Restaurants in Lakeland & The East
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Kenkävero
Kenkävero is a design shop and an art centre picturesquely set in a lovely vicarage building 1km east of the centre. The cafe still feels like an elegant drawing room and you half expect the vicar himself to bring in tea and cucumber sandwiches. Instead there’s a much praised lunch buffet that pulls out all the stops.
reviewed
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Huvila
This noble wooden building was formerly a fever hospital then a mental asylum, but these days writes happier stories as an excellent microbrewery and smart restaurant just across the harbour from the town centre. The food focuses on fresh local ingredients, and one of the delicious beers will match your fare perfectly, whether it be fresh, hoppy Joutsen, traditional sweet sahti, or the deliciously rich dessert stout. The terrace is a wonderful place on a sunny afternoon; there are also two cosy, compact double attic rooms (€120 during opera festival, €65 at other times).
reviewed
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Musta Lammas
One of Finland’s best restaurants, the ‘black sheep’ has a golden fleece. Set in an enchantingly romantic brick-vaulted space, it offers delicious gourmet mains with Finnish ingredients and French flair. Roast reindeer with morel mushrooms was one of the highlights when we last visited, but the €32 vegetarian menu also caught our eye. The standard wine list is OK, but get the credit card out for some of the handwritten choices, which include some of the world’s finest reds.
reviewed
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Musta Lammas
The 'Black Sheep' is one of the few truly gourmet restaurants in this part of Finland, set in an enchantingly romantic brick-vaulted space opposite the Scandic Hotel. The menu is mainly French in inspiration, but with some Finnish ingredients and dishes. Duck breast, roast lamb and monkfish take their places alongside oysters and some sinful chocolate desserts. The set menu is a veritable feast.
reviewed
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Parppeinpirtti
This place in the Parppeinvaara village does the real-deal pitopöytä (Karelian buffet) in a traditional house complete with a kantele soundtrack. Here you can heap your plate high with vatruskoita (salmon-stuffed pastry), swill down the nonalcoholic kotikalja (which tastes like a home-brewed beer) and finish it with a berry soup that’s like ladling jam.
reviewed
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Lounas-Salonki
This charming wooden building west of the city centre is warm and friendly, with little rooms sporting elegant imperial furniture. They do a salad buffet and daily hot lunch featuring traditional Finnish fare (on last visit sausage soup and liver ’n’ onions) as well as coffee and à-la-carte options including vegetarian choices like crêpes filled with blue cheese and vegetables.
reviewed
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Kummisetä
The sober brown colours of the ‘Godfather’ restaurant give it a traditional and romantic feel that’s replicated on the menu, with country pâté, pike-perch, chanterelle sauces and berries all making welcome appearances alongside chunky steaks. Food and service are both excellent. There’s also a popular back terrace and an attractive bar that is open longer hours.
reviewed
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Piste
At the base of the lifts on Ruka’s main square, this cavernous wooden hall has several attractive dining areas and good service. There’s a pleasing range of dishes, all generously portioned, ranging from burgers and fried fish to weightier mixed grills and more delicate offerings such as arctic char cooked on hot stones with barley risotto, or house snails.
reviewed
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Bomban Talo
This place has a fantastic Karelian smorgasbord abounding in Karelian pies, muikku (fried whitefish) and varieties of karjalanpaisti (stew), served throughout the day in summer. The atmosphere is authentic too, it's set in an imposingly large wooden building with solid timber tables. There are good à la carte options too.
reviewed
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Puijon Torni
Revolving restaurants usually plunge on the culinary altimeter, but the food atop Puijo tower is pretty good – although the decor won’t feature in Finnish Design Monthly anytime soon. Choices focus on Suomi specialities, including reindeer, Arctic char and pike-perch, and there are a couple of set menus (€32/38). The view is magnificent.
reviewed
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Bomban Talo
This mammoth wood cabin is the place to sample a Karelian buffet. Try the variety of karjalanpiirakka ingeniously designed to swab up karjalanpaisti (stew). The buffet is served throughout the day in summer, when the outdoor terrace is particularly tempting, but the à la carte options are just as authentic in winter.
