Best Restaurants in Turku, Finland: A Local’s Guide for 2025

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Turku is one of Finland’s oldest and historically most interesting cities. As an important port city by the Baltic Sea, it was Finland’s capital before Helsinki. The city’s most important landmark is the Aura River that flows through it.

Turku is also a vibrant student city, and there is a strong Swedish-speaking community here, along with a lot of international people. These facts combined have led Turku to being one of the culture and culinary hotspots in Finland. Indeed, some of the best restaurants in Turku are found on the shores of Aura River.

The best restaurants in Turku serve foods inspired by Finnish nature and Turku’s location by the sea, but there are also worldly restaurants that get their inspiration from Asia, Africa, and Latin America. These days, many of the best restaurants in Turku emphasize sustainability and resource-wisdom along with quality dining experiences.

With 700-year old castles and churches to explore, and having been voted Europe’s culture capital in 2011, Turku is a most wonderful place to visit for exploring culture and history and for sampling modern Finnish or fusion cuisine.

In this guide you’ll learn more about some of the best restaurants in Turku.

How to get to Turku and getting around

Turku is located about two hours from Helsinki, by car, bus, or train, and also about two hours from Jyväskylä. Once you get to Turku, it is lovely and easy to walk from place to place in the city centre. You’ll probably end up crossing the Aura River several times using some of the city’s many bridges. Turku’s public bus system is also efficient and easy to use.

Or, I can recommend hiring a city bike; Turku’s Fölläri city bikes are a handy way to get around during the warm season.

The best restaurants in Turku, according to locals

Nomad

Just a block from Aura River and close to Turku’s central market place, Nomad is a fusion restaurant with a fresh atmosphere and light, pretty interior decoration. The head chef Paco grew up in Senegal and later lived in Italy and Finland – thus the restaurant’s food is a combination of African, Italian, and Nordic influences.

The beautifully prepared dishes are reasonably priced. Nomad serves pastas, seafood, and meat dishes. I’ve personally most enjoyed their vegetarian pasta dishes. Some of the other unique foods on their menu that I find well worth tasting include pea soup with beef filet, cassava, and egg for starters, and fufu-gnocchi with zucchini and cherry tomatoes for mains. They also have a great selection of wines to choose from, to accompany your meal.

Koulu

How about going to the school for some beers and burgers? At Koulu, that’s what you can do. This restaurant and brewery was transformed from an old 1889 school building into the venue it now is. As a Finn, I find it quite fun to walk into the building, with its old school rooms, desks, and old fashioned learning posters hanging on the walls.

But the atmosphere couldn’t be further from a school – Koulu is a laid-back place. You’ll feel invited to relax and enjoy yourself over some drinks, a meal, or board games, of which they have a nice selection at the restaurant.  

Koulu is located right in the centre of Turku, just two blocks up from Aura River. They serve wonderful burgers and fries. You can also choose something rather more Finnish, such as a cold-smoked salmon pinsa or reindeer meat pie. You’ll also find vegetarian and vegan options available.

The beers, of course, are well worth tasting. I can recommend the three that are brewed here continuously: Maisteri (master), Lehtori (lecturer), and Boris Orlo pilsener. They also make delicious cider on the premises.

Pizzeria & Wine Bar Zake (open during the summer)

Finland’s coastline, Turku included, is made up of islands of all sizes. Of all Turku’s islands, Ruissalo is the most famous and popular one. Ruissalo is historically an important recreational area for Turku residents, and there are also stunning wooden villas dotted around the island. Ruissalo’s nature is widely known for its diversity. If you’re visiting during summer, I’d also recommend doing a bicycle ride around the island.

One of the highlights of this tour was our final stop – Pizzeria & Wine Bar Zake at Telakka, one of Turku’s many small harbors and a historical boat building location. Zake is, I would say, Turku’s best pizza restaurant.

Perhaps it is the location that makes the experience so special; or the old wooden building hosting the restaurant. And, it certainly is the taste of the pizzas – their perfect crust, the deliciously spiced toppings, and fresh ingredients. All this makes a visit at Zake unforgettable. They also serve gluten free and vegan pizzas, as well as salads, desserts, and a wonderful selection of wines. I can highly recommend eating here – and the experience is even better if you do a bit of exercise first, like cycling around Ruissalo island.

Martinsillan Grilli

Martinsillan Grilli is a fabulous, small fast food place located by Martinsilta bridge. Here, you can have a meal for about 10 euros. Sausage and French fries or hot dog/ hamburger with or without fries are some of the “classic grill meals” you can get here. I especially enjoyed their vegan dish, falafel with fries.

Sometimes in the summer months you may need to wait a while as there can be queues. But, waiting by the bridge, admiring the river and the passing boats, or chatting with the locals are all great ways to pass the time while waiting for your meal.

Aura Yangtze

Perhaps one of the best places to enjoy Chinese food in Finland, and certainly in Turku, is Aura Yangtze. The restaurant has a cozy, welcoming atmosphere, and beautiful interiors. They serve authentic Chinese food, made as much as possible with local ingredients – though for example the giant shrimp and octopus are sourced from Vietnam and China.

I always recommend their fried tofu, eggplant, and vegetables with chili-black bean sauce. They also make wonderful dumplings and Jianbing Guozi – Chinese egg pancakes. On weekdays,  you can enjoy a lunch buffet here and it’s usually a little cheaper if you’re getting takeaway. The menu varies from week to week, and generally includes delicacies such as fried chicken breast with vegetables, spring rolls, and rice paper rolled with seaweed and tofu, along with a salad table as well as coffee, tea, and dessert.

Smör

One of my favorite Michelin star restaurants in Turku is the sophisticated, yet easily approachable, Smör. Local ingredients are their thing, as is striving for sustainability.

Smör is a modern, Finnish high-end restaurant located in historic vaults by Aura River, in central Turku. Eating here is on the pricier side, but it is a unique experience worth the expense, with Smör’s charming atmosphere and special menu.

You can choose between Smör’s signature menu or a seasonal 4-course menu. They can cater for a variety of dietary requirements. Smör’s signature menu features dishes such as Finnish dry-aged beef with long peppers and smoked anchovies, and Icelandic cod with salsify and spruce kosho. Dessert includes winter apple with alder and caramel, and citrus fruits with vanilla. Bookings are necessary beforehand at Smör.

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Kuori

Also a fabulous place for fine dining, Kuori is known as an atmospheric vegan restaurant. Their ethos is creating quality meals and providing a pleasant dining experience, while using local and organic ingredients and paying attention to resource efficiency. The place is enchanting, with inviting, rustic country charm and modern touches.

Kuori also serve a daily falafel buffet which I can highly recommend. On the Á La Carte menu they have starters such as shiitake mushrooms with Sichuan noodles, and mains include delicious vegan creations such as pumpkin risotto with Finnish mushrooms, or seitan skewers with a Som Tam salad. What I like about Kuori is that you can eat well and healthily here while also feeling that you’re caring for the environment.

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