Hem koduresto & aed — Restaurant in Tallinn

A Hidden Gem Worth the Stroll – Hem Koduresto

Tucked away from the usual tourist-packed restaurants, Hem Koduresto feels like it's exactly where it’s meant to be — just slightly off the beaten path. And that’s part of its charm. You’ll find it in the Telliskivi area, only about 500 meters from the iconic Fotografiska museum. If you’re nearby, walk that distance. Trust me, it’s more than worth it.

The restaurant itself is small, but radiates warmth and personality. Housed in an old building, the dining room is filled with vintage tables, mismatched chairs, and lovingly chosen details. It honestly feels more like stepping into someone’s cozy home than a formal dining spot.

And then the food arrives — each plate a piece of art. Beautifully presented, yes, but the real magic is in the taste. Every dish is a perfectly balanced mix of textures and flavors, where every component has a reason to be there. I can’t remember the last time I seriously considered licking my plate clean — and that’s saying something.

Don’t leave without trying the beef carpaccio and the cauliflower dish. Both were unforgettable. Easily some of the best I've ever had.

Prices are very fair considering the quality — our dinner for two, including drinks, came to €126.

Hem Koduresto is a five-star experience through and through. Unpretentious, soulful, and absolutely...

A completely mediocre experience. The food looks better than it tastes. It is not bad at all, but just completely meh - lacks that something special, a kick, an acidic touch or something to bring the dishes to life. The smoked chicken especially was just bland and dry.

Our server was very nice and polite, but the rest of the crew was behaving a bit weird. Like, some dude dragging himself out of the kitchen to come and chat with floor personnel, while picking his teeth (it was a quiet early evening, we were the only guests at the time, so the personnel was clearly bored), general random chatter coming from the kitchen, the door of which is constantly open and it is definitely not set up as an open kitchen, i.e. the mundane view is clashing hard with the overall romantic interior of the restaurant.

And the price level just does not match the quality of the food.

All in all, I hope it was just a bad day for the restaurant, but I really doubt I am going to give them another chance any time soon. There are way too many restaurants in Tallinn to sample to bother again with a place not doing their best...

A very average food experience and extremely overpriced too. Beautifully served though. Came here with a small group for a family gathering. Starters (priced between 13-18 eur) were suggested to share, but when delivered to the table we realized there was not much to share at all. Mains (22-30eur) were very small and did not include a side dish, so had to order these separately. Side dishes like boiled potatoes, fried mushrooms, sweetpotato fries etc are 7 eur per very small portion. Deserts are on a pricy side too. There was no kids menu at all so had to puzzle food for kids from nuggets that were available and fries or boiled potatoes. For an upscale place they position themselves, I found tap water and bread being charged really weird. As a conclusion, the service was friendly, the food was okay and beautifully presented, but the pricing is inadequate with such tiny portions and simple tastes. We left...