Helsinki, Finland — Food and Dining
Restaurants in Helsinki, Finland
Restaurants
Gastronomic
Palace Gourmet
Offering a wonderful view of the sea and a lovely 1950s atmosphere, Palace Gourmet also has plenty to satisfy the taste buds. The restaurant has been at the forefront of Finnish gastronomy since it started in 1952, and it offers modern continental cuisine based on the finest and freshest ingredients available. The exciting à la carte menu changes every month, and the wine list is excellent.
Eteläranta 10
Tel: (09) 1345 6715.
Website: www.palacekamp.fi
Price: $$$$
Sundmans
In the plush surroundings of an Engel-designed house once belonging to a naval commader by the name of G W Sundman, this is known as one of Helsinki's best restaurants. Specialties include zander, arctic char and reindeer fillet, plus a variety of imaginative puddings, for which the establishment is particularly famous. Closed Saturday lunchtime and Sunday. The cheaper Sundmans Krog is an alternative eatery at the same address.
Eteläranta 16
Tel: (09) 622 6410.
Website: www.royalravintolat.com/sundmans/index_eng.asp
Price: $$$$
Business
Lappi
Another interesting alternative is Lappi, where the cuisine of the Laplanders is celebrated in style. Reindeer, white-tailed deer, snow grouse, elk and arctic char all feature on the menu here, as do traditional cheeses. The menu is available in 11 languages. Open daily from 1200 to 2230.
Annankatu 22
Tel: (09) 645 550.
Website: www.lappires.com
Price: $$$
RavintolaTorni
Opened in the early 1930s, Restaurant Torni has a rather staid appearance contrasting with a lively and imaginative menu based on locally sourced ingredients - the 'Helsinki Menu' is also available here. Three private rooms are available as well as the main 150-seat restaurant. Scandinavian ingredients like herring, salmon, moose and reindeer feature strongly on the menu. Closed Sunday.
Kalevankatu 5
Tel: (09) 4336 6320.
Website: www.ravintolaopas.net/torni
Price: $$$
Trendy
BarTapasta
Small (26 seats) but centrally located Mediterranean-style venue that becomes a club in the evenings. At lunchtime the fare consists of pastas, soups and salads, plus a wide range of tapas, complemented by Spanish wines and beers. For the summer, there is an outdoor terrace. Closed Sundays.
Uudenmaankatu 13
Tel: (09) 640 724.
Website: www.marcante.fi/tapasta
Price: $$
RestaurantElite
Since the 1930s, Restaurant Elite has been a gathering place for the creative fraternity - musicians, writers, poets and actors. Paintings by some of its illustrious guests adorn the walls. The menu is interesting and has a strong Finnish feel, with fish and meat prepared in rich sauces. Open daily.
Eteläinen Hesperiankatu 22
Tel: (09) 434 2200.
Website: www.royalravintolat.com/elite
Price: $$-$$$
Budget
Bar9
Popular with the media crowd, Bar9 offers a wide selection of bar snacks and meals at affordable prices. Open daily from late morning until the early hours, its menu ranges from an 'all-day' breakfast to Thai soups, pastas and curried chicken.
Uudenmaakatu 9
Tel: (09) 621 4059.
Website: www.bar9.net
Price: $-$$
CaféEkberg
For lighter snacks and buffet lunches, Café Ekberg is a perfect venue in which to enjoy good quality at a reasonable price. Salads, bruschetta and soups are the order of the day at lunchtimes, while in the afternoons the on-site patisserie takes over. The cafe dates from the mid 1850s. Open daily, early morning until early evening.
Bulevardi 9
Tel: (09) 6811 8660.
Website: www.cafeekberg.fi
Price: $-$$
Personal Recommendations
Havis
A relatively new addition to the Helsinki restaurant roster, Havis specializes in top-quality seafood. Located close to the sea, it offers both à la carte and fixed menu meals. Menu highlights include blue mussel soup, zander, tuna and salmon prepared in a variety of unusual styles. Closed Sunday.
Eteläranta 16
Tel: (09) 6869 5660.
Website: www.ravintolaopas.net/havis
Price: $$$
RavintolaZetor
An idiosyncratic, almost legendary Helsinki venue that really should be experienced by everyone who visits the city. A combined bar/restaurant, it features a décor consisting of tractors, assorted agricultural machinery and other countryside items, creating unique surroundings. Even the website and menus are entertaining, reflecting its slightly zany atmosphere. Open daily until late.
Mannerheimintie 3-5
Tel: (09) 666 966.
