3 Best Restaurants in Southwestern Coast and the Ålands, Finland

The name means "mom," and the regulars at this small-yet-airy riverside bistro feel right at home. The bright, light-green-and-white dining room is outfitted with chairs from the 1960s and floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the river. The menu changes monthly and always includes locally sourced seasonal ingredients in its fresh fish dishes, including charcoaled salmon, grilled whitefish and perch, duck, mushrooms, and local cheeses. There's a four-course set menu in addition to lunch and the à la carte dinner menu.

An elegant riverside restaurant, Smör (Swedish for "butter") prides itself on being an ambassador of local food and a master of Nordic cuisine, and has earned a reputation for its discerning wine cellar filled with small vineyard labels. A selection of cold or hot small plates comprise the à la carte menu (four items minimum recommended), but the highlight is an all-Nordic-ingredient prix-fixe menu that includes duck, herring, and venison. Special dietary requirements can be catered to if specified in advance.

Local, in-season, and fresh ingredients, including foraged herbs and salad ingredients from nearby forests, are featured on set menus at this sustainably principled gourmet restaurant, voted Finnish Restaurant of the Year in 2018. A popular venue for special events or celebrations, Kaskis reopened after renovations in 2020 and lists rainbow trout, whitefish, venison, and forest berries on its menu, with matching wine packages.