We were struggling to find good, vegetarian food in Tallinn. There was no shortage of coffee shops and cute bakeries where we could get a snack, but a huge part of the restaurant scene is pseudo-medieval restaurants which try to recreate the feel of the olden days (with elk soup, and so on). Main meals for veggies are a little thin on the ground.
So it was with some relief that we discovered Lido. It's a buffet-style restaurant with everything laid out: pointing at food that looks good is much easier than trying to decipher Estonian menu descriptions. It's also cheap, and fresh, and full of vegetable dishes (along with plenty of meat options which I ignored).
In Tallinn, Lido has an upstairs floor in a modern shopping centre, a short walk from the medieval city. Huge picture windows look out over the Estonian national opera house, but the inside of the restaurant has been made up to look rustic, warm and inviting. The clientele was mostly local, and as tourists we were a bit of a novelty.
We later discovered that Lido is a Latvian chain, and we were happy to find a branch in Riga, too, with very similar dishes. Definitely recommended.
9 comments:
There was a buffet-style chain in Paris called "Melodine" which probably fills the same niche, although I must admit that they seemed to go more for the "canteen" ambience!
Looks pretty good - admittedly, I'm no expert on Latvian food, so I can't really say any more ;-) Have a lovely evening xo
I don't know if I'll ever get to these exotic travels which you do but, if so I will take note of these eateries. I also, prefer vegetarian meals to Elk.
If I ever travel to Estonia, I will certainly think of you, Rachel. And likely enjoy Lido.
Oh must visit next time I am in Tallinn, I used to go quite often but haven't for a while. Have you tried that estonian snack of cranberries rolled in icing sugar? Sounds horrid but very addictive.
If I find myself in Estonia on my travels, I'll have to hit this up :) It's good to know a fellow veggie who loves to travel and can scope out some good local finds!
I know how it is when you've looking for meat-less meals in a foreign country, very frustrating. I'm glad you found Lido, it looks charming.
I just love to travel around with you here on your blog!
That does look interesting.
Post a Comment
Thanks for dropping in! I'd love to hear what you have to say, and if you leave a URL, I'll be round to visit you soon.