Best pastry in Tallinn

This is my running ranking of the best buns in Tallinn, updated as bakeries open and close. The latest shake-up came in March 2026, when long-time leader Sumi closed its doors.

1. Pulla Bakery

Location: Old Town, Voorimehe 7. Price: 3€ per bun.

The front of this tiny cafe is just a few windows along a narrow but busy passageway in the Old Town of Tallinn, making it easy to walk past. Inside, though, are the best buns you'll find in Tallinn. Made from incredibly light sourdough, flavourful but not overly sweet, it's easy to get hooked. Seriously: after I recommended it to a colleague, he went every day for weeks until he realized his addiction and started withdrawal. It is run by a mother-daughter pair who (according to them) worked for a year to perfect the recipe before opening up shop. On offer are also sandwiches and focaccia.

2. Karjase Sai

Location: Põhja-Tallinn, Marati 5, plus a stall at Balti Jaama Turg. Price: ~3-4€ per bun.

The original cafe is not very central at all, close to the tip of the rapidly gentrifying Kopli peninsula, and the lines can get long on weekends. The pastry is excellent and the coffee is great, and the newer stall at Balti Jaama Turg means you no longer have to trek out to Kopli for it. For the full cafe experience, though, the Marati location outside peak hours is still the way to go.

3. Põhjala Tap Room (Sundays only)

Location: Noblessner, Peetri 5.

Sumi, the long-time first place on this list, has closed down. The story has come full circle, though: pastry chef Hannah Holman is baking at Põhjala Tap Room again, just like before Sumi got its own location, and just like back then, only on Sundays. The buns are worth planning a Sunday around, and the donuts are still the best I have had outside the United States. Elsewhere in Estonia, "donuts" usually mean some other, vaguely related product. Here it's the real buttery deal, often making use of seasonal fruit and berries.

Vegan choices

There are a couple places offering vegan pastry in Tallinn. None can achieve the level of the top three above, but they are all above-average, and lovely cafes to hang out in on top of that. Pricing is similar at all, around 3€ per bun.

Nihe in Telliskivi and Rohe near the main train station are both centrally located and offer a selection of vegan dishes, with buns as an add-on. Both are great to have a quick meeting with a vegan friend, or having a coffee and a bun while getting a change of scenery from your office.

Kringel is a bit further out of the way in Uus Maailm, but has a special place in my heart: it was the first vegan pastry place in Tallinn that I know of. The selection is not wide but has been stable for a while, and many other vegan dishes are served. If you're on a budget, on some mornings you can snatch the previous day's buns for 50% off, and you can pre-order large kringel for events.

Other recommendations

There are a few other notable places that consistently offer great coffee and great buns, making them a great place for a casual meeting or working for a few hours.

Muhu Pagarid: the home-style cinnamon braids, supremely soft inside with a hint of burning sugar on the crust, remind me of the flavours from my grandma's oven. Take-away only from a small shop in Balti Jaama Turg. The buns are actually a sideshow to the main product here: Muhu bread.
Fika Cafe: small cafe very central in Telliskivi. Known more as a coffee place, the in-house bakery is still great. Offers sandwiches for the hungrier.
Fotografiska Cafe: sitting on the first floor of a photography museum in Telliskivi, this is a great place to spend half a day: after (or instead of) visiting the expositions, you can hang with the (admittedly more well-off) locals here with buns and coffee. It also serves heartier dishes including several kids-specific meals, and is one of the more kid-friendly places among everything here.
RØST Bakery: if you're in Rotermanni, it's worth a visit, though neither coffee nor pastry is top of Tallinn. You might have trouble finding a seat but if you do, the bun and coffee will go perfectly together with a quick coffee meeting.
Büxhöwden Bakery has three locations, all suburban: Nõmme, Viimsi, and Saue. The buns are great if a bit too sweet; the cardamom braid is my personal favourite. I wouldn't plan to sit down: this is the perfect place to grab something to-go for a picnic or bog hike.

Changes

23 Jul 2026: Sumi closed down; Pulla takes first place and Karjase Sai second (now also at Balti Jaama Turg). Hannah Holman's buns are back at Põhjala Tap Room on Sundays.
04 Jan 2025: bumped Sumi to first place in lieu of Põhjala, formerly in 2nd.
18 Oct 2024: added Sumi, created separate vegan section.