If you are dining out in Helsinki, be prepared to fall in love with the versatility and pureness of Finnish cuisine. Although it is a small city, Helsinki offers a wide range of restaurants catering to every taste.
Helsinki’s best restaurants offer high-quality food in stylish settings, many of which are located either in the city center or a short walk from it.
Typically menus are influenced by the changing seasons, with chefs capitalising on the best local ingredients available at the time.
Traditional Finnish cuisine is often blended with French or Mediterranean influences, but there is a growing trend toward purely local dishes and wild-food restaurants, which ties in with international culinary trends. The evolving dining scene leans toward street food and relaxed, bistro-style small restaurants.
Stars & Classics
To get into your restaurant of choice you can’t go wrong with making a reservation, particularly in the top restaurants during the high season.
The Helsinki’s restaurant prices cost, on average, anywhere from 20 to 90 euros for a three-course meal.
(Image: Riku Pihlanto)
Olo (Pohjoisesplanadi 5) serves up New Nordic food. This owner of a Michelin star is renowned for their seasonal thinking and ambitious food. Have a drink before dinner in the stylish inner courtyard.
Savoy (Eteläesplanadi 14) is a classic established in 1937. It hasn’t rested on its laurels since then, either. The Sunday Times Travel Magazine has named Savoy the most romantic dining spot in Helsinki. The restaurant makes the finest healthy food in town and also serves signature dishes like vorschmack, a salty meat dish prepared out of minced meat, herring and onions.
Juuri (Korkeavuorenkatu 27) serves food that is proudly Finnish. The small restaurant is best known for its sapas, tasty Finnish tapas bites. The rustic yet polished interior makes a great setting for the food that is contemporary but remembers its roots.
Demo (Uudenmaankatu 9–11) has kept its Michelin star for ten years in a row. The bistro-styled smallish restaurant draws ideas from the French and Scandinavian cuisines and mixes it with the unexpected.
Ora (Huvilakatu) opened in late 2017, and gained a Michelin star just a few months after that. The small restaurant that seats only 23 people serves seasonal, locally produced food.
Stylish and independent
Inari (Albertinkatu 19 A) is one of the brightest new stars in the Helsinki restaurant scene. This unique gem of a restaurant defies categorisation combining Finnish ingredients with Japanese philosophy and techniques.
(Image: Elina Manninen / Keksit)
Muru (Fredrikinkatu 41) is a tiny restaurant owned by Finnish celebrity chefs. It has been praised for its focus on quality ingredients. The menu changes daily and the service is friendly. Online table reservations can be made here.
Baskeri & Basso or BasBas (Tehtaankatu 27–29) serves excellent Italian-inspired food in an urban setting. If you’re enjoying a late night in the city and feel peckish, stop by – their kitchen stays open until 2 a.m.
Just round the corner, Kitchen and Bar by Maannos (Telakkakatu 5, ) serves vegetarian-focused food with meat and fish on the side. Maannos emphasises innovation and sustainability and is very reasonably priced.
In the same area is Sikke’s (Tehtaankatu 34), a cosy new restaurant offering traditional food made from good local ingredients.
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