Kampus

Oysters and sparkling wine. Burgers and beer. Poké bowls. These are the reasons to visit Kampus. Sure, it sounds like a random combination of things––the one rather chic and festive, the other a comfort food mainstay and the third an international fad––but pay no attention to that. Kampus, a sleek, self-serve, three-in-one joint, is a breath of fresh air in this university town, one that elevates Tartu’s image and adds panache to its dining scene. In the Peakoka nurk, or chef’s nook, helmed by young and talented Ken Trahv, you’ll find food that is at once slow and fast, at KAUSS you can tuck into a bowl of Asian-inspired fare, and at the end of the L-shaped counter you’ll want to order a burger from Estonia’s most popular burger chain, Uulits. And lest you were wondering, yes there’s a cocktail bar too.

Estonia’s national dish is a sort of potluck stew, made with all the odds and ends that might be found in the back of the fridge. Kampus is the restaurant version of this. A bad stew fuses the ingredients into a single terrible mess. A good one makes each ingredient shine. In this sense, Kampus is a master chef’s goulash.