Restaurants Helsinki Guide
Nestled between Russia and Sweden, Finnish cuisine is a gentle merging of East and West. Helsinki, being a coastal city, has access not only to fresh seafood, but to various imported delicacies which arrive in their bustling port each day. With a growing upper class in Helsinki, local tastes have expanded as have gastronomic options. Worldly and local restaurants can be found in abundance in this modernizing city, and one will find that Finnish cuisine has more to it than dried fish and pickled...fish, but a wealth of rustic and urban culinary delights.
Perhaps Helsinki's most famous restaurant, the Seahorse (Kapteenikatu 11, 628 169) has been serving the Finnish-who-could-afford-it since the 1930’s. Once a meeting place for sailors, the Seahorse delivers traditional Finnish cuisine in a surprisingly casual and fun atmosphere. You will find the place packed with locals enjoying traditional fish soups and fresh cheeses; not to be missed.
The Juttutupa pub, with the accompanying Marco Polo restaurant, is another authentic Helsinki experience. This ancient, dark-wood decorated building will bring you back centuries, but the beer and delicious pub food will wake you right up again. Situated inside one of the city's oldest buildings, the Juttutupa is a museum in itself and, if that was not enough, is one of Helsinki's most popular concert venues.
The Lappi restaurant is situated in a rustic, country lodge and decorated with heavy wood and stone hearths. The cuisine here is traditional Finnish and Lappis, and both the excellent food and lovely atmosphere make it one of Helsinki's most popular restaurants, and one that cannot be missed on any visit. Serving reindeer meat and Lappish farm cheese, the authentic Lappish food here can be found nearly no where else in the world.
In addition to the Finnish restaurants mentioned, there are a number of Russian and Scandinavian restaurants in Helsinki (due to their proximity and influence) as well as Italian restaurants (due to their sheer popularity). Most of the best seafood restaurants will be found closest to the fish market on the water and the streets and alleys of the city are packed with bistros, cafés and even fast-food restaurants. There will be no lack of food to prepare you for your winter hibernation, so enjoy every bite.
Perhaps Helsinki's most famous restaurant, the Seahorse (Kapteenikatu 11, 628 169) has been serving the Finnish-who-could-afford-it since the 1930’s. Once a meeting place for sailors, the Seahorse delivers traditional Finnish cuisine in a surprisingly casual and fun atmosphere. You will find the place packed with locals enjoying traditional fish soups and fresh cheeses; not to be missed.
The Juttutupa pub, with the accompanying Marco Polo restaurant, is another authentic Helsinki experience. This ancient, dark-wood decorated building will bring you back centuries, but the beer and delicious pub food will wake you right up again. Situated inside one of the city's oldest buildings, the Juttutupa is a museum in itself and, if that was not enough, is one of Helsinki's most popular concert venues.
The Lappi restaurant is situated in a rustic, country lodge and decorated with heavy wood and stone hearths. The cuisine here is traditional Finnish and Lappis, and both the excellent food and lovely atmosphere make it one of Helsinki's most popular restaurants, and one that cannot be missed on any visit. Serving reindeer meat and Lappish farm cheese, the authentic Lappish food here can be found nearly no where else in the world.
In addition to the Finnish restaurants mentioned, there are a number of Russian and Scandinavian restaurants in Helsinki (due to their proximity and influence) as well as Italian restaurants (due to their sheer popularity). Most of the best seafood restaurants will be found closest to the fish market on the water and the streets and alleys of the city are packed with bistros, cafés and even fast-food restaurants. There will be no lack of food to prepare you for your winter hibernation, so enjoy every bite.