Apotek
Apotek is a new wine bar that has opened on Malminrinne in the Kamppi district. As its name suggests, it is situated inside an old pharmacy that dates back over a century. The stunningly beautiful space has been renovated with the utmost care and respect to preserve its history. It is no exaggeration to say that the new restaurant run by Tio Tikka has one of the most beautiful Art Nouveau interiors in Helsinki. Combined with Head Chef Ville Rainio’s uncomplicated yet imaginative, well-made and affordable small portions, Apotek can expect to enjoy long-lasting popularity. It is hard not to fall in love with Apotek when you can get scallops with shiso mayonnaise or fennel-salmon-shrimp soup with saffron aioli and a glass of artisan wine from a small European producer, such as Burgundy Blanc by Louis Chenun or Étienne Calsac champagne – and even the terrace gets the evening sun!
Lapinlahdenkatu 1
The Glass
The Glass is a new restaurant that has opened in connection with the Finnish Museum of Photography at Kämp Galleria in the city centre. The Glass successfully combines a casual bistro with a finer yet relaxed and down-to-earth restaurant based on domestic flavours and ingredients – no wonder, as restaurateur Jarkko Myllymäki is known as the founder and long-time influence behind acclaimed restaurant Juuri. The vegetable-focused menu includes dishes that finely represent modern Finnish cuisine, with starters ranging from beetroot tartar and caramelised celeriac with kale to cep and potato croquette with mushroom broth and deer roast with juniper berries and pickled mushrooms. The satisfying main courses include grilled seasonal mushrooms with crispy potato and onion, roasted pike with smoked butter and lovage sauce, and grilled Finnish marbled beef with roasted carrot and broad bean. The restaurant’s home-cooked lunches feature such delights as traditional dill meat, pork stew and macaroni casserole.
Kämp Galleria, Mikonkatu 1
W30
W30 is the new restaurant of Kristian Vuojärvi, the long-time captain of Culinary Team Finland. Vuojärvi has found a great space for his restaurant in the classic Wuorio House on Unioninkatu, and the dining hall certainly exudes a sense of understated dignity. The restaurant features both French with Scandinavian elements, and in keeping with the skills of the national culinary team, special attention is paid to cooking techniques. A lot of time and care is put nto each dish, highlighting classic culinary skills. At W30 you can enjoy, for example, terrine made with pâté, tartar made from beets or French duck. The fine dining experience is crowned by attentive service and quality wines.
Unioninkatu 30
Madonna
Madonna is the newest restaurant by Ville Relander and an ode to Italian food and atmosphere. With its extravagant Murano lamps and lemon fountains, the restaurant’s kitsch-inspired décor is a warm breeze in the midst of Scandinavian minimalism. The menu is classic Italian: after carpaccio, vitello tonnato or crudo, you can switch to pizza or pasta followed by tiramisu or sorbet for dessert. The wine list is also pure Italian, and cocktails, aperitifs and digestives are also served, as you would expect. The restaurant’s Bitter Afternoon offers Campari and Aperol-based drinks, and on some weekends the atmosphere is further enhanced by a drinks fountain together with pizza slices and ice cream.
Haapaniemenkatu 5B
Lily Lee
Lily Lee continues the trend of Asian fine dining that has proven so successful at Tomi Björck’s hit restaurants Farang and Gaijin. This time, inspiration has been sought from Taiwanese cuisine, Hong Kong street food, Cantonese traditions and Japanese sophistication. The menu is very extensive, and the portions are designed to be shared, so you can order dishes in fusion style with dim sums, sashimi, grilled delicacies from tiger prawns to char siu pork and small bites, such as marinated scallops served with sea urchin crème. Alternatively, you can rely on the restaurant’s selection and choose from one of its comprehensive tasting menus, including a vegan option. The wine list is equally impressive, especially its selection of sake, which can be ordered by the glass. The restaurant's own special cocktails, however, are probably best suited to Lily Lee's style!