Website: www.ravintolazetor.fi
Price: $$
Nightlife
Most of the nightlife is centrally located around Uudenmaankatu and Eerikinkatu and bar-hopping is easily done on foot. The Helsinkiläiset (Helsinkians) are fairly relaxed about their dress code; visitors will feel at ease in anything from jeans to eveningwear, depending on the venue. Helsinki seems to specialize in the bar-cum-restaurant - the early shift comes to dine, the later crowd to party. Most stay open until about 0300 in the summer, while hours vary in the winter, often depending on patronage. Discos or nightclubs generally close about 0400. The Finns love dancing to tango music and many restaurants have dancefloors. Outdoor dancing is a particular favorite and can be found at Pavin tanssilava, in nearby Vantaa. The legal drinking age is 18, although some pubs and discos have an age limit of 21 years. The minimum age for nightclubs is generally 24 years.
The best guide to the city is Helsinki This Week published by the City of Helsinki Tourist Office and widely available (website: www.helsinkiexpert.fi).
Bars: Most of the bars are found on two nearby streets, so a bar crawl will reveal most of Helsinki’s nightlife. Molly Malone’s, Kaisaniemenkatu 1C, is a lively pub in the generic ’Irish’ style, with regular live music. For surroundings with a difference, Restaurant Zetor (see Restaurants) at Mannerheimintie 3, is a must - here you can drink and dine amid a collection of agricultural machinery. The trendy Bar 9, Uudenmaankatu 9, is the domain of Helsinki’s movers and shakers. Just beside it is Bar Tapasta, Uudenmaankatu 13, a hole-in-the-wall bar, always spilling over with a hip crowd washing down tasty tapas with designer beers. Cocina Bar, Kluuvikatu 4, is another popular place for hip urbanites.
Corona Bar & Billiards, Eerikinkatu 11, has billiards, pool and a laid-back atmosphere, where you can either perch at the bar or sit outside on the street. Just next door, at the same address, is Café Moskova, normally packed with youngsters enjoying a honey-vodka or 10. Further along the road is Con Hombres, Eerikinkatu 27, a small, often packed gay bar, which plays some of Helsinki’s best techno tunes. Café Tin Tin Tango, Töölöntorinkatu 7, is an unusual venue with built-in launderette and sauna. A fun place with plenty of party atmosphere is Aussie Bar, Salomonkatu 5.
Clubs: Stockholm Diskotek, Simonkatu 8 (website: www.stockholmdiskotek.com), is a huge and hectic city-center disco offering party action on three floors with six bars. Bar, disco and nightclub DTM, Iso Roobertinkatu 28 (website: www.dtm.fi), is a large, versatile, noisy, gay and steaming place with pumping techno music. Hotel clubs tend to cater to the business crowd - one of the most popular is the Helsinki Club, Sokos Hotel, Kluuvikatu 8 (website: www.sokoshotels.fi). Just as attractive but slightly more arty and alternative is the Ahjo Bar & Nightclub, Bulevardi 2/4 (website: www.ahjoclub.fi), in the lifestyle hotel Klaus K. Helsinki Club, Yliopistonkatu 8, has been around for more than 30 years and remains one of the city’s most trendy clubs. Kämp Club, Pohjoisesplanadi 29 (website: www.hotelkamp.fi), is an upmarket, rather glamorous nightclub where the aim of the game is to see and be seen.
Live Music: The best source of information on entertainment is found in the daily press or Helsinki This Week. The Finnish Music Information Center (MIC), Lauttasaarentie 1 (tel: (09) 6810 1313; website: www.fimic.fi), also provides information.
Current top Finnish rock and pop groups groups include Nightwish, The Flaming Sideburns, Ultra Bra, Nylon Beat, HIM, Darude, Bomfunk MC’s, J Karjalainen, Heikki Silennoinen, Soul-special and Sami Saari. Other favorite singers include Karita Mattila, Arja Koriseva (the queen of Tango music) and Soile Isokoski. A good club for live music is Nosturi, Telakkakatu 8 (website: www.elmu.fi). On the Rocks, Mikonkatu 15, is a good live music club with gigs most evenings for people who like heavy rock. For major rock concerts, the venue is Tavastia Klubi, Urho Kekkosen katu 4-6 (website: www.tavastiaklubi.fi).
For jazz, the Happy Jazz Club Storyville, Museokatu 8 (website: www.storyville.fi), has a different band on most nights, including the Helsinki City Jazz Orchestra.
