Oh Boy!

This is what Estonian’s say after having witnessed something surprising. By the main roads, on the way from one town to another, opportunities for good food are scarce to non-existent as there are barely any restaurants catering for the traveller. After all, you can reach anywhere fast enough, so there is no real need to stop for a rest. Tikupoiss is a new food spot next to a small farmer’s market, which stands next to the new gas station built along the Tallinn-Tartu highway on the junction towards Viljandi.

The Viljandi match factory used to produce matches for the whole country and more. The Tikupoiss – Match Boy – is the famous figure on their matchbox sleeve. The roadside restaurant Tikupoiss stands out from the crowd mainly for its concept; a restaurant with a farmer’s market, there is no other like that by any major road. You can select between ready-made canteen fare and the a la carte menu. Go for the latter. You know you have the time. The selection ranges from the local favourites – black bread with Baltic sprat, potato salad à la Estonia and Spotted Dog cake – to more exotic offerings (Thai-style chicken skewers with peanut cream, spicy king prawns with garlic and chilli sauce). The milieu is spacious, light, cool and minimalist in a Nordic style, making it a perfectly nice place for a food break.