LITERAAT | Telliskivi Rahva Raamat — Restaurant in Tallinn

I’ve been coming to this restaurant almost every day often with my partner for 4 months now and it’s been largely a great experience. It’s a wonderful setting to do some work while you can order quite affordable nice food and they serve great coffee.

So why only three stars today? Take it as constructive feedback. I’ve ordered the set brunch menu item today and staff charged me for each item separately. It’s the first item on the menu, and I literally pointed it out with my finger when placing my order.

In hindsight I think I know what happened, because the curd pancakes that are included didn’t come out at first and when I asked staff, she told me “brunch was over”.

I assume she made a mistake entering my order and instead of the €9,90 set menu she entered only my eggs Benedict with salmon. In the end I did get the curd pancakes, but was then charged €3,00 more.

She simply said it must have been a misunderstanding, which it definitely wasn’t from my end, and moved on to the next customer. Leaving me standing there like a fool. 😅

I love the ice cold customer service in general in Estonia, I’m Dutch so I’m used to it, but this was next level. She could’ve given me €3,00, which I probably would’ve tipped, or given me a coffee. Instead it took me telling another staff member about the small incident to get that offer for a coffee next time I’ll visit.

Poor experience and if it’s not better next time, that was the last time for me. I’m sorry, but this was a wild experience from a customer service point of view. Staff makes a mistake, customer pays for it and is basically told to sod off.

I know I’m nothing special, but a daily returning loyal, most of the time low maintenance, customer is something you don’t want to lose over something like...

Highlights of the evening.

Atmosphere: The highlight of Literaat is undoubtedly its atmosphere. The blend of books and dining creates a serene and cultured environment that is rare to find. It’s a delightful place to relax, read, and enjoy a meal.

Areas for Improvement:

Service: The service needs significant attention. Waiter seemed overwhelmed, possibly handling all the tables alone. This resulted in her frequently forgetting our requests and us having to remind her multiple times. This detracted from the otherwise pleasant experience.

Menu Pricing: There is a discrepancy between the prices listed online and those in the restaurant. The in-house menu prices were almost 3 EUR higher. When we inquired, the waiter promptly pointed out that the restaurant menu was correct. This inconsistency can be frustrating and feels misleading.

Menu Descriptions: Some dishes lacked proper descriptions, making it difficult to understand what was being ordered. Detailed descriptions are essential to help diners make informed choices, especially in a place that attracts tourists unfamiliar with local cuisine.

Wait Time: The wait time for our dishes was excessive. We waited 50 minutes for some dishes to arrive and had to remind the waitress twice about our order. This long wait can be particularly inconvenient for families with children or those on a tight schedule plus when you have paid parking

Children’s Portions: The portion sizes for children were disappointingly small, seemingly suited for toddlers rather than older children. This needs to be addressed to ensure that families feel they are getting value for their money.

As a courstey they gave free...

The coffee was enjoyable, but my experience at the café took an unexpected turn. With an important meeting ahead, I sought out a quiet spot in the laptop-free zone.(Laptop zone was crowded already) Upon opening my laptop to prepare for potential customer inquiries, I was immediately approached by a staff member who insisted I shut it down.

While I understand the need to enforce policies, the way it was handled felt awkward. I respect the intention to maintain a certain atmosphere, but customers should not be compelled to adhere to rules that don't harm anyone.

The incident made me feel like I was doing something wrong, even though I was just trying to be productive. It became a source of amusement in front of my client, and the experience left me questioning the establishment's approach to customer service. The way I have joke about it was embracing for your staff as well. Sadly, this encounter has discouraged me from returning...