Kohvik Must Puudel (Coffeeshop Black Poodle - CUTE!!)

Address: Müürivahe 20, 10140 Tallinn

Coffee: €1,80

Best meal on the menu: Goat Cheese Quinoa Salad with Berries

                                      or: Coconut Soup with Mushrooms & Salmon

Find them on Facebook (here) & Instagram (here)

So let’s talk about Must Puudel. A Tallinn favorite. I don’t think there is a single person in this town that doesn’t like it. It’s got everything. Great food, the best retro playlists, cool, retro furniture and the coziest retro atmosphere. Basically retro everything. AND its name means Black Poodle in English - can it get any better? It’s a restaurant/coffeeshop during the day and turns into a hip bar at night. The "Black Poodle" is the kind of place you keep going back to – for literally everything. It’s my safe haven. Need to study but can’t concentrate? Must Puudel. Have to write blog posts but feel too lonely writing at home? Must Puudel. No food in the fridge? Must Puudel. Need  a place to work on a project with your team? Must Puudel (& a glass of wine). Plan a date with a random guy you met at a bar one night? Must Puudel (& even more wine). Every single time. Must Puudel.

I was lucky enough to find this place in my first week in Tallinn, when I was standing in line to get into a horrific club that, for some reason, is very popular with exchange students. I was with my flatmates back then. And a German guy that I had met at the airport in Vienna a couple of days earlier and whose arrogant look made me fall for him only one day into knowing him. The two of us couldn’t be bothered to be pushed around by all the drunk people anymore and decided to pop into that interesting bar right next to the club. That night at Must Puudel I decided I liked him not only for his arrogant facial expression, but also for his personality. Worst idea ever. That's what I found out three very flirtatious weeks later. He had forgotten to mention a tiny little detail. His girlfriend. Well, let’s just say that guy is not around anymore.

Months later, when I went on a date with a guy I had briefly met at a bar a couple of days before, I ended up at the same table I had been sitting at that first night in Must Puudel with the German guy. My date was 20 minutes late and once he did show up two Finnish tourists sat down at the same table – because they couldn’t find any other free seats in the bar. Turns out they were super interesting people – a barista who was reconsidering his career path and a stylist for Helsinki fashion week. We ended up talking the whole night and I found myself flirting with the Finish guy instead of my date. Whooopsies. To be fair, he was late. Does that justify it? I don’t know. In any case, I probably shouldn’t take guys there anymore. I feel like the waiters greet me with a knowing look everytime I walk in. But then again, I am paranoid sometimes. 

There are more stories about Must Puudel. Can you tell I spend a lot of time there? But this is enough for now. Enough to make you think the only thing I do in Tallinn is date random guys. Which I am not. But whatever. It makes for great stories every now and again. 

xx Kathi

Photos taken in: Tallinn, Estonia