Restaurant in Tallinn, Estonia
€€ pricing, serious wine, book it.
Lee holds a Michelin Plate and back-to-back Star Wine List top rankings at a €€ price point — an unusually strong combination for Tallinn's Old Town. Chef Janno Lepik's Asian-influenced cooking on Estonian produce is focused and technically sound, and sommelier Kristjan Peäske's wine program is the best reason to linger. Easy to book and worth it.
If you're weighing whether to book Lee, the short answer is yes — particularly if you want something that moves beyond the standard Estonian menu without crossing into tasting-menu territory on price. Led by sommelier Kristjan Peäske and chef Janno Lepik, Lee sits in a powder-blue building on Uus Street in Tallinn's Old Town, with ornate columns and a courtyard that give the space a historic character uncommon at this price tier. The name itself refers to an ancient communal fireplace , a gathering place for families to prepare meals together , and the room carries that unhurried, sociable quality through its layout.
The physical space is one of the clearest reasons to choose Lee over comparable mid-range options in the city. The courtyard setting in particular is worth requesting if you're visiting during warmer months; it offers an intimacy that the Old Town's busier restaurant strips rarely manage at the €€ price point. Inside, the ornate columns and considered proportions make it feel more substantial than its pricing implies. For a food-and-wine enthusiast seeking depth of experience without the commitment of a full tasting format, the setting alone earns the booking.
The cooking draws on chef Lepik's background to deliver distinct Asian influences layered into Estonian ingredients , dishes like Liivimaa dry-aged beef short rib with cauliflower cream and wasabi, or cherry mille-feuille with green tea and tofu cream. This is not fusion for its own sake; the approach is restrained and product-led, with simplicity and quality cited as the guiding principles from the kitchen. For a diner who follows restaurants like Atomix in New York City or appreciates the way Asian technique reshapes familiar European ingredients, Lee's kitchen philosophy will feel coherent rather than gimmicky.
Wine program is a serious point of difference. Lee has held both the Star Wine List #1 and #2 rankings in back-to-back years (2024 and 2025), which is an unusually strong showing for a restaurant at this price tier. Sommelier Kristjan Peäske's presence in the ownership structure means the list is not an afterthought , it's a genuine strength. If wine pairing matters to your meal, this distinction places Lee ahead of most €€ options in Tallinn and holds its own against pricier alternatives. For a wine-focused explorer visiting Estonia, this is one of the more compelling reasons to make Lee a priority booking over a more expensive competitor with a weaker list.
Michelin Plate recognition (2025) confirms the kitchen is operating at a standard Michelin inspectors consider worth noting, even without a star. In practical terms, that means the cooking is consistent and technically sound , useful reassurance when you're deciding between Lee and one of the higher-priced options in the city. The Opinionated About Dining casual ranking (#434 in North America, 2024) is an unusual data point for a Tallinn restaurant and likely reflects an international audience's growing awareness of the venue. For an explorer who cross-references serious dining lists before booking, Lee has legitimate credentials across multiple independent bodies.
On service: the dual ownership structure of a skilled sommelier and a focused chef is the clearest indicator of how service is likely to feel here. Restaurants led this way tend to have attentive, knowledgeable front-of-house teams rather than impersonal, high-volume operations. At €€ pricing, the service model at Lee punches above what you'd typically expect, and the Star Wine List rankings suggest the sommelier dimension is actively maintained rather than nominally present. This is not the white-glove formality of NOA Chef's Hall or 180° by Matthias Diether, but for a mid-range booking, the service philosophy here earns its price point comfortably.
Booking Lee is direct. With no reported reservation difficulty and no indication of long wait times, this is one of the more accessible quality bookings in Tallinn's Old Town. Check the restaurant's website directly or use standard reservation platforms. If you're planning around the courtyard, request it specifically when booking , it books up during peak summer months. For visitors exploring Estonia more broadly, Lee is a sensible Tallinn anchor alongside stops like Hõlm in Tartu or Alexander in Pädaste if you're moving through the country. The wider Tallinn restaurants guide on Pearl covers the full competitive set if you're still building your itinerary.
For more on what to do before or after dinner, Pearl's Tallinn bars guide, Tallinn hotels guide, and Tallinn experiences guide cover the surrounding options.
| Venue | Cuisine | Price | Awards | Booking Difficulty | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lee | Asian Fusion, Asian Influences | €€ | The owners and leaders of this restaurant are sommelier Kristjan Peäske and chef Janno Lepik. Simplicity and quality are the key words in all aspects here, and it quickly gained a reputation upon open...; Star Wine List #2 (2025); Star Wine List #1 (2025); Michelin Plate (2025); Star Wine List #2 (2024); Star Wine List #1 (2024); Opinionated About Dining Casual in North America Ranked #434 (2024); A ‘Lee’ is the ancient communal fireplace around which families would sit together to prepare a meal – and this powder blue restaurant with ornate columns and a charming courtyard setting certainly has a historic feel. The cooking ranges in style from the traditional to the modern, with the chef’s background showing through in dishes with distinct Asian influences, like Liivimaa dry-aged beef short rib with cauliflower cream and wasabi or cherry mille-feuille with green tea and tofu cream.; Star Wine List #4 (2023); Star Wine List #3 (2023); Star Wine List #2 (2023); Star Wine List #1 (2023) | Easy | — |
| NOA | Modern European, Modern Cuisine | €€ | Unknown | — | |
| 180° by Matthias Diether | Estonian Fusion | €€€€ | Michelin 2 Star | Unknown | — |
| NOA Chef’s Hall | Creative | €€€€ | Michelin 1 Star | Unknown | — |
| Fotografiska | Modern Cuisine | €€€ | Unknown | — | |
| Härg | Meats and Grills | €€ | Unknown | — |
Comparing your options in Tallinn for this tier.
Specific dietary accommodation details are not in the available venue data, so contact Lee directly at Uus tn 31, Tallinn before booking if restrictions are a factor. The menu's Asian-influenced format — with dishes built around proteins, vegetables, and creative sauces — tends to offer more flexibility than rigid tasting-menu-only formats.
The kitchen's identity comes through most clearly in dishes that layer Estonian produce with Asian technique — Liivimaa dry-aged beef short rib with cauliflower cream and wasabi is the kind of combination that explains why Lee earned a Michelin Plate. The wine list is Star Wine List #1-ranked, so ordering a pairing rather than a single bottle is worth considering.
Lee's powder blue dining room, ornate columns, and courtyard setting read as a considered, atmospheric space rather than a formal one. Given the €€ price point and the relaxed communal spirit behind the 'Lee' concept, neat casual fits without requiring a jacket — but dressing up won't feel out of place.
Lee's kitchen, led by chef Janno Lepik, leans on precise, technique-driven cooking with distinct Asian influences — dishes like dry-aged beef short rib with wasabi or cherry mille-feuille with green tea and tofu cream suggest a tasting menu format rewards the full range of that approach. The double Star Wine List recognition makes pairing a genuine draw, not an afterthought. If you're going once, commit to the full experience.
At €€ pricing with a Michelin Plate and back-to-back Star Wine List #1 finishes (2024 and 2025), Lee delivers well above its price bracket. For Asian-influenced cooking at this quality level in Tallinn, there is no closer comparison at the same spend. If you want a stronger wine program alongside food, this is the clearest yes in the city.
Yes. The courtyard setting, Michelin Plate recognition, and a wine list that ranked #1 on Star Wine List two years running give Lee enough occasion-worthy credentials at €€ pricing to make it one of Tallinn's more straightforward special-occasion bookings. It works for two; for groups, confirm whether the courtyard can accommodate your party size when reserving.
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