Get FREE email communications from Fodor's Travel, covering must-see travel destinations, expert trip planning advice, and travel inspiration to fuel your passion.
Helsinki is dotted with cozy yet decidedly modern-looking venues offering reindeer, herring, and pike accompanied by delicious Finnish mushrooms or wild-berry sauces. Don't be turned off by spare menu descriptions such as "reindeer with lingonberry sauce and chanterelles,"—it's a classic example of the Finnish tendency toward understatement, and the skill will be evident in the taste. You'll find everything from Mexican to Nepalese (quite popular with locals) in the city, though not at every price point. Expect European-size entrées, excellent location, and service at a steep price. A strong café culture makes it easy to find a tasty, reasonably priced lunch.
Award-winning chef Eero Vottonen has steered Palace to Michelin-star status with a single, sumptuous seven-course menu that utilizes fresh Nordic ingredients, from duck and salted trout roe to Norwegian scallops and lobster. Offering magnificent view of the South Harbour, it's on the 10th floor of a former hotel. Very upmarket, and a venue for special and perhaps more formal occasions.
Opened in 2003 by chefs Tommi Tuominen and Teemu Aura and the holder of a Michelin star since 2007, Demo serves food of the very best quality without the stuffiness of some high-end restaurants; this is a place where you can comfortably laugh out loud. The core menu combines classical French and local ingredients, and the restaurant offers six- and seven-course seasonal "surprise" chef's menus. The wine cellar is among the best in Finland—some 400 wines and counting, with Burgundy a specialty
Look for a giant propeller and anchor to find the main door of Nokka in the redbrick buildings near the Uspenski Orthodox Cathedral in Katajanokka, overlooking the marina. This innovative restaurant specializes in seasonal fare with fresh Finnish ingredients provided by small holdings across the country and the forests of Lapland. The rather limited but excellent à la carte menu might include pan-fried fish, lamb, mushrooms, and local cheeses, while vegetarians are well catered to in the four-course "Menu Green."
Olo is perfectly located close to the historic Senate Square and the harborside Market Square. Its Michelin-star-winning menu, originally inspired by chef Jari Vesivalo's childhood memories, varies from season to season. Diners need to set aside three hours to sample the terrific five-part tasting menu, some of which is so beautifully presented it seems too good to eat. Wine pairings are offered for each stage of this gourmet fusion of Nordic and international ingredients, served in a calm and elegant setting. Reservations are essential.
Given that its airy dining room was designed by iconic Finnish architect and designer Alvar Aalto and overlooks the Esplanade, it's no surprise that the Savoy is a popular spot for business lunches or occasion dining. This was Finnish statesman Marshal Carl Gustaf Mannerheim's favorite restaurant (in the late 1800s); he is rumored to have introduced the vorschmack (minced lamb and anchovies) recipe here. Savoy's menu is described as "Finnish-French with a slight Russian touch" and was conceived by Chef Helena Puolakka. It consists of a changing menu of inventive fresh fish and meat dishes, embracing pelmeni, berries, mushrooms, duck, and whitefish.
