Helsinki — Where We Ate & Drank
We ate our way through 18 restaurants in Helsinki, from Michelin-starred Olo and Grön to karaoke at Wallis. Plus cafes, bars, and a July sauna plunge at Löyly.
One July in Helsinki: sauna at Löyly with a Baltic plunge, Olo and Grön flying the new-Nordic flag, and karaoke at Wallis because Finland takes karaoke seriously. The Temppeliaukio rock church is ten minutes and completely worth it.
Summer is the whole show—the city in June through August is a different country. We tested 18 restaurants including Ravintola Palace and Nokka, stayed at Hotel Kämp and F6, and found Cafe Regatta worth the waterfront trek.
- We were there in July 2023
- Best months to visit: June–September
- 5 Michelin-starred tables · 1 Top-500 bar · 1 UNESCO site
- Worth timing: Vappu (May Day) (April–May)
Plan your Helsinki days with these picks →
Restaurants
- Restaurant Kiku86
- Restaurant Olo
- Restaurant Grön
- Ravintola Palace
- Cafe Regatta
- Ravintola Nokka
- Ravintola Nolla
- Savoy
- Restaurant Natura
- Restaurant Demo
- Chez Janet Gourmet & Gift, a piece of Paris in the middle of Helsinki
- Restaurant Young Hearts
- Pizzeria Via Tribunali
- Ravintola Finnjävel SALONKI
- Restaurant Forza
- Restaurant Shelter
- Fafa's Iso Roba
- Niska Helsinki
- Restaurant Zetor
- Viking Restaurant Harald
- See all 20 restaurants in Helsinki →