Welcome! My name is Juha and I will be your server this evening (morning, noon or night, depending on your disposition). Please sit down and let us look at the menu, if you please.
The idea of gathering some sort of a guide to the Helsinki I know and love for the english speaking audience that happen on my site has been in my mind for a while. So here is my first crack at it.
Here are some interesting places to eat in Helsinki, in no particular order. Share and enjoy!
Soppakeittiö
Want soup? Sure you do, and this is a great place to eat soup in an interesting environment. There are actually three “soup kitchens” in Helsinki and they are all located in the three old market halls around the city. Go visit all of them, the market halls are fantastic and all of them have a very particular vibe.
Soppakeittiö #1: The Old Market Hall
This place is the crown jewel and is the most “touristy” of the market halls. Don’t let that put you off, as it has various stands offering both Finnish and international delicacies as well as a few good places to eat.
My article about this restaurant (in Finnish).
Soppakeittiö #2: Hakaniemi Market Hall
This is the real McCoy, the genuine article. This is closest that you will get to the original market hall feeling, as this one actually serves (high quality) everyday food items to the local burghers, in addition to the more luxurious delicacies and a few restaurants that it houses. There is also the Hakaniemi market outside the hall, which especially during summer is a sight to see and is way more authentic than the market close to the Old Market Hall.
My article about this restaurant (in Finnish).
Soppakeittiö #3: Hietalahti Market Hall
“Hietsu” has had bumpy ride in the past few years, but seems to have found it’s place again. This market hall has had a renaissance of restaurants and here you can find some of the most fabulous dishes served in Helsinki and a reasonable price. In addition to the “soup kitchen” it has Fat Ramen (that you can find on next this list) and also Trattoria Corretto (wonderful italian food) and Roslund (meat shop selling great burgers, see also Teurastamon Portti) amongst others.
My article about this restaurant (in Finnish).
Fat Ramen
Want ramen soup? This is the place for the more oriental soup and conveniently you can find this in the Hietalahti Market Hall, on the other side of the hall from the Soppakeittiö. This place is run by enthusiastic young cook auteurs that bend the humble ramen dish into such a tasty treat that you would not believe.
My article about this restaurant (in Finnish).
Kolmon3n
Talking about young cooks, this is a good representative of the newish trend of bistro type fine-diningish food served by young owner cooks that set up shop in a more relaxed (ie. lower rent) environment as opposed to the city center. This is a short hop from the Hakaniemi Market Hall and you can get here easily with a tram or the subway, placing you on the outskirts of Kallio, the hippest place to be in Helsinki.
My article about this restaurant (in Finnish).
Arctic Burrito
This restaurant has been closed.
While you are already jaunting around the Kallio district, why not mosey over to the Sörnäinen that has some of the most colorful peeps you will see in Helsinki. This area also has some of the more interesting bars you can find in Helsinki.
But before going on a bender suitable for a new Hangover movie, you need to get something to eat. And have I got the perfect place for that? Of course I do! The Arctic Burrito has the best burritos in town and it is conveniently located for your excursion to the pleasures that Sörkka has to offer. Fill yourself with these scrum-diddly-umptious pork, beef or vegetarian burritos and away you go!
My article about this restaurant (in Finnish).
Teurastamon Portti
Remember when I told you about the Roslund burgers? Good times those were, way back when. But yes, in addition to the Hietalahti Market Hall, you can get your burger on at Teurastamo, which is Finnish for abattoir, but don’t worry, the only red you will see over here is the medium to medium rare beefs in the burgers you will drool over. Try the “hotchiliburger”! This is also just a short hop from the Artic Burrito and Sörkka, so if you need to get out of dodge after a more eventful night, this area can be your new base camp until everything blows over.
The Teurastamo is a reappropriated industrial area that houses many new restaurants and is a good representation of the newer city planning done in Helsinki, as the Kalasatama area, where Teurastamo is located at has taller buildings that elsewhere in the city, and will have the tallest building at some point. In the vicinity you can also find the now (in)famous Sompasauna, although that is open only during the summer time due to various reasons.
My article about this restaurant (in Finnish).
Töölönranta
Moving on from the Kallio and Kalasatama districts you might want to take the tram towards Töölö, which is an area for the more bourgeoisie citizens of Helsinki. Here you can find Töölönlahti Bay that is has a scenic path circling the water mass. Here you can find the famous Finlandia Hall, Finnish National Opera and Töölönranta, a picturesque restaurant on the shore (“ranta”) of the bay.
The restaurant serves contemporary nordic and european food with a seasonal touch, currently you will find on the menu blinis, which is very appropriate to this time of the year. A good way to experience this restaurant is to have a nice walk around the bay on a late Sunday morning and go for the famous Töölönranta Sunday Brunch.
My article about this restaurant (in Finnish).
