Onion Route Fish Buffet Day

The courtyards and gardens of the Onion Route open their gates to welcome visitors with authentic local flavours — and at the heart of every menu is fresh Peipsi fish! This is a special day when local families and small businesses host their own pop-up food stalls, offering traditional dishes with a personal touch.

On Saturday, 25 April, 15 courtyards, gardens, and homes in the Onion Route region will open their doors.

The pop-up cafés will be open from 10 am to 5 pm.
The Varnja fair will take place from 9 am to 3 pm.

See the map for the day here → DAY MAP

Please note that the map has several layers: one shows the pop-up cafés, another highlights other Onion Route venues open on the same day, along with additional events taking place in the area. To view all layers and detailed café information, open the map legend after opening the map.

POP-UP CAFÉS

Below you will find the signature dishes of the pop-up cafés, especially those featuring fish.

Kargaja Kuke Pop-Up Café /Vanaussaia village/ – grilled fish sausages, fish soup, fish pie, onion pies by the onion pie master, and curd doughnuts

When Fish Start Barking. Dogfish Day at Voronja /Varnja/ – the main course is food for the mind: Jüri Arrak’s Dogfish

Herne Farm Pop-Up Café /Kasepää/ – pike-perch solyanka, fried pike-perch, mushroom risotto, samovar tea, smoked meat to take away

Kolkja Fish and Onion Restaurant Pop-Up Café – smoked fish salad, ukha, fish patties, fish dumplings, and many fish delicacies to take home

Prääniku Tarekese Pop-Up Café /Kolkja/ – pike-perch ukha, fish dumplings, pike-perch pies

Aunt Shura’s Pop-Up Café /Kolkja/ – pike-perch soup and chicory coffee cake. Textile printing workshops

Aljonushka Pop-Up Café /Kolkja/ – fisherman’s soup, meat dishes and fish dishes, delicious pastries

Fisherman’s Farm Pop-Up Café /Nina/ – pike-perch shashlik, tender pike-perch with aromatic pesto, perch soup with chilli. Fish smoking workshop from 12 noon to 3 pm

Hirveaia Wine Cellar Pop-Up Café /Alatskivi/ – fish pizza made with Peipsi fish and other classic pizzas by an Italian pizzaiolo. Craft wines and non-alcoholic craft drinks

Kivi Shop Pop-Up Café /Alatskivi/ – Baltic herring Latvian style, sweet and sour pike-perch, salads and pies. Please note: takeaway available

Vigurite Pop-Up Café /Haapsipea/ – fish soup, sushi with Peipsi fish, bakery and confectionery products

Anne Cafe Pop-Up Café /Kallaste/ – ukha, fish solyanka, fish pies, pancakes with pike roe, fish platter

Peipsi Kalapunkt Pop-Up Café /Kallaste/ – the longest fish table and fish market with hot fish. Ernesto will perform

Rannatuule Pop-Up Café /Kallaste/ – fishball soup, marinated fish, fish in batter, salted pike-perch in vinegar marinade, BBQ ribs and pulled meat burgers/wraps, warm pies with bream roe and other pies, chebureki with meat or smoked fish

Liivaranna Pop-Up Café /Kallaste/ – fish soup, fried pies, mushroom pies, savoury fish bites, solyanka, cake pops, kama mousse. The best sauna of the Onion Route sauna festival will be hot from 3 pm to 5 pm

Also open along the Onion Route on this day:

• Maitseaed in Alatskivi – sale of seedlings and plants
• Alatskivi Castle, the riding stables, the Eduard Tubin Museum, and the castle pottery workshop
• The Juhan Liiv Museum in Rupsi village
• The Kolkja Old Believers Museum
• The Samovar House in Varnja
• You can also enjoy a meal in Alatskivi at the Alatskivi Castle Restaurant, Kivi Tavern, and Alatskivi Manor Stable

A few useful tips:

Some pop-up cafés accept card payments, while others take cash only. Cash machines are available at the Coop stores in Alatskivi and Kallaste.

Major renovation works are currently underway in Kallaste’s central square. The pop-up cafés are within easy walking distance of each other, so it is a good idea to park your car and continue on foot. Be sure to visit the new Kaldakaar and enjoy the view over Lake Peipsi.

Pets are welcome at all pop-up cafés. In the Old Believers villages, however, animals are not allowed inside homes, though dogs may stay in the yard. Please note that there are also chickens in the yard at Aunt Shura’s Pop-Up Café.

BYO tableware – bring your own dishes. To reduce washing up and scrubbing, guests are encouraged to bring their own tableware, at least a spoon and a fork.