Restaurants in Helsinki
Helsinki's city centre is the best place for restaurants. Elk, reindeer and bear are among the less usual treats on offer, while the city's proximity to the Baltic fishing grounds ensures a great choice for fish and shellfish lovers. Finland's historic links with Russia are plain to see at restaurants such as Bellevue, while traditional Lapp dishes are the focus at Saaga. Don't miss the highly individual Restaurant Zetor.
Bellevue
Authentic Russian cuisine
Located close to Uspenski Cathedral, Bellevue is Helsinki's
longest-established Russian restaurant. It offers an authentic Russian
experience with everything from zakuska (sausage, cold meats, pickled
fish and other appetisers) and blinis to elk steak and pot-roast bear. A
range of fixed-priced menus is also available, a good choice for sampling
something new.
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Opening Hours
Mon-Fri 11am-12am; Sat 5pm-12am
Address
3, Rahapajankatu, Helsinki 00160
Telephone
+358 (0) 9 179 560
Kabuki
Sushi and sashimi
Helsinki's most popular Japanese restaurant, Kabuki is located close to the
city centre in the Kamppi district. The wide-ranging and extensive menu
includes an impressive range of sushi and sashimi dishes, along with a good
selection of cooked fish, meat, vegetarian and tempura options. There is
also a selection of teishoku (set menus).
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Opening Hours
Mon-Fri 11.30am-2pm & 5pm-11pm; Sun 4pm-11pm
Address
12, Lapinlahdenkatu, Helsinki 00180
Telephone
+358 (0) 9 694 9446
Saaga
Arctic cuisine
Saaga offers an authentic Lapp experience in the heart of the capital. The
best of Arctic food, including local delicacies like elk, reindeer and
arctic char, feature on the extensive menu, which is printed in five
languages to assist international diners. Expect rich and carnivorous food,
served in rustic surroundings, reflecting the restaurant's northern
origins.
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Opening Hours
Mon-Sat 6pm-11pm
Address
34B, Bulevardi, Helsinki 00120
Telephone
+358 (0) 9 7425 5544
Chez Dominique
Michelin-starred dining
City-centre Chez Dominique is the only restaurant in Finland to receive two
Michelin stars. Led by celebrity chef Hans Välimäki, it aims to create
innovative recipes based on Nordic and French flavours. Specialities include
fish, game and dishes like Finnish suckling pig. The main room seats 50
diners and the cabinet room seats 14.
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Opening Hours
Wed-Fri 11.30am-3pm & 6pm-12am; Tue & Sat 6pm-12am
Address
4, Rikhardinkatu, Helsinki 00130
Telephone
+358 (0) 9 612 7393
G W Sundmans
Fine Finnish dining
The luxurious G W Sundmans restaurant is named after an esteemed navy captain
and housed in a building designed by Helsinki master architect Carl Ludvig
Engel. Located in the city centre, close to the harbour and fish market, it
specialises in local seafood and meat, and is particularly renowned for its
dessert selection.
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Opening Hours
Mon-Fri 11am-2.30pm & 5pm-12am; Sat 6pm-12am
Address
16, Eteläranta, Helsinki 00130
Telephone
+358 (0) 9 6128 5400
Kosmos
Writers' favourite
Centrally located off one of Helsinki's main streets, Mannerheimintie, Kosmos
is known throughout Finland as a gathering place for artists, writers and
television personalities. The decor is 1930s and simple, and the menu
includes dishes like grilled whitefish, smoked eel, fried Baltic herring,
mutton chops with a creamy herb sauce, and chicken in cherry sauce.
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Opening Hours
Mon-Fri 11.30am-1am; Sat 4pm-1am
Address
3, Kalevankatu, Helsinki 00100
Telephone
+358 (0) 9 647 255
Sea Horse
Classic Finnish food
Sea Horse, in the Ullanlinna area, is a classic Finnish restaurant that
opened in 1934. The menu ranges from salmon and deep fried herring to beef
steak and reindeer, and there is also a good choice of vegetarian dishes.
Specialities include warm open sandwiches and fried zander fish fillet.
There are also daily lunchtime specials.
