Matka Restaurant — Restaurant in Tallinn

There are often times that we, humans, feel as though we are weary travelers, worn down by the endless march of time in an indifferent universe. But every so often, a shimmering, clandestine beam breaks through the dark firmament and rekindles a lust for life and beauty within our souls. This divine ray, to me, came in the form of a hot wine and lamb biryani at this, the Matka Restaurant.

You may have a naive preconception of what hot wine should be, only because you have not experienced it in its fully realized form; its final and complete iteration. Never has such complexity and depth of flavor existed in a hot wine, until now, where the master behind the Matka bar has completely revolutionized the drink at a fundamental level — as if you were trying it for the first time at a Christmas market when you were young all over again.

I have never been to South Asia, or its neighbors who enjoy their own iterations of the sacred dish biryani, but after the pleasure of experiencing this dish from the Matka kitchen, I feel a sudden, unexplainable, metaphysical connection to the places and people who have prepared and enjoyed this dish throughout the centuries, in the comfort of their homes and the intimacy of their families.

Please, I urge you — make Matka your home and family. More than a restaurant; a gleaming member of the rich and diverse cultural quilt of Tallinn, Estonia. Surely, you...

I have never written a review ever, but I guess I needed to vent about what just happened. I went for a quick, late lunch. Their daily specials are a great value, and I have always left satisfied, no complaints. Today, I requested the daily special item by name (Palak paneer and specified the rice option). I didn’t even look at the menu. I just walked in and ordered it (it was in the menu outside and also on FB). I did NOT say I wanted the daily special (to me, it was obvious. Why would I order the same thing, but pay more?). I was there for lunch. The waiter did not clarify with me what I wanted. What I received was the regularly priced item to my astonishment. I asked if it was the lunch special just presented differently, And the waiter’s response was that I didn’t specify I wanted the daily special. I’m just flabbergasted. The food was awesome, of course, but I’m still upset about the experience. He reduced the price a bit, but it was still almost €5 more than what I should have paid, and I missed out on the salad too. I have been a long time customer (from the time they were in Stockmann), and have always talked them up, but I’m not happy about this and also how it was handled. It will be some time...

We went there today to have lunch. The chicken madras could have been made with a little more cream, butter or coconut cream. The sauce was just too watery. The chicken in it seemed to have been cooked separately as there was a watery taste in it too, so I suppose that the sauce was precooked and the chicken added when we ordered it. Not sure. The plain rice was very good. Fluffy, how it's supposed to be. My partner ordered Pat Thai. I've had Pad Thai many times including in Thailand and can say for sure that this was not in any way a good Pad Thai. Had a boring taste. Overall it's all eatable and you get fed but it's not the best quality Indian/Thai food. Now, this was also the only Indian/Thai/Chinese restaurant we went to as we only spent 4 days in Tallinn, so I can't compare it to other restaurants there. But comparing this restaurant with the ones in Berlin and London, etc. I can say that it is on the low end of tastiness but high priced. BTW the prices are displayed excluding the 20% VAT Tax which is not mentioned anywhere. Not so nice. The waitress was very friendly and the place itself has a nice atmosphere but as I mentioned, the food is just not that great. I wouldn't go...