After a very comprehensive Helsinki travel guide on where to go and what to do in Helsinki, I wanted to also write a Helsinki food guide .
Because food is a huge part of my trips as I enjoy trying new places and learn what type of food is typical for my destination. so here is a nice compilation on what to eat and where to eat in Helsinki 🙂 enjoy!
Helsinki food guide – What to eat in Helsinki
In Finland, thus in Helsinki, there are many dishes which are not only delicious but also part of the culture. So in this aspect reindeer meat, fish, cinnamon bun, dark rye bread, rice pastry and filter coffee are the first things that should be included in any Helsinki food guide and this is simply the answer to what to eat in Helsinki 🙂
You can also find bear meat along with reindeer meat, both usually served with lindenberry. And also their cinnamon bun can be found almost every café and similar to Swiss version but here it is named korvapuusti. There is also pistaccio version but cinnamon version is the way to go folks, tested 😊
In many places, when you order coffee, you can get a refill from the big termosses. Actually Finland has a really high coffee consumption per person. Especially cinnamon bun & coffee combination is way to go in Helsinki. So all I can say is if you come back from your Helsinki visit, not having made a cinnamon bun & filter coffee break, that visit do not count!
One item worth extra mentioning in this Helsinki food guide is dark rye bread. Don’t skip it! Because to be honest I was a bit skeptical since I thought meeh that’s nothing new or I wouldn’t like it but it was really good especially for a morning breakfast sandwich!
You will see many small pastries but I haven’t seen their rice pastry anywhere else yet, which is called piirakka or piirakat You can also find it in many cafes and even bakery corners of supermarkets.
So these were roughly what to eat in Helsinki , now we go to more important part of Helsinki food guide where to eat in Helsinki 😊 Below are some of my Helsinki restaurants suggestions, they are a compilation of places I have heard, researched and tried in Helsinki. I was especially satisfied with dinners I had in Helsinki!
Helsinki food guide – where to eat in Helsinki – Helsinki restaurant suggestions
Konstan Mölja: If you want to try many Finnish food, in quality of mother made, in a open buffet with reasonable price look no more! This place is managed by the same family for years, and with cosy but somehow navy themed decore it is a really nice place to try as many dishes you can. Anyway, you can find soup, reindeer meat dish, fish, vegetable dishes, etc etc, all as much as you can eat, and you can refill your plate, for only 19 euro! Of course drinks are not included.
They speak English and first they will explain you which dish is which and how to eat it. For example this is reindeer meat you eat this with potato puree and lindenberry, that is lamb meat you eat it with this sour cream etc etc.. Food was really delicious, honestly, I’m not into lamb meat and I don’t eat fish so anchues wasn’t an option for me, but apparently I didn’t get one of the dish was lamb meat and anchues and I tried it and I liked it so much I had to ask again what was it! Of course I was a bit shocked to hear it consisted of two things I didn’t eat but oh well there goes my prejudice, that’s one reason why I travel anyway 😊
Since food is delicious and reasonable priced for Helsinki, you have to have reservation. I saw at least 3-4 people turned down while I was there, and I was only able to get in because I was one person and I was there early like 17:30 so I was supposed to leave until 20:30 since I was with no reservation.
Cafe Regetta: I think it wouldn’t be an exaggeration if I say this is the best café in Helsinki 😊 Also the best cinnamon bun- korvapuusti I ate in Helsinki was here. any Helsinki food guide mentioning where to eat would be at fault for not mentioning this place, not only because of food but for the atmosphere! This place is not in city center but it is close by to Sibelius Monument so you can combine visiting both. It is a very lovely looking cagfe, with a red wooden 130 years old house turned into café litereally next to sea! Coffee & cinnamon bun was 5,5 euro, but sitting next to sea and sharing my pastry with cute little birds that came by was really calming and peaceful. Though I suggest not to overshare as there seems to be an army of sparrows!
Naughty Brgr: If you don’t know, I’m a bit obsessed about burgers but after my USA trip I didn’t had much amazing burgers elsewhere. This is a place I liked most after my USA trip and that was more than 5 years ago! If you like burgers please try this place, it belongs to famous chef Aksali Herlevi. That may explain quality and taste 😊
Burgers were 10-13 euro, fries were 3-5 euro and beers were around 6-7 euro. (I think now you also get the idea why first restaurant was deemed reasonable priced ) But prices are somewhat ok for Helsinki and for this deliciousness I was more than willing to pay!
Cafe Engel: This might be the most centric café in Helsinki, just across the famous white cathedral. It is an old café loved by locals and tourists because somewhow it managed to protect its atmosphere, Servis was fast and friendly and you can refill your filter caffee while watching the tourists and city go by in front of the Cathedral. (filter caffe was 3.6 euro)
Friends & Brgr: Now that you know I love burgers, it is not surprised that I tried another burger place 😊 Especially since I was very satisfied with Naughty Burger, I wanted to try another burger place in Helsinki. This place claimed they used good ingredients and I liked their catch phrase “every brgr matters“. But except being a good upper level fast food burger, it wasn’t that special. I guess key word is it was still a fast food burger. Also I really didn’t liked their fries, it felt too much fried. Burgers were around 8-9 euro, menu including fires and drink was around 12-13 euro. Also if you come here for lunch time it is 1 euro discounted. It can be a good fast
Market Square: Honestly, it is touristic but since you are a tourist no problem right 😊 I was told to at least stop by here for a coffee break and I paid 7 euro for a coffee and a pastry with emat. I would say it is above Helsinki prices but it was nice break and experience to observe atmosphere.
Hietalahti Food Market: This is a closed hall turned into a food market. Inside you find many different world cuisienes. There are also some handmade sourveniour type stuff shops inside. I think it is worth stopping by if you are close by.
Torni hotel Terasse: I was told, drinks might be expensive but it has a nice view that overlooks Helsinki from top so you should try it. Well, I did went there but I saw it was very small and in the terasse part there were only 4-5 tables which were full. And there were many people coming and going checking for tables, and tourist like me coming in taking a photo and not having a place to sit go. So even with an available table I doubt I would stay because the time I visited was very crowded to enjoy view or a drink.
Well I hope you liked this Helsinki food guide and I was able to give you useful information on what to eat in Helsinki and where to eat in Helsinki 🙂
Please do let me know how was your food experinces were in Helsinki and I’ll be delighted to hear your suggestions on this.