Resto HAFEN — Restaurant in Saaremaa vald

A near-total disaster. We very much looked forward to eating at this restaurant after reading all the great reviews and the White Guide recommendation. We have ordered a table for 6 PM, and thus had plenty of time for a dinner, as the place closes at 8.

In theory.

Things started off nicely – we were greeted and seated by a friendly waitress who explained the menu and took our order. We quickly received our drinks, which were quite good. From here on, things quickly went south.

Twenty minutes in, we still have not received our starter. The waitress noticed this, apologised and ensured us that our food was on the way. We had to wait another 20 minutes before our starter was finally served. At this point, we were starting to get weary and asked the waitress if everything was okay in the kitchen. She assured us, that this was a one-off problem and apologised once again. Apology accepted, we finally could start on our starter, which was fine.

At this point, it was almost 7, and we should have had plenty of time to enjoy our mains, which by this time should have been ready. One would think. Only when I approached the staff at the counter 20 minutes in (again!) did they once again apologise and reassure me that the food was on the way. But no. 20 more minutes pass by and I’ve had enough at this point. It’s almost 8, the staff begins cleaning up and all the other guests start leaving - and we still haven’t received our mains! I ask the staff to just cancel our order, but they ensure me, that food is almost ready. To make up for this mess, they offer us free drinks, which we accept. Our food finally arrives, but my steak, which took a bloody hour to cook, is so salty that I have to send it back, completing the clusterfork of a service! We leave hungry, weary and disappointed. Not what I expect from a White Guide restaurant....

We visited the restaurant on August 12, 2025. The location is pleasant, overlooking a small harbor. That's one of the restaurant's few positive points. We started with a raw salmon cheviche, which wasn't marinated in lemon, but in a greasy sauce. It didn't complement the raw fish. Then we had the bowl and venison fillet. The bowl was completely flavorless, and the shrimp weren't fresh. The venison fillet was tough, dry, and far too salty. It looked like it hadn't been made at that moment, but rather reheated in the microwave? The celery puree was a watery mess topped with barely cooked vegetables and some wilted lettuce leaves. We're baffled as to how this restaurant even earned a 4.7 rating; we couldn't give it more than a 2.0. We therefore wouldn't recommend...

What a great restaurant. Beautiful seaview and lovely staff. ❤️

First of all. Make a table resevation. We didn't know this, but we had the best of luck and staff organised us one table for 1,5 hours, which was enough for a great dinner.

As a starter we took fishplate for two. It was delicious. Three different types of fish and some vegetables. Really tasty and there was plenty to eat for two.

As a main course we took the catch of the day. Again, it was delicious. Fish was fried perfect and the sauce was spot on. Vegetables were also perfectly made.

Wine recommendations were successful. Especially red wine for fish worked perfectly.

We really enjoyed our dinner and we recommend this great restaurant for...