reviewed
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Majakka
This restaurant has a deck-like terrace which fits the nautical theme (the name means ‘lighthouse’). Local meat and fish specialities are tasty, generously sized and fairly priced and the select-your-own appetiser plate is a nice touch. It’s child-friendly too, and opens late during the opera festival when it buzzes with good cheer.
reviewed
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Kahvila Majurska
If you can’t hop the border to a genuine Russian teahouse then this is as close as you’ll get in Finland. A former officer’s club (note the august portrait of Mannerheim and relic furniture), they still serve tea from the samovar and do a range of homemade pastries. The traditional serving maids outfits are a little too kinky.
reviewed
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Riipisen Riistaravintola
At the Kelo ski-lift area, a five-minute walk from Ruka square, this friendly spot specialises in game dishes, and you’ll find Rudolf, Bullwinkle and, yes, poor Yogi (€60) on the menu here in various guises, depending on availability and season. Ptarmigan and capercaillie in cream sauce will get bird-lovers twitching too.
reviewed
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Tiglio
A pleasant find - an authentic Italian restaurant with reasonably priced meals, including a free starter buffet of fresh bread, Italian dressings, olives and vegetables. It's spacious enough to be informal but nice enough for a night out. There's a huge range of dishes; the wild salmon with shrimps is good.
reviewed
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Vapaasatama Sampo
This is the spot for a truly local taste. It's the town's oldest restaurant - it's been in Kuopio for almost 70 years - and is famous all over Finland for its muikku (small whitefish), served in various forms, especially fried. It's delicious and the restaurant is cosy and typically Finnish.
reviewed
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Teatteri
You’ll have trouble keeping an eye on your plate amid the swanky surroundings of the town hall art deco building, which is decked out in Karelian maroons and blacks. The menu is representative of the region, with muikku (small whitefish) from nearby lakes and border-crossing borscht.
reviewed
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Buttenhoff
Serving up Burgundy escargot and blini with caviar, this is definitely the best place in town. The menu wanders across the border with Russian favourites given a decidedly French treatment, such as the pan-fried perch à la Russe. Their three-course set menu is always a quality meal.
reviewed
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Ravintola Astoria
Set in a former girls’ school, this restaurant is a stylish affair with a Hungarian influence. Expect a menu with plenty of paprika and garlic in goulashes and hefty steaks. Hungarian wines complement the food and chilled slivovitz (plum brandy) makes a strong finisher.
reviewed
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Kalakeidas
This aquatic-oriented restaurant does a great fish soup and other temptations like pike fillet with blue cheese. There are various shared fish platters that should be ordered the day before. All the fish is locally caught, and they can take you out on fishing trips too.
reviewed
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Sushi Mai
Zen minimalist signage makes this place tough to spot (look for the gnarled tree bough as a door handle) down a side alley, but it’s worth seeking out for the sushi, yakitori and ‘world food’ including olives and tortilla. Benches out front are brilliant in summer.
reviewed
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Isä Camillo
Set in a beautifully renovated former bank – look out for the old strongroom – this is an elegant but informal spot for a meal, offering fair prices for Finnish specialities. There’s a good enclosed terrace at the side and a decent pub, Pannuhuone, downstairs.
reviewed
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Café Aleksandra
This time-honoured favourite is an old-style Russian tearoom with antique furniture and snacks like meringues, quiches and sandwiches. Service gets a little brisk during busy lunchtimes but on a weekday afternoon you could easily plot a Dostoevsky novel here.
reviewed
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Kreeta
This Cretan restaurant near the kauppatori is a good bet, with spacious interior and big windows. Meze for two (€49 to €59) gives you the chance to try a range of dishes, there’s retsina and Greek coffee to wash it all down, and a play area for young kids.
reviewed
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Ilomantsin Leipomo
This little bakery is a local favourite for its top-notch pulla and preferred local breakfast of karjalanpiirrakka topped with scrambled egg. Most of the town grabs an early coffee on their way out here so it’s a social hub on weekdays.
reviewed
