This European capital is a hidden gem - and these are the best places to eat and drink

Part of the transformation of Tallinn's former industrial waterfront, in the trendy Noblessner area, Pohjala Tap Room is an ideal venue for a social lunch or for beer-lovers to settle in to try some of the 24 IPAs, stouts or guest lagers on tap. It's located in what was once a submarine factory, and both the brick exterior, with a spiral staircase leading up to an open balcony, and the high-ceilinged interior, centred on a long, rectangular bar, make eye-catching use of the original warehouse, bringing light and contemporary style to the building. The menu is of the elevated bar-food variety, with beef tartare, Cajun-style prawns and Estonian zander fish fillet in Pohjala beer batter and chips, all tasty. There's even a sauna to book if you want to stay longer. pohjalabeer.com/visit/pohjala-tap-room

Located in an old car workshop between Tallinn's main Balti Jaam Market and its exciting contemporary cultural district, Telliskivi Creative City, Cafe Tempo is a bright and breezy meeting place for the city's in-crowd. With a Mediterranean and Middle Eastern-leaning menu, dishes include white asparagus with pecorello cheese sauce and lamb chops with herb tahini.

The eight-dish Taste of Tempo sharing menu represents good value at 39 euros ($63) per person with spicy feta and pitta bread (baked on site), falafel and chicken shashlik among the offerings. Kick off dinner with a negroni cocktail and end it with pistachio ice-cream. Service is cool but smiley and you'll want to add to the youthful babble with your own conversation about how great the Estonian capital is. cafetempo.ee

At the edge of the 70-hectare Kadriorg Park, with its swan pond, palaces, gardens and the futuristic Kumu modern art museum, overlooking Tallinn Bay east of the city centre, this restaurant occupies a former imperial seaside residence and manages to be simultaneously refined and laid-back.

Located at the Telegraaf Hotel, within the walls of Tallinn's Old Town, and under a glass roof, Tchaikovsky has all the elements for a symphonic evening of fine dining in elegant surrounds. It's not too rarefied, and the signature menu coming in at 175 euros (including wines) won't blow the doors off the former post office and bank building in which it is housed.

Unlike much of modern Tallinn, which would rather forget its former Soviet overlords, Tchaikovsky has clear Russian inclinations. There's caviar aplenty, borscht and Siberian dumplings alongside starters like salmon ravioli with apple, trout roe and lemongrass beurre blanc, and mains like beef fillet with potato-truffle puree. A pavlova "a la Tchaikovsky" dessert completes an edible concerto that the Russian composer might have dreamt of. marriott.com