Illegaard is Tartu's most characteristic bar — a student hangout in the old town basement that has been serving cheap beer and occasionally hosting live music for years. The crowd is genuinely student-heavy, the décor is deliberately dingy, and the atmosphere on a Friday evening is exactly what it should be in a university town.
Order a local Saku or A. Le Coq beer (both Estonian) and find a table in the back. Illegaard fills early on weekends and stays full until late. It is the kind of bar that defines a city's character more than any boutique cocktail bar could.