Wino is one of my favourite restaurants in Helsinki. It’s small and cosy with good quality food, and a great selection of natural wines. It’s in the Kallio district, so it’s easy to get to. It can be busy on the weekends, so try to make a reservation if you can.
I also like Gastro Café Kallio, which serves classic bistro-style food in a relaxed atmosphere. It’s a nice spot if you want to go where the locals go. They also do a nice breakfast and make their own bread.
For lunch I often stop by Pompier, which has a very nice selection for the price, or I go to Döner Harju for great quality kebabs.
There are some exciting venues in Helsinki being run by young and ambitious owners who have taken influence from around the world. Places like Way Bakery & Wine Bar (bakery by day, wine bar by night), Bull and the Firm (a super trendy restaurant with great snacks and cocktails), Öl Ut (beer bar and shop) and Chihuahua Julep (a cocktail bar specialising in American spirits from the south and north). Also great is Inari; another newcomer run by ambitious and young ex-Noma chefs. The cuisine – mixing Korean and Finnish flavours – is delicate, and each dish has a very personal touch.
If industry friends are visiting from Helsinki, I would take them to Restaurant Grön, which has a nice, relaxed environment and a very seasonal menu using wild ingredients. Another interesting restaurant to take them to is Inari. It has seven tables and is innovative in that it serves local food adding some Asian influence.
The best Chinese in town is definitely Mei Lin!
Karljohan restaurant is a long-time favourite. It’s actually where I started my career as a chef. Sometimes I just pop in for a coffee, or for one of my favourite dishes: vorschmack. It’s a traditional Finnish dish made of ground meat, onions and either anchovies or herring, and then served with potatoes, pickles and sour cream. If I’ve been away travelling, the first thing I might want to eat when I get back to Helsinki is called karjalan piirakka, which is a Karelian pie with salty egg butter on top that I get from Hakaniemen Halli (food market).