Erottajankatu 4
Boon Nam
Tomi Björck and his team also had time to open another excellent restaurant during the year. In fact, Boon Nam could be considered Lily Lee's Thai cousin. The concept of Boon Nam, which can be found on the street level of the luxury St. George hotel, is Björck’s familiar Asian fusion: Thai classics with a contemporary touch and inspired by surrounding culinary cultures. The flavours come from ginger, lime, chili and coconut milk, as well as green papaya and mango, peanuts and, of course, various curries. Thai food is ideal for vegetarians, and Boon Nam also serves carrot-satay tamarind alongside traditional versions. Special mention goes to the kids’ menu, which offers milder options.
Lönnrotinkatu 4
Pamela
The old Werner restaurant on Bulevardi run by Reima Mäenpää and Jari Lönnberg, founders of Döner Harju, was transformed into the slightly more casual Pamela last spring. The heart of the kitchen is a huge open fire grill, which is used to cook everything from grilled eggplant, chicken liver and hearts, leek and yoghurt-marinated and pistachio-coated chicken skewers. The rotating doner grill, which is still heated by charcoal instead of electricity, combined with the duo's kebab know-how results in the juiciest and tastiest doner in the city centre, and the sinfully good marinated veal in particular should not be missed. In addition to Turkish classics, the food bows to Middle Eastern and Mediterranean influence, and the baba ganoush is among the best in town.
Bulevardi 12
Lucy in the Sky
Lucy in the Sky is a new rooftop restaurant and bar situated on the 20th floor of the Accountor Tower in Keilaniemi in neighbouring Espoo. The panoramic windows afford breathtaking views over the archipelago and city, especially at sunset. Contemporary bistro food adds to the restaurant’s special appeal and can be enjoyed as individual main courses or smaller portions. Highlights include Asian-style ribs and tartar risotto, and even the sides – such as the edamame beans with peanut sesame dressing – are delicious enough to be enjoyed on their own. The wine list includes a wide selection of excellent bottles, ranging from classic old-world wines to a special selection of German Rieslings and Burgundy reds. The glazed roof terrace on both sides is a great place to enjoy the evening and morning sun while sipping a glass of wine or cocktail!
Accountor Tower, Keilaniementie 1, Espoo
Version
Version is a new restaurant on Unionkatu by Kari “Kape” Aihinen that draws inspiration from the melting pot of California's food cultures, where different tastes and traditions are boldly and creatively combined. The main themes are relaxation and health, which can be seen in the salmon crudo flavoured with jalopeño and ponzu citrus dressing, a salad based on fermented tea leaves, and surf & turf gnocchi. The restaurant has been designed as an all-around place to relax from breakfast to dinner, serving everything from avocado toasts and smoothie bowls to 3-5 course dinner menus, as well as a family brunch with American pancakes on weekends. The specialty of the cocktail list designed by Mika Koivula is a wide selection of non-alcoholic and low-alcoholic cocktails. The alcohol percentages of the drinks are also stated on the menu, and half portions are also available. Version also serves special whiskeys one bottle at a time at special prices without a mark-up.
Unioninkatu 14
Albina
Albina is a new restaurant and wine bar at Konepaja that draws its greatest inspiration from Italy and France, but with wider influences also from both Southern Europe and contemporary Finnish cuisine. The team behind the restaurant includes Riku Stenroos from Sicapelle and Meat District in Porvoo, as well as Teemu Aura and Antti Paasonen from the Michelin-starred Demo – and there is no lack of experience and vision among the other restaurant staff either. The juicy truffle risotto has already established itself as Albina’s classic dish and become one of the city’s most talked about new dishes. The seasonal menu also includes other classic dishes ranging from tartare and vitello tonnato to pistachio tiramisu and tarte tatin. Being a wine bar, Albina is also perfect for a small snack and a drink; the wine selection consists mainly of wines from small European producers.
