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Originally known for its rock and heavy metal clubs, Helsinki has recently developed a suave bar-lounge scene. What began as a love of mojitos is flourishing into a number of carpeted, couch-lined venues combining loungy tunes with magnificent cocktails, some as a separate part of chic restaurants. While the city is generally quiet Sunday–Tuesday nights, a well-dressed, mostly suit-clad clientele begins boozing and schmoozing in earnest on "little Saturday" (aka Wednesday), and you can expect lines at the most popular places starting at 11 on weekends. The compact size of the city center makes it easy to barhop. Almost any place with a terrace or courtyard is sure to be busy in summer, and cover charges, when required, average €5–€10.
Perched atop the historic and newly renovated Solo Sokos Hotel Torni, the Ateljee Bar is a modest space, accessed by an elevator and then a narrow spiral straircase, but it's big enough to serve its purpose: serving cocktails and other drinks. Though the drinks are expensive, the views of the city from its balconies—and famously, from its bathrooms—are second to none. Art exhibitions are an added attraction. A very pricey "Breakfast with a View" is a new offering.
Steeped in history, this bar was first opened in 1906 by the Helsinki Workers' Association. If that gives a staid impression, don't be deterred: Juttutupa hosts great jazz, blues, and other music nights (admission is free) and has a convivial, authentically Helsinki atmosphere, making it one of the city's best live music venues. At the bar's "revolutionary table," Vladimir Lenin met with fellow conspirators and plotted Russia's revolution, just one element of a fascinating and eventful history. The bar is inside the so-called "granite castle," a magnificent National Romantic–style stone fortress behind the Scandic Paasi hotel, overlooking an inlet from the sea. The menu includes good pizzas and salads, and there is an outdoor terrace that catches the evening sun.
Helsinki's most popular jazz club comprises a street-level Piano Bar and Music Club with a Creole-themed restaurant in the basement; on Friday and Saturday you'll find live jazz, blues, rock and roll, and dancing. There's also a pleasant outdoor summer-only terrace in the small park across the street.