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Opening Hours
Daily 10.30am-12am (until 1am Fri & Sat)
Address
11, Kapteeninkatu, Helsinki 00140
Telephone
+358 (0) 9 628 169
Restaurant Zetor
Eating on a tractor
Restaurant Zetor is an unconventional restaurant, offering a truly
idiosyncratic dining experience that in some ways sums up the unique Finnish
approach to life. Named after a Czech manufacturer, the somewhat chaotic
decor includes seating around real tractors. The menu is eclectic, ranging
from traditional Finnish reindeer steaks to beef steaks and Russian
blinis.
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Opening Hours
Mon-Thu 12pm-2am; Fri-Sat 12pm-4am; Sun 1pm-12am
Address
3-5, Mannerheimintie, Helsinki 00100
Telephone
+358 (0) 10 76 64450
Kynsilaukka
Garlic lovers
Kynsilaukka is a rustic restaurant in Punavuori with wooden beams. Its name
means "garlic" and the menu reflects this theme, but not all dishes are too
pungent. The menu includes a combination of fish, meat and salad dishes, as
well as Russian classics such as blinis. It generally closes when the last
customer leaves.
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Opening Hours
Mon-Fri 11am until late; Sat & Sun from 1pm
Address
22, Fredrikinkatu, Helsinki 00120
Telephone
+358 (0) 9 651 939
Manala
Fresh Finnish food
Specialities at Manala (which means "underworld"), in the Taka-Töölö
district, include fresh fish, sautéed reindeer and grilled chicken with
garlic potatoes cooked on a hot iron grill. There's also a wide range of
pizzas. For after-dinner partying, there's a bar and disco on the same
premises.
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Opening Hours
Mon-Fri 11am-2pm & 3pm-4am; Sat & Sun 2pm-4am
Address
2, Dagmarinkatu, Helsinki 00100
Telephone
+358 (0) 9 5807 7707
Café Bar 9
Reindeer steaks and sandwiches
Café Bar 9, in the Punavuori district, is popular with artists and
advertising types, despite the rather simple cafeteria-style Formica tables.
They come for the varied, good-value menu, which includes stir fries,
steaks, sandwiches, soups and salads. Specialities include dishes like
sausages served with mashed potatoes and mustard.
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Opening Hours
Daily 11am-2am (from 12pm Sat & Sun)
Address
9, Uudenmaankatu, Helsinki 00120
Telephone
+358 (0) 9 621 4059
O'Malley's
Irish-style pub food
O'Malley's is an Irish-style pub that offers traditional bar food such as
fish and chips. Located in the city centre, its pub is very popular as well,
and finding a seat can be difficult, so diners should come during the
daytime or early evening before the crowds arrive. The kitchen does,
however, open until late.
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Opening Hours
Mon-Sat 4pm-10pm
Address
26, Yrjönkatu, Helsinki 00100
Telephone
+358 (0) 9 4336 6330
Rax
Budget pizza
A local Finnish chain, Rax offers a basic range of good-value, buffet-style
pizza dishes, aimed at those on a small budget or who just want a quick bite
before continuing their sightseeing. There are also a few side dishes on
offer, such as a salad buffet, chicken wings and meatballs.
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Opening Hours
Daily 11am-9pm (from 12pm Sun)
Address
8, Mikonkatu, Helsinki 00100
Telephone
+358 (0) 9 4780 0555
La Famiglia
Relaxed Italian family restaurant
City-centre restaurant La Famiglia is a large Italian-American eatery that
offers a classic Italian menu of steaks, pizzas, pastas, salads and seafood.
There's also a selection of good-value set menus, and family menus for four
to 20 people. There's a relaxed atmosphere here, and a decor of
red-and-white check tablecloths and rustic wooden furnishings.
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Opening Hours
Mon & Tue 11am-11pm; Wed-Fri 11am-12am; Sat 12pm-12am; Sun 1pm-11pm
Address
3, Keskuskatu, Helsinki 00100
Telephone
+358 (0) 9 8568 5680
Ravintola VPK
Buffets on a budget
Decorated simply like a 1950s-style Soviet café, Ravintola VPK in Helsinki's
Kamppi district is run by the Volunteer Fire Brigade. It serves a daily
changing buffet of hearty Finnish fare, such as its popular pea soup and
pancakes. There are also cheap set meals available.
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Opening Hours
Mon-Fri 10.30am-3pm
Address
29, Albertinkatu, Helsinki 00180
Telephone
+358 (0) 9 693 1581
