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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.
Larger than it appears from the outside, this bar—actually two conjoined bars with two separate entrances—offers a huge range of beers, ales, ciders, and whiskies from across the globe as well as bar snacks, including doorstop toast sandwiches. Popular with students (Helsinki University buildings are nearby), after-work drinkers, and board game enthusiasts, it's a lively haunt especially for discerning beer drinkers.
This four-story, Jugendstil building next to the main railway station, once the Finnair city terminal, is now a bar and restaurant with the best selection of Czech beers and filling pub food in the city.
Probably the best sports bar in Helsinki, the Woolshed is an Australian gastropub serving a great selection of beers and good-value pub meals such as fish-and-chips and burgers. There are special discounts on certain evenings. A plethora of well-placed TVs with access to major sports channels show the most popular sporting events, including ice hockey, soccer, rugby, and cricket, making it popular with expats as well as locals. It has a spacious outdoor terrace, too, and a back door that opens onto the railway station platforms.
