The average price of beer at restaurants in Tallinn’s Town Hall Square (Raekoja Plats), the heart of the tourist district of Tallinn’s Old Town, has seen a rise of around EUR 0.65 on a half liter over the past year.
This time last year noted Old Town eateries such as Vana Toomas and Maikrahv were already pretty pricey when it came to coffee or beer; for instance, a half liter of beer would have set you back EUR 7.95 at Vana Toomas, and was kept a bit more steady, though still not particularly cheap, at EUR 6.40 at Maikrahv.
Contrast that with the situation right now where the price of a half liter of beer has risen across 18 food establishments in the Town Hall Square, with the most expensive beer still to be had at Vana Toomas and Maikrahv, where the cheapest beer costs as much as EUR 8.45 per half liter.
Conversely the cheapest place to get a beer in the square is at Liisu Juures, where a half liter costs only EUR 4.90.
Tallinn’s Old Town Square sees a large uptick in the number of customers around this time of year, as the warmer weather causes a sudden blossoming of outdoor tables and terraces.
These price rises are in line with a simultaneous rise in rentals in what is one of the most expensive areas of the city: rental price for a cafe or restaurant stands at an average of EUR 72 per square meter, up from just over EUR 53 this time last year – at an almost 35% increase this in fact outstrips beer and coffee price hikes.
The Estonian government first hiked alcohol excise duties in a much-criticized move in 2015, and this is also likely to be a factor in continuing consumer price rises. (ERR/Business World Magazine)
