Roku Resto in Tallinn – Sushi, Nigiri and Japanese Flavors

This time, our journey took us to Roku Resto in Tallinn. If you have explored Tallinn’s restaurant scene, you may already know the name Jahu Sushi. That is where the story of Roku began.

Today, Roku has grown into its own cosy 30-seat restaurant in the Porto Franco building.

If I had to describe Roku in one sentence, I would say this: it is a place where fresh sushi, tea, and yuzu sake come together in perfect harmony 🍵🍣

✨ What Makes Roku Resto Special?

At Roku, freshness is taken seriously.

Ingredients are ordered separately for each day, and nothing is simply left waiting for tomorrow. If today’s fish is gone, fresh fish arrives the next day.

That means you can expect genuinely fresh and clean flavours on your plate.

Roku also follows a low-waste approach in the kitchen, making use of as much of each ingredient as possible.

Plastic use is kept to a minimum and reusability is encouraged. For example, on Mondays you can get free tea or coffee if you bring your own reusable cup.

A small detail, but a really lovely one 🌍💚

👩‍🍳 More Than 40 Years of Sushi-Making Experience

The sushi chefs working in Roku’s kitchen have more than 40 years of combined experience.

What I especially like is that they are not stuck in old habits. They keep learning, experimenting, and looking for new flavours every day.

Even preparing sushi rice is not just about cooking rice here.

The rice is soaked carefully, the right amount of rice vinegar is added, and it is handled gently at the end. The result is soft, perfectly textured rice that holds the toppings exactly as it should.

And then there is their soy sauce.

Roku makes its own soy sauce, which is cooked for three days. It includes kombu seaweed, tuna flakes, and rice wine.

Dip a piece of nigiri into it and you quickly understand why they have spent years perfecting the recipe.

🥢 FoodLover Restaurants Week Lunch Menu – €15

Starter

Miso soup with tofu

Main course, choose one

Donburi poke bowl with crispy chicken
Crispy fish patty with mashed potatoes

Dessert

Crème brûlée with rhubarb jam

🍱 Flavor-Packed Dinner Menu – €25

Starter, choose one

Dorado ceviche with miso and yuzu sauce
Beef carpaccio with ponzu and wasabi mayo

Main course, choose one

Rein roll, 8 pieces
Nigiri set, 6 pieces

Dessert

Crème brûlée with rhubarb jam

Nigiri Set – A Sushi Lover’s Dream

If you really want to understand what Roku’s sushi chefs can do, try the nigiri set.

It includes salmon, tuna, eel, scallop, and dorado.

And honestly, every piece was excellent.

The scallop was especially delicate and almost melted in the mouth. The unagi, or eel, was sweeter, richer, and completely different in character.

I also love the freedom of eating nigiri with your hands. It somehow makes the whole experience feel more relaxed 🙂

Dorado Ceviche – Miso, Yuzu and a Little Kick

The dorado ceviche was served with lime juice, miso, and yuzu sauce.

The fish was incredibly soft and fresh, with a gently sweet flavour.

Jalapeño and coriander added just the right little kick.

It felt a bit like South America and Asia meeting in a single bite 😋

Beef Carpaccio – A Flavorful Surprise

Thinly sliced beef tenderloin was served with ponzu and wasabi mayo.

The sauce was very well balanced and never overpowered the flavour of the meat.

The whole combination was full of flavour while still feeling elegant. It was one of those dishes where you can really tell that the chef understands balance.

Crispy Fish Patty – Comfort Food Meets Gourmet

The fish patty had a lovely golden crust and was served on silky mashed potatoes.

Fresh salad and tartar sauce came alongside.

It somehow felt both comforting and familiar, while still having that restaurant-level touch.

Chicken Donburi – Big and Satisfying

The chicken donburi was really good.

The chicken was tender and juicy while still nicely crispy. Pumpkin added sweetness, while carrot brought some freshness.

And the portion?

Generous 😅 You will definitely leave full, and there may even be some left over.

Crème Brûlée with Rhubarb Jam

Dessert was crème brûlée with rhubarb jam.

The rhubarb added exactly the right amount of tartness and balanced the sweetness beautifully.

It was not too sweet or too heavy.

For me, it was a perfect ending to the menu 🤩😋

🍹 Yuzu Sake and Genmaicha Tea

We started with yuzu sake.

And I will say it straight away: it was really good.

Fresh, lightly citrusy, and pleasantly light. The kind of drink that puts you in a good mood right at the beginning of the evening 🙂

We also tried Genmaicha tea, a Japanese green tea with roasted rice.

If you are a tea fan, this is definitely worth trying. It has a very distinctive flavour and pairs really well with Roku’s food.

Miso Soup – A Japanese Classic

The starter on the lunch menu is miso soup with tofu.

It was pleasantly salty without being too much. The fermented miso paste gave the broth depth, while the tofu made it a little more satisfying.

A simple classic that works.

Roku Resto in Tallinn – More Than Just Sushi

For me, Roku is not just another sushi restaurant in Tallinn.

There are several details that really stand out:

⭐ fresh ingredients every day
⭐ experienced sushi chefs
⭐ distinctive nigiri and sushi
⭐ interesting Japanese drinks and teas
⭐ dishes that combine technique with a playful approach

If you are looking for a Japanese restaurant in Tallinn where you can try good sushi, nigiri, ceviche, and something a little different, Roku Resto is definitely worth adding to your list.

The FoodLover Restaurants Week special menus are available from October 2–12, and it is worth booking your table in advance because the best spots tend to go quickly 🙂