Ilmaveere — Hotel in Setomaa vald

We were pleasantly surprised upon arriving at Ilmaveere (Restaurant). The landscape was picturesque — almost fairytale-like. A few guests were seated outside, and as we stepped in, we saw a beautiful dining hall with a calm, inviting atmosphere. However, our positive first impression quickly faded due to the service. We were stopped by a middle-aged waiter who asked if we had a reservation. When we said we didn’t, he informed us that without one, we’d have to wait a long time for our food. When I asked why, he replied that a reserved table was arriving at 3 PM and they were more important (I thought that every customer is important, especially in hospitality service…) This left me surprised — it was still 20 minutes until 3, and the restaurant was far from full. I explained that I have a background in the restaurant business and didn’t quite understand his logic. The kitchen doesn’t know what that table will order yet, and by the time they do, we might already be finished (which I said half-jokingly). Somehow it changed his mood, and he said that if we ordered quickly, we might still make it in time.

We placed our order at 14:50. At 15:30, I went to ask about our food. The waiter replied triumphantly, “I told you it would take time!” I looked around the nearly empty hall (I’m not even sure this reserved table had arrived), confused about the delay. ...Thankfully, the conversation was cut short as a waitress announced that our dishes were apparently ready now.

As for the food: the same waiter had told us everything is made from scratch and that Ilmaveere offers top-quality cuisine. The prices reflected that — so our expectations were high. Unfortunately, the experience didn’t quite live up to them. What we received was simple gastro bar-style food at a rather steep price. Waiting 40 minutes for meals that didn’t seem to be made from scratch after all was excessive. Pre-boiled potatoes and pre-cooked sausages grilled before serving don’t justify that kind of delay - it is not home cooking. For example, the main course called Ilmaveere Sausage cost €23 — a rustic dish in both ingredients and presentation, and far from a proper main course in portion size. A fair price would’ve been closer to €16. The lamb kebab skewers (€17?!) were also petit size and just average in flavor. In both dishes, the ingredient proportions were a bit off too — especially the lack of dressing.

In short: Ilmaveere left us confused. The location is beautiful and magical, and there’s definitely something that draws you back. But the service — especially from the male waiter — was truly off-putting. Despite claiming to have 30 years of experience, he hasn’t learned that condescending or dismissive behavior has no place in hospitality.

The food tasted fine, but the pricing didn’t match the quality or portion size.

We’ll likely return one day — but just for...

We came here only for the restaurant. The location and space are beautiful, but unfortunately we cannot recommend the restaurant to anybody, as the dinner took over 4 hours (both 3- and 5-course menu). It took over an hour to get our first course, and at no point did the servers explain anything about why it was taking so long. They only have one menu with maximum 5 items, and they weren’t fully booked, so I cannot fathom how it could take so long. Weirdly, they informed us at the time of reservation and in the reminder that our table was only booked for 2 hours, so we’re not sure what happened. Because it took so long, all of us left hungry. Based on other reviews, it seems like timing is a recurring issue for them. The food tasted good and the concept was nice overall, so we sincerely wish them success if they can resolve their timing issue, or at the very least their communication about timing issues,...

Külastasime Ilmaveere restorani suurte ootustega. Elame Tallinnas ja kuna Ilmaveere puhul on tegemist pereisa endise koolimajaga ootasime külastust väga. Olime kuulnud palju head ja atmosfäär oli juba sisenedes suurepärane, seda enam kerkisid meie ootused. Paraku pidime pettuma. Menüü ootamine 10-15 min oli pisiasi, kuid sellele lisandus apse, mis viisid tuju lõpuks päris ära. Kokteilid olid klubitasemel (st suhkrupommid ja tasakaaluta), kuid õnneks vein ja majalimps olid head. Teenindaja küsis, kas soovime kolme inimese pearooga koos kahe inimese eelroaga koos või eraldi, vastasime, et koos, kuid need toodi ikkagi ilma kommentaarideta eraldi. Ilmselt unustas ära, saime ka sellest aru, ja ei hakanud mainima. Kuid, kui eelroad söödud, toodi neljale meist pearoad, aga ühele mitte. Teenindaja uuris asja ja vabandas, et ta on uus ja saame ka puuduoleva roa. Saimegi, siis kui ülejäänutel oli söödud. Vahepeal kiituseks, et lest ja eelroad olid väga head, hirveliha jällegi nägi taldrikul väga kurb välja, ääred üles kuivanud ja üksik koos paari porgandiga ning kana oli ilmselgelt üle soolatud. Magustoidud olid samuti head. Kui teenindaja küsis, kuidas toidud maitsesid, vastasime ausalt. Pole aimugi, kas meie kommentaarid ka kööki jõudsid. Järgmine apsakas tehti espresso serveerimisega.Tavapäraselt ei tooda seda prae kõrvale ja kõrvale peaks tooma ka klaasi vett. Punkti pani külastusele meile esitatud arve. Broneerisime laua online, kus broneeringut ei olnud võimalik teha ilma ettemaksuta (5le 75 eurot), aga arvelt ei olnud seda maha võetud. Minu märkuse peale, et seda oleks pidanud kontrollima, sest ilma ettemaksuta ei saanud broneerida, vastati, et broneerida saab ka telefoni teel ja sel juhul ettemaksu ei küsita. Tundub, et online broneeringut, mida klient peab väga tõsiselt võtma ja läbi mõtlema, sest küsitakse ettemaksu, restorani poolt üldse nii tõsiselt ei võeta. Seal oli ka küsimus allergiate kohta, mille ära täitsin. Selle kohta ei uurinud keegi midagi. Milleks sel juhul lasta kliendil lahtreid täita, kui restoran sellele...