Aleksis Kiven katu 23
Goose Pastabar
Goose Pastabar on Eerikinkatu began as an experiment for Restaurant Day and offers a simple concept: home-made fresh pasta and a nice atmosphere. The tasty pastas respect tradition – often with a small twist. For example, the fresh pasta can be had with pistachio pesto and parmesan cream or Portobello mushrooms, truffle puree and sage. The traditional ragout is genuinely stewed for a long time, and the cacio e pepe, i.e. homemade cheese and pepper pasta, gets extra flavour from burnt lemon oil. Fresh vegan pastas are also available. The interior of the restaurant consists of a fun collection of non-matching recycled furniture and miscellaneous design items, from a disco ball to a stuffed goose that was presented as a gift at the restaurant’s opening. The restaurant’s opening hours are also flexible in the evenings, which means that on weekends you can sit and enjoy a wine or beer while playing board games, especially in the cosy upstairs area!
Eerikinkatu 44
Bistro Bardot
Bistro Bardot is a direct follow-up to the Spanish-inspired restaurant Penélope by Hans Välimäki and Arto Rastas. This time, the menu is dominated by traditional and unpretentious French classics, from pike quenelle, gratinated escargot and lobster-seafood soup to boudin noir sausage, but it also borrows occasionally from its neighbouring country with dishes such as mussel spaghetti, burrata and grilled octopus. A touch of luxury in the bistro brasserie spirit is provided by the oysters and caviar and roe served with waffles. And yes, goose liver mousse with roasted brioche can also be found on the menu. The wine list is not limited to French wines either, and the selection of champagnes is exceptionally wide for a bistro.
Kluuvikatu 1
Loi Loi Rooftop
Helsinki has traditionally had few rooftop restaurants due to the low profile of the city, but Loi Loi Rooftop makes up for this in Konepaja. Although the restaurant with its magnificent north-facing glass wall is situated “only” on the sixth floor, the view towards Pasila is even somewhat surprisingly metropolitan. In Melbourne style, influences for the menu have been sought from all over Southeast Asia, and the kitchen staff has great skills and a good team spirit. Even the ramen noodles are made themselves. On the drinks side, Loi Loi houses Finland's smallest nano-distillery that produces its own gin and excellent long drinks.
Konepajankuja 5, 6. krs
The Saigonese
Anyone who has enjoyed the most famous dish of Vietnamese cuisine knows that the soul of phở soup is the spicy broth stewed from beef bones. The Saigonese is an intimate and cosy little cafe-restaurant run by two cousins that makes phở in South Vietnamese style, and its broth is so perfect that you have to finish every last drop. You can also order summer rolls and bao steam buns, and the lunch menu changes daily. Everything is also available as a vegan option. The vegan phở broth is made from vegetables, roots, fruits and spices, creating an extremely tasty umami bomb served with a variety of soy strips, tofu and mushrooms. Special mention goes to addictive chili oil flavoured with lemongrass and garlic, not to mention the friendly service!
Lapinlahdenkatu 21
Big Bowl Noodle
Freshly hand-made Lanzhou-style noodles combined with great broths and sauces take Big Bowl Noodle straight to the top three among noodle restaurants in Helsinki. The chef’s recommended long noodles and ramen soup are definitely worth trying, but a portion of chili-peanut beef softened with sesame oil is unbeatable. The service and portions shine with genuine care for the quality of the food; the perfect broth recipe has been honed for months, and customer feedback is listened to with a sensitive ear.
Malminrinne 2-4
Noodle Master
Helsinki was also blessed by another excellent new noodle restaurant in 2020. Noodle Master makes fresh noodles by hand in front of the customer's eyes, and one of the hottest debates of the year was which of the newcomers is better. Noodle Master’s hit is its Sichuan dandan noodles soaked in chili oil, but its selection also includes Shanghai noodles with scallion sauce, Beijing soybean paste noodles and Lanzhou beef noodle soup. And don’t forget the crispy fried dumplings and wonton soups, not to mention the beef in chili sauce!
Arkadiankatu 19C