The Kurze — Restaurant in Tallinn

This was my second visit to The Kurze, and unfortunately, it couldn’t have been more different from the first. While our winter visit was marked by superb service and great food, this time around was a real letdown.

We sat outside, where part of the kitchen was visible—and what we witnessed was truly off-putting. One of the cooks was preparing dishes with a cigarette in his mouth, which is absolutely unacceptable in any food service setting.

Adding to the discomfort, one of the staff tables was occupied by off-duty employees, who were louder than any of the customers. One blonde staff member repeatedly shouted offensive Russian swear words, such as “na hui”, loud enough for guests to hear. Only after one of the cooks noticed our expressions did he ask her to lower her voice—and they moved their conversation just outside the tent, which, by the way, is transparent, so the behavior continued within sight and earshot.

It felt like the staff had taken over the space and we, as customers, were unwelcome intruders. The atmosphere was the opposite of what you’d expect in hospitality—no warmth, no attentiveness, just the feeling that the team was too comfortable “at home” to bother with service.

The kitchen was outdoors, and in the intense summer heat, we noticed ingredients left out on the counter while the cook joined the others behind the tent —again, clearly prioritizing their break over hygiene or customer experience.

I can’t say for certain that my unsettled stomach and sleepless night because of it were caused by the food, but the lack of basic food safety didn’t inspire confidence.

As for service—well, there wasn’t much. We had to place our order at the cashier, read the menu from a wall board, carry our own drinks to the table, and were essentially left to fend for ourselves. The only thing we didn’t do was collect the food from the kitchen ourselves.

It’s truly disheartening to see how much things have changed. Kurze once felt like a charming, well-run spot, but now seems to be running without standards or oversight. I genuinely hope they turn things around—because I know they’re capable of much better.

We visited July...

We went mid week on Wednesday for a team dinner with our team. The restaurant is located in an interesting location in an abandoned plot. The tables are setup randomly across the ground and each place is far from the others to be quite private. On a sunny evening it’s a nice place to sit in the sun.

The ordering is a bit strange as you go thé the counter to order the food and drinks and bring your drinks back with you to the table.

Some of the dishes were amazing. We ordered almost everything in the menu to share. We started with a lamb tartare which was very interesting and tasty. We also had a mixed platter of dumplings called Kurze which was very nice although the sauces lacked taste and would have done well with some more spices.

After the starters we order a hachapuri. This Georgian pizza was quite tasty. We had ordered a hinkali which was quite ok. The chicken stew was bit too salty for my taste.

However the star of the night was the lamb shank - a slow cooked lamb on the bone. It was so well cooked that the lamb just fell apart from the bone. It was delicious.

We tried to ask for some dessert but the kitchen was closed and they had not even warned us about the kitchen closure.

It was an interesting experience to eat here and some of the food was...

I was taking the 1 streetcar line to my destination when I noticed a highly rated restaurant at my stop. I was hungry so I decided to make a pit stop. Best decision I made today. The restaurant is small inside and was busy but the owner, chef, and maître d,Nuriyan, found me a table then proceeded to explain the menu on the chalkboard to me. She suggested the mixed platter of dumplings.The mixed platter was made up of individual dumplings consisting of beef, lamb, chicken, cheese, and pumpkin. All were different organic colors that made a delightful display to these delicious dumplings. (How’s that for an alliteration?) The dumplings came with two sauces, a tomato garlic, and a chickpea sour cream. It made them even more tasty. After that, I had the cheese on the naan like bread. It reminded of a delicious well seasoned quesadilla. You may find it hard to locate because there is no real signage, but look in the opening for a very large yard with wooden picnic tables then look to the right for the small white building. I posted pictures of it. Her recipes come from Dagestan, and it was a pleasure to experience the love she puts into her food. Go for the fantastic food and make...