Monaco: one of Estonia’s best restaurants

The 2010 list of the 50 best Estonian restaurants has been published. The evaluation committee this year comprised staff from Estonian restaurants and food journalists from Estonia and abroad, who assessed the quality of the food they ate, the level of service they received and the interior design and overall atmosphere of the restaurants. Those members representing Estonian restaurants could not vote for their own establishment.

In the ‘fine dining’ category, whose winners were selected regionally, the overall winner was Alexander at Pädaste manor. Moon café – a newcomer on the scene, but one whose popularity has skyrocketed – was declared Tallinn’s best restaurant, while the winner in Tartu, in the face of some stiff competition, was Crepp. The Nordic Hotel Forum’s restaurant, Monaco (www.restaurantmonaco.ee), was ranked 17th overall.

A separate category showcased restaurants and cafés offering authentic Estonian cuisine. Instead of being ranked, those deserving praise were simply listed in alphabetical order. They included delightful locales such as Muhu’s fish café and Altja Inn, to name just a couple.

In association with the Postimees daily newspaper, a separate poll was recently conducted in which the general public could also vote for their favourites. Tartu readers agreed with the critics, nominating Crepp. Tallinn readers, meanwhile, chose Nevskij as their favourite restaurant.

The survey was organised by the Eesti Maitsed / Flavours of Estonia web portal. The country’s top 50 restaurants were ranked for the third consecutive year.

The full list can be found online at www.eestimaitsed.com .