Our story

Viking Burger started in the summer of 2012, one week before Midsummer, in the small village of Salme.

At that time, Salme did not have its own place to eat. Our family felt that the old petrol station kiosk could become a simple, honest spot where people could get a quick meal. That is how the first Viking Burger was born.

The name did not appear overnight. A few years earlier, the Viking finds in Salme had attracted a lot of attention, and that local story stayed with us. That is how we arrived at Viking Burger — not to turn history into a museum, but to carry a little of Salme and Saaremaa with us.

Salme is not just a small village on Saaremaa. It is a place connected with one of the most remarkable Viking Age finds in Estonia and the wider Baltic Sea region.

In 2008 and 2010, construction work in Salme uncovered the remains of two ancient ships. Later research showed that this was a special find: ship burials that helped people understand the beginning of the Viking Age and Saaremaa's role in Baltic Sea history.

Those finds give Salme a meaning that is larger than a roadside stop. Sea, journeys and people have met here for a very long time.

When we were looking for a name for Viking Burger, that local story stayed with us. We did not want to turn history into a show or make a burger into a legend. We wanted a name that suited Salme, Saaremaa and our first small roadside food place.

For Viking Burger, it means a local root: our first place started in Salme, and our name carries a piece of that place.

If you want to read more about the Salme Viking finds, read about them on Visit Saaremaa.

In the early years, Viking Burger was not only a burger place. The menu also included Saaremaa smoked fish, which we served in our own fish and chips style. Local home beer and other simple choices felt right for a roadside kiosk in Salme.

Quite quickly, it became clear that people came mostly for the burgers. The space was small, and the choices had to stay clear. So we focused more and more on what customers wanted most: burgers and crispy fries.

Maybe one day, a Saaremaa fish and chips idea will find its way back to the menu.

Viking Burger has been a family business from the beginning. When we started, we had two children and a third was about to be born. Today there are four children, and Viking Burger has grown together with our family, work and experience.

It was never a grand plan on paper. It was more a step-by-step path: make one place better, listen to customers, learn and move forward.

In October 2013, the Roonimäe location was added in Kuressaare. In 2020, we opened Viking Burger in Viljandi — a place personally close to Kristo, because Viljandimaa is where he spent his childhood and grew up.

Viking Burger Salme is still at the same address where everything began — Sõrve mnt 1, 93201 Salme.

Only the place itself has changed. The old petrol station kiosk has become a new building, completed in 2025 with support from the Leader project. For us, it is an important step: the same Salme location, but a better and more proper home for both the team and visitors.

Our idea is still simple: make a proper burger to order, serve crispy fries and offer a clear, quick food stop.

We do not want to make things more complicated than they need to be. A good burger place should be easy to understand: people can see where we are, when we are open and what they can eat.

If you are in Salme, Viljandi or Roonimäe, come by.

A good burger is waiting.