The Local’s Choice of the Best Restaurants in Helsinki

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Helsinki is a Nordic capital with a friendly atmosphere, impressive historic attractions, and lots of beautiful, trendy design – in its city landscape as well as in its design stores and shops. It is lovely to visit for even just a day, although you’ll certainly enjoy spending multiple days exploring this Finnish jewel on the Baltic Sea.

One of the most fun things to do in Helsinki is sampling unique Finnish foods, and otherwise enjoying the offerings of the city’s many trendy restaurants. In some of the best restaurants in Helsinki, you can try traditional Finnish dishes. They often consist of meat like beef, pork, or reindeer, or freshwater fish, typically pike perch or vendace. Finnish forest berries and mushrooms feature in most menus.

These days, there is also a growing demand for vegetarian and vegan food, and Helsinki has got you covered here, as well.

And just for an extra bit of joy, the best restaurants in Helsinki are all found in fabulous locations, from central Helsinki parks and high-rise buildings to Helsinki’s sea fortress and other islands. Here are the best restaurants in Helsinki, tried and tested by locals.

Kappeli

Kappeli at the central Esplanadi Park is a classic, mid-range restaurant and a meeting place in Helsinki, operating since 1867. The venue consists of a bar, a café, a restaurant, and an outdoor terrace.

Some of the walls at Kappeli are decorated with paintings by famous artists, which brings that gorgeous old-world charm that is establishments are all too often lacking. Also, opposite the restaurant, there is also a bandstand where musical performances take place, particularly during summer . This elegant, fresh, well-loved venue really is one of the most idyllic places to visit in the whole of Helsinki.

On Kappeli’s á la carte menu, you’ll find tasty Finnish dishes, including salmon soup, pike perch fillet (with crayfish terrine and Dijon potatoes), and roast reindeer with reindeer sausage. I also highly recommend their vegetarian dishes , particularly the root vegetable rösti (pan-fried potato pancakes).

For dessert, I’d recommend trying their crème brûlée with cloudberries. Cloudberry is a unique Finnish berry that grows in the wetlands and that you won’t want to miss out on during your visit.

Restaurant Kolme Kruunua

Fairly centrally located, Kolme Kruunua (translated: three crowns) is a friendly restaurant with a somewhat royal atmosphere. Kolme Kruunua is the place to order traditional Finnish food at moderate prices. I find this to be a great place for having lunch during a Helsinki visit, or for meeting friends for dinner.

Kolme Kruunua features some exceptionally unique dishes like fried herring, reindeer, or pyttipannu (a sort of hash). I especially enjoy their creamy salmon soup, and for starters, their escargot is a wonderful option. Kolme Kruunua is also said to have the best meatballs in Helsinki. For dessert, I recommend trying their blueberry pie or Finnish bread cheese, also called squeaky cheese for its unique texture.

Savoy

Savoy is another classic restaurant in Helsinki. This high-end restaurant has been one of the favorites in the city for over 80 years, when it comes to fine dining. Savoy overlooks the Esplanadi Park, which is known for its tree-lined walkways and Finnish design shops. The restaurant interior was designed by Finnish architects Alvar and Aino Aalto, which adds to the timeless feel of the place.

At Savoy you can enjoy a mix of Finnish and French cuisine. Many dishes have French origins, but the restaurant strongly supports local and small-scale producers. There are plenty of fascinating dishes, such as elk tartar with Piedmont’s winter truffle for starters, or pike perch with ratte potatoes and Vin Jaune sauce for mains.

One of their signature dishes is Marshall’s vorschmack (salted meat or fish with truffle potato puree and pickles). This dish was brought to Savoy originally by the famed Finnish leader, Marshal Mannerheim.

On top of their amazing food, Savoy also has a wonderful selection of wines from various parts of the world.

Green Hippo (Punavuori)

Definitely one of my personal favorite restaurants in Helsinki is Green Hippo (at Punavuori, and a few other locations in Helsinki). The mission of this restaurant is to make mealtimes fun, healthy, and easily accessible to everyone – regardless of your dietary requirements. They are reasonably priced, their interior decoration is fascinating, and their meals are beautifully presented.

For breakfast, I can recommend their delicious avocado toast, a more special sea buckthorn, mango, and muesli breakfast, or for meat eaters, their eggs Benedict. Their lunch and dinner options include creative “bowls”: for example, I’ve enjoyed their kale bowl, with quinoa, tomato, halloumi, and poached egg.

Or for dinner, we can recommend trying their Green Hippo burger, or the chicken/tofu bowl. For drinks, you can choose between cold or hot drinks, beers, wines, or cocktails.

Restaurant & Craft brewery Suomenlinnan Panimo

While you’re in Helsinki, I’d strongly recommend you to visit Suomenlinna sea fortress, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. At this island fortress you can learn about the history of this picturesque milieu, admire old stone and wood buildings, and visit museums. And you can also enjoy a coffee or a meal at one of the restaurants of Suomenlinna.

For lunch or dinner, I recommend trying Suomenlinnan Panimo Restaurant & Craft brewery. It is located in a historic building, and they serve traditional Finnish foods. For lunch, you could try salmon steak, pea soup, or originally Russian stroganoff (sautéed beef pieces in mustard and smetana sauce).

From the dinner menu, I recommend Skagen toast (shrimps with pickled vegetables), vegan salad, or a traditional Finnish salmon soup for starters. For mains, some great options are cauliflower stake with pickled chanterelle mushrooms, or lamb sausage with bacon and onion fry.

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Of course, you might like to try some of the craft beers at this brewery/restaurant. Many of their names reflect one or another aspect of Suomenlinna’s colorful history. Suomenlinnan Panimo emphasizes the use of local ingredients, and overall, it is a most atmospheric place to visit.

Rioni

For a slightly culturally different culinary experience, visit the colorful Rioni, a central Helsinki restaurant that serves authentic Georgian food. It is lovely to experience the Georgian way of eating a meal, called supra. This means social eating, where various dishes, including breads, are brought to the table at the same time, to be shared.

At this mid-range restaurant you can try traditional Georgian meat dishes, but also vegetarian food and vegan dishes. Rioni serves smaller, cold or warm dishes, such as khinkali, Georgian dumplings with meat or mushrooms, or Nigvziani Badrijani, aubergine rolls with walnut paste.

Bigger warm dishes include delicacies such as chashushuli (beef stew) or ajapsandali (sort of a Georgian Ratatouille) that I personally enjoy very much. They serve various kinds of breads, such as lobiani, which is an oven-baked bread filled with beans. For dessert, I recommend their baklava with ice cream.

OR Restaurant & Bar at Torni

For great food and service, and some of the best views in Helsinki, I can recommend the centrally located OR Restaurant & Bar at Torni. This tall building with 90 years of history hosts the hotel Solo Sokos Hotel Torni.

OR Restaurant & Bar serves food made with Finnish ingredients. For starters, I recommend trying Torni Skagen (a prawn toast), and for mains, Torni Bouillabaisse or whitefish. Their Seafood Tower is certainly one fascinating culinary experience you might wish to have.

For dessert, the restaurant offers treats such as vanilla pannacotta with liquorice meringue or blackcurrant sorbet with Torni champagne. This is a mid-range/high end restaurant, and it is best to book your table in advance. Torni is also a fantastic place to visit just for a small snack or for drinks.

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