Finnish restaurants in Finland
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Zetor
Ever wondered where the Leningrad Cowboys would park their pointy shoes? This whacky restaurant and pub has a kitschy Czech tractor theme from the mind of Finnish film-maker Aki Kaurismäki. Cabbage rolls, salmon soup and other traditional dishes complement the Finnish booze including sahti (traditional ale flavoured with juniper berries), but ease off if you’re finishing the night with a tractor ride.
reviewed
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Sokeri-Jussin Kievari
An Oulu classic, this timbered local on Pikisaari was once a sugar warehouse and has outdoor tables that have good views of the centre. Although the renovated interior has lost a bit of the original character, it’s still an attractive spot to eat, with no-frills traditional dishes, including reindeer.
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Tiikun Tii Pii
The most interesting eating option by far, this is a Lapp hut 2.5km from the centre which is bookable for two to 15 people. You get a drink on arrival and watch the traditional dishes being prepared (nettle soup, smoked reindeer steak or salmon, Lapp cheese), before enjoying them in the cosy interior. Drinks with the meal are included in the price (you can also bring your own), and there's plenty of entertainment, such as storytelling the Sámi way (yoiks). It's a lot of fun. You must book ahead; there are normally two timeslots per night (18:00 and 21:00).
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C
Wistub Alsace
This small, authentic spot specialises in Alsatian cuisine and accomplishes it well. The seasonal menu offers a small selection of quality dishes, including an always-delicious fish of the day, as well as pizzalike tartes flambées (€14 to €16). Presentation is excellent; deliciously aromatic Alsatian white wines are available, as well as cheaper choices by the glass or jug. Desserts are original and scrumptious; a small terrace offers more casual dining.
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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.
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Viikinkiravintola Harald
Dust off your feasting horned helmet for this Viking restaurant where subtlety is run through with a berserker’s broadsword. Food fits the theme, and while set menus (or Voyages as they’re called here) are filling three-course samplers, picking and mixing means you can indulge in barbarian ribs on a plank or tar ice cream with cognac. It’s not exactly gourmet, but it is great fun.
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Umpitunneli
The ‘Dead-End Tunnel’ may be a road to nowhere but it’s a most enjoyable one, with a huge terrace, plenty of pissed-up locals adding entertainment value at weekends, and large plates of food, from creamy pastas to steaks and Tex-Mex. There are often live bands, or else the humppa (a fast Finnish dance, between a waltz and a foxtrot) music gets going. A classic.
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Degerby Gille
Set in the oldest building in town, this is an enchanting restaurant that is usually only open for group bookings. It's worth inquiring, though, at the Hotel Degerby, as the restaurant is usually open for lunch once a week for the local Rotary Club, and the public can take advantage. There are five separate and charmingly old-fashioned dining rooms.
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Enkeliravintola
This heavenly eatery features several rooms brightly decorated with their namesake angels (enkeli means angel) in a tasteful fashion. It’s tough to escape the winged wonders with so many of the dishes named for them. Mains, all served with house-baked bread and pesto, run to roast duck and a classic roast reindeer with lingonberry sauce.
reviewed
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Viikinkiravintola Harald
With a dragon-ship salad bar, stuffed animals, costumed waiters and long-hall wooden tables, this Viking-theme restaurant isn’t subtle but is plenty of fun. Dishes all bear Norse-sounding names and feature big steaks and game choices. Signature dishes are shared platters served on a shield, or enormous vegetable or meat kebabs speared on a sword.
reviewed
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Vanha Kauppahalli
The kauppahalli (covered market), built in 1889, is one of the best in Finland and, although touristy, is a great place to nose around. The kauppatori, also known as the fish market, is good for salmon chowder, cheap snacks and fresh produce such as berries. Most food stalls set up plastic chairs and tables on summer afternoons.
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Gustav Wasa
This underground restaurant is one of Finland’s best with a concise gourmet menu that blends classic Finnish with modern cuisine such as reindeer on tangy risotto. Once a coal cellar, the transformation to suave restaurant is achieved through low lighting and attentive service. For business meetings there’s a sauna to put the heat on clients.
reviewed
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Vaakahuoneen Paviljonki
Set a little away from town, this restaurant is worth tripping out to find. As well as an à la carte menu of snacks, pasta, pizzas and steak, there are daily buffets in summer, which include a variety of fish and several Asian options. The river-front locale can be enjoyed in spring and summer when live jazz accompanies the sunshine.
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Sirius
Located above the rapids, this restaurant is set in a characterful 1940s villa built as a residence for the local paper company. Choices range from salad table to a full buffet, and there are also delicious, classy daily fish or meat specials. There’s a great terrace out the back. It opens in the evenings for group bookings only.
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K
Bacchus
This golden wooden building not far from the water has a well-chosen menu that could include slow-baked hare with potato terrine. The rustic brickwork interior is warmed by animal skins, though the Wineroom section is minimalism chic. As you’d expect from a place named for the Greek god of boozing, the wine cellar is exceptional.
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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.
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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.
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Restaurant Josephine
For a quality sit-down meal, Josephine, in the Kaupunginhotelli, is a good choice. The menu is broad and excellent value, with tasty salmon, liver and other Finnish specialities alongside pan pizzas and pastas. There's also a 'Lapp menu', with several reindeer dishes (including boiled tongue) and a couple of set menus.
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Martina
Warm and welcoming, this chain place has a huge menu for the whole family, with a range of pizzas and pastas as well as fish, salad buffet, and grilled chicken, meat and vegetables. You can create your own dish: main course, accompaniment and sauce, a happy thing if you’ve tired of the same old combinations.
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Konstan Möljä
You can almost smell the sea in the maritime interior of this old sailor’s eatery. It’s real working-man’s food with a huge buffet that includes soup, salad, bread, meat (always reindeer) and vegetable dishes. If à la carte mains will break the budget, stick to the buffet – if you can resist Baltic herrings.
reviewed
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Ravintola Tuikku
For a meal or a drink with panoramic views, Ravintola Tuikku is perched right on top of the fell and looks over the surrounding hills and lakes. It's open year-round and can be reached by chairlift or by road. During the height of the ski-season it has theme nights: fondue, six-course specials, and more.
reviewed
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Sea Horse
Established in the 1930s and largely unchanged since, Sea Horse is the lovable uncle of Helsinki’s dining scene. Sometimes service may be hard of hearing, but they dish up real Fenno faves like cabbage rolls and reindeer fillet, in generous enough portions for you to forgive them their eccentricities.
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Finlaysonin Palatsi
This grand turn-of-the-20th-century residence behind the Finlayson centre has gardens and grounds and houses a classy restaurant with a relaxing terrace. The food is ambitious and delivers, with a short, quality selection of dishes such as reindeer carpaccio or lamb kidneys and tongue in port sauce.
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Wanha Laamanni
Top of the town in both geographic and culinary terms, this old Judges’ Chambers serves up Finnish faves like reindeer and the unique tar-flavoured salmon. The building itself is a rambling late-18th-century conversion with a roaring fireplace and sprawling terrace that’s ideal for people-watching.
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Steak & Whisky House Galle
This is a lot classier than it sounds. The interior is stylish and elegant, with intimate tables and a decent Finnish-continental menu of steaks, fish and salads. The lunch specials are the most worthwhile. Attached is a sophisticated bar with frequent live jazz; it's open fairly late most nights.
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