, line the alcoves, adding to the homely feel. Just next door, a separate room hints at the hands-on experience Reilika also offers: Estonian cooking lessons!

What we ate:

We were booked onto the Eat Like An Estonian food experience - a guided tasting journey through three courses of traditional cooking. As we settled Jamie into his highchair, our table was already generously laid out with a wide selection of Estonian party food: moose sausage, smoked pork, different cheeses (with cumin: from the south; with juniper: from the islands and smoked - the one everyone fights over at the dinner table for the tastiest bits of rind), crunchy salted cucumbers pickled with blackberry leaves, lingonberry jam and traditional black bread served two ways: sliced with butter, and baked in the oven with grated garlic and a chives sauce for dipping. We could happily live on the latter for the rest of our lives... Another highlight of this course was the white mushroom salad with onions and sour cream ("every thing with sour cream," laughed Reilika): rich, chunky and delicious.

Next up was the warm main meal, served in the Estonian way: "Family Style" on large platters where everyone helps themselves. We tried succulent pork with a blueberry marinade, battered Baltic herring paired with a pickle tartar sauce and Mulgipudr - a savoury porridge from the south of the country that's so tasty that UNESCO has listed it! Served with barley, chunks of potato and smoked meat, it's the ultimate comfort food and would be amazing after a rainy hike.

For dessert, a light sponge cake similar to a swiss roll, filled with juicy rhubarb and a thick layer of traditional kohupiim cream. Divine.

What about drinks?

Estonia might be too cold to grow grapes, but they still enjoy fruit wine! We sampled a few by Allikukuvi Veinmois and were very pleasantly surprised: At 12% ABV this certainly isn't Shloer - the rhubarb wine was zingy and juicy like a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc and the raspberry was like a delicious summery rosé! We also tried a rhubarb cider by Hoggy's (which sounds British but is made by Estonia's A. Le Coq in Tartu) and a wee dram of the national digestif: Vana Tallinn - This Jamaican rum-based liqueur has notes of vanilla, herbs, and cinnamon – a perfect warming finish. Terviseks! (Cheers!)

Why visit Tore Toit:

What truly sets the Eat Like An Estonian experience apart at Tore Toit is that you are joined by chef Reilika herself for the duration, while she explains the recipes, when these dishes would typically be eaten, how she cooks for her own family and where the food comes from in the country. You'll gain fascinating insights into Estonia's culinary heritage, particularly how seasonality and the country's 51 years behind the Iron Curtain shaped eating habits. To this day, the love for foraging for mushrooms and berries remains strong – apparently if you spot a lot of cars pulled over in the Estonian countryside, it probably means someone's discovered a prime foraging spot!

Dining at Tore Toit is more than a meal, It's a cultural exchange and one of those special experiences that reminded us why we travel.

Useful Information:

• Tore Toit is upstairs at 33 Vene tn in Tallinn's Old Town, 4 minutes walk from St Olaf's Church and minutes walk from the Town Hall Square.

• Traditional Estonian 2 course lunch is served daily from 12-16:00, booking in advance is required - €19.00

• To book the Eat Like An Estonian food experience click here - €59.00

• To book the 3 hour Estonian Food Cooking Class click here - €65.00

You can contact Tore Toit at info@toretoit.ee.

They're also on Instagram!

Disclosure: this visit was arranged through Gosh PR and the Visit Estonia tourism board, but we weren't paid to post and as always, all opinions are our own!