Dereku Burger

Derek, the Great Papa of Estonian street food scene and most likely the only one who's fame deservedly has spread to all corners of the country, and (on a regular basis) to the pages of mainstream mass media.
Derek (who's born in Canada, in case you didn't know) started out on the mean streets of Kuressaare, serving burgers all through the night to the drunk and hungry party goers. Local legend tells us about the local alcoholics who were mightily impressed by Derek's burger, since its nutritional value allowed them to skip breakfast altogether and commence with drinking right away in the morning!
Back then there was only one burger on the menu, namely Dereku Originaal, which is still on the menu today, only nowadays the menu has expanded to no less than 10 burgers, including the Trout/Caviar burger, surely the most exclusive burger available anywhere in this country!
Of course these days Dereku Burger joint is no longer a simple table, but a cozy semi-cellar type establishment right in the beating heart of Old Tallinn, complete with an open air terrace on the roof!
Not only are Derek's burgers excellent, his take on burgers is also original and clearly his own distinct recipes, containing such superb ingredients as free range Estonian beef (from farms in Saaremaa and Raplamaa), in-house blended spice mixes, locally bred trout etc. Also worth mentioning are the rather reasonable prices, for example for extra 2 Euros you can have an additional patty, which makes the burger positively humongous, while still being cheaper than comparable burgers at some other burger establishments in Tallinn.
And then there is Pihtla beer. This legendary brew hails from Saaremaa and it predates the current hipster craft beer craze by many years, having its roots firmly in the age old Estonian tradition of brewing beer at home. Try it, its tasty and dangerous.

All in all, Dereku Burger is most certainly one of the very best street food joints in Tallinn, so it goes without saying that we definitely recommend it wholeheartedly!

Dereku Burger on Facebook
Dereku Burger on Instagram 


That's the place!

Nice door!

A terrace on the roof? Cozy!

Check the Menu!

Fleur (Derek's better half) is happy to feed you

There is more than just burgers!

A bum with a plastic bag can't believe his luck!  (Ok, thats actually Derek himself..)

Dereku Originaal burger 

Mmm, tasty. Pihtla beer at the background

 Ooh, massive!

The vegetarians don't have to go hungry either, a veggie burger with lots of beet!

Harley Davidson burger

Bueno Gourmet

Päris mehhiko toit! Siin Tallinnas?! Ja veel päris "food truck"? Kuidas see võimalik on, meil on ju siin tobedad seadused, mis toidubussi pidamise peaaegu võimatuks teevad?!
Vot, aga vaatamata sellele üks kangelaslik härra ikkagi eelmine aasta avas toidubussi ja siiani toimetab edukalt.
Jorge (kes on juhuslikult ka üks sõbralikumaid isikuid keda me kunagi kohanud oleme) on tegelikult Tšiilist, aga ta elas umbes 20 aastat San Diegos, USAs. Ja nagu te tõenäoliselt teate, on San Diego otse Mehhiko piiri ääres.
Hetkel on Bueno Gourmet menüül neli asja: Bueno Hamburger (Jorge variant klassikalisest hamburgerist), Churrasco (veiseliha võiku, äärmiselt populaarne Tšiilis), Fajitas de Pollo (klassikalised mehhiko kanafajitad) ja Lomito (põhimõtteliselt sealiha-avokaado-tomati burks). Ja kõik on äärmiselt maitsvad!
Üks suur pluss toidubussi puhul on muidugi see, et neil pole kaelas kallist üüri, mis peegeldub ka hindades: kõige kallim asi Bueno Gourmet menüül on 4.80 maksev Churrasco, kõik ülejäänud toidud on 3.80. Suurepärane!

Äramainismist väärib ka bussi kõrval seisev, toidusaaliks ümberehitatud merekonteiner, nii et ka kehva ilmaga saab seal suhteliselt mugavalt fajitasid nautida.

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Real Mexican food alert! Right here in Tallinn! A real food truck as well? How is that possible, with the ridiculous anti-streetfood laws that make operating a food truck in Tallinn nigh-on impossible?
Well, despite of all that, one heroic man opened a food truck last year and is still going strong.
Jorge (who also happens to be one of the friendliest guys we have ever met) is actually from Chile, but he lived in San Diego, USA for 20 years. And as you all probably know, San Diego is right at the Mexican border, so the Mexican connection is real enough!
At the moment the menu of Bueno Gourmet consists of four items: Bueno Hamburger (Jorges take on the classical burger), Churrasco (a beef sandwich popular in Chile), Fajitas de Pollo (pretty much self-explanatory) and Lomito (basically a pork-avocado-tomato burger). All of them are rather good!
One big plus that a food truck has over a regular brick and mortar establishment is that the operator(s) can keep the prices that much lower, since there is no expensive rent that inevitably would be reflected in the prices. Consequently the most expensive item on Bueno Gourmets menu is 4.80 (that being the Churrasco), everything else is 3.80. Excellent!

Another neat thing is that next to his bus is a sea container converted to a small dining area. So even with crappy weather you can still enjoy your fajitas in comfort.

Lehe Brewery beer presentation at Estonian Burger Factory

This time, dear readers, not a review but a short report of a rather nice happening that took place at Estonian Burger Factory yesterday.
Namely, the nice folks of Lehe Brewery came over to present their new beer "32. August".
Now, I am not going to try to describe its taste (after all, this is not a beer blog), suffice to say that it is good and another brew of theirs, namely "Blackmouth Cur", just happens to be one of my favourites from all the offerings currently available from various Estonian breweries.

Being one of the pillars (perhaps even THE pillar) of Estonian burger scene, Estonian Burger Factory needs no introduction. One thing that we absolutely need to report though is that nowadays they also serve steak, and a bloody excellent steak it is too! Not to mention the far lower price than what you would have to pay for a similar piece of meat in a regular steakhouse. 

So the moral of this story is: Keep your eyes open, kids! You too can visit such excellent happenings in Tallinn!