Soup
To experience the more youthful side of Töölö, you might want to walk over Mannerheim street and visit the oh-so-hipster Soup restaurant, that serves soups (you never would have guessed that, would you?) for a very reasonable price. The soups are all vegetarian and the sides are just incredible.
My article about this restaurant (in Finnish).
Elite
Since you are already in Töölö, you might want to walk off the brunch and the soup. A good way to do that is to take a gander at the Sibelius Monument just a shortish walk over to the Sibelius Park, that has another nice scenic path that you might be interested in. After the walk, feeling peckish, you should stop over at the Elite, a beautifully Finnish restaurant that has been the favourite haunt of many famoush Finnish artists over the many many year it has been in operation.
Here you can find many of the nationally significant dishes served in a classy environment, to the tune of good old tunes from the yesteryears of black and white movies. Try the Tauno Palo style steak or Pike perch à la Mannerheim to get that authentic local cuisine done with elegance.
My article about this restaurant (in Finnish).
Suomalainen Klubi
And while we are on the subject of authentic local experiences, if you want to take it up a notch, you might want to visit the Finnish Club, that has preserved and nursed a part of the Finnish culture for quite a while. This place has a very specific “gentleman’s club” feel to it and is the spot where the traditional military officers banquets are held. You can really taste the olden times when dining at this restaurant.
After Elite, this is just a short tram ride from Töölö to the Helsinki center and the Kamppi district. The food at this restaurant is simple and traditional and you might want to consider experiencing this in the form of the lunch buffet.
My article about this restaurant (in Finnish).
Orchid
This restaurant has closed and in it’s place is the not-as-good The Red Koi Thai
Once you are done with the traditional Finnish food, you might have a hankering for a more exotic taste. A good place to get some of the best oriental food in Helsinki is Lönnrot street as it has two exquisite restaurants almost opposite each other. This street is also just a short walk from Kamppi and leads towards the Hietalahti Market Hall.
The first restaurant on this street is a thai restaurant that you just have to visit and whether it is for lunch or dinner, opt for the “tasting menu” (for lunch this means the “three small courses” menu), you will love it.
My article about this restaurant (in Finnish).
Koto
This japanese restaurant just across the street from Orchid is one of the oldest in Helsinki and in my opinion one of the best. So whether it is tonkatsu, tempura, sushi or even a bento meal, this is most certainly a restaurant worth your time.
My article about this restaurant (in Finnish).
Makki Makki
And speaking of the asian food cultures, it would do you well to (re)connect the japanese with the korean cuisine. Makki Makki will gladly hook you up with not just sushi, but also bibimbap and bulgogi. And it’s just around the corner from Koto! How convenient for you!
My article about this restaurant (in Finnish).
Levant
But maybe the fiery korean dishes do not entice you? Maybe you go for the more smoothing tastes of eastern Mediterranean food? Like the ones at Levant, which serves falafels, hummus, baba ganoush and other such delights of the sultans. This is also a strictly vegetarian place, so it will be a pleasantly light stop after all those dishes you had before. Maybe try the refreshing mint tee?
This restaurant, same as Makki Makki, is located at the beautiful Bulevardi street, which goes all the way from Hietalahti Market Hall to the city center and the crossroads of Mannerheim street and Erottaja street.
My article about this restaurant (in Finnish).
Dong Bei Hu
Crossing over the Erottaja, you will find yourself close to the Korkeavuorenkatu street, which will take you by one of the older firestations in Helsinki and also the magnificent St. John’s Church.
Just before the firestation The restaurant has moved, but is still worth visiting. Just move on over to Vuorikatu 20, and you will find one of the best Chinese restaurants in Helsinki, Dong Bei Hu, The China Tiger. Go for the chicken dishes with the chili, if the cold weather is getting to you, they will warm you right up. Promise!
My article about this restaurant (in Finnish).
Lucha Loco
Continuing onward the Korkeavuorenkatu, just a bit after the St. John’s Church, you will find an honest-to-god authentic (not really) mexican dive bar, that will offer you an irresistible lunch in the form of a taco buffet (yes, really) dinner with a mexican-asian crossover theme. So go on my Mujeres y Hombres, enjoy and eat your fill.
My article about this restaurant (in Finnish).
Strindberg
After all that spicy and exotic food you must be exhausted (poor you), so let me direct you over the Esplanadi park/steets to the comforting Strindberg restaurant and library bar where you can have a traditional “husmanskost” dinner consisting of classical nordic dishes or just a relaxing drink and a good book at the bar.
My article about this restaurant (in Finnish).
Lonna
After the relaxing moment with the book and once you feel up to snuff, maybe you would like a boat ride over to Lonna? Obviously this is more of a summer fare (the restaurant is closed during winter), but if you are reading this during the summer, you should really take in the Helsinki archipelago and this is a very sophisticated way to do that.
My article about this restaurant (in Finnish).
I hope you have enjoyed your stay and you are most welcome back at any time. I promise to post one of these collections once every blue moon.
Here is a map of all the places mentioned on this post, hope it helps.