TALLINN — A German tourist paid €23 for scrambled eggs at a restaurant on Viru Street on Saturday morning. He paid immediately and without negotiation. He left a tip.

The meal consisted of two eggs, scrambled, served on a wooden board with two slices of rye bread and a small dish of butter. A sprig of dill was placed on top. The coffee was €6 extra. He ordered the coffee.

Thomas Bauer, 41, from Munich, said he had specifically wanted to eat somewhere “authentic” inside the Old Town walls. He had found the restaurant via a travel website where it was described as “charming,” “atmospheric,” and “a little pricey but worth it.” He said this was accurate.

”The walls were stone,” Bauer told this reporter, in good English. “Medieval stone. You could feel the history. The eggs were fine.”

Three local Estonians sitting at a neighbouring table observed the transaction in silence. One of them, a man who gave his name only as Jüri, had ordered the same eggs four years ago when they cost €9 and had not returned since. He was in the restaurant for a meeting. He had ordered kohv and nothing else.

”That’s the price,” said Jüri, when the restaurant’s owner, also named Jüri, was asked about the menu costs. “It’s Old Town. The rent is what the rent is. The tourists come. They pay.” He shrugged. He refilled his own coffee from a pot behind the counter. His coffee was free. He owned the restaurant.

”Look, in Munich I pay sixteen euros for eggs at a hotel buffet and I don’t even get stone walls. Here I got stone walls, dill, and a view of a medieval gate. That’s a bargain if you think about it correctly.”

— Thomas Bauer, tourist, Munich, having thought about it correctly

A review posted by Bauer to a travel platform later that day gave the restaurant four stars. He deducted one star because the butter was cold. The restaurant responded within two hours to say the cold butter was intentional, for texture. Bauer updated his review to five stars.

Estonian locals who watched this exchange from their phones at home did not comment publicly. Several forwarded the review to colleagues. The exchanges, conducted over the messaging app Signal, consisted primarily of a single forwarded screenshot and a reply of “noh.”

The restaurant has since updated its menu. The scrambled eggs are now €26. The wooden board remains complimentary.

Thomas Bauer has already booked a return visit for August. He is considering the pancakes, which are €19. He describes himself as “very excited.”