Luovuus kukkii kaaoksesta
What do you get when you put together two old friends with more than just a little sparkle in their eyes, completely random interior décor that combines non-matching furniture and tableware in all different colours with images of octopuses, crabs and parrots on the walls, plus a stuffed badger that watches over the restaurant? What you get is the kind of chaos where not only creativity but also Helsinki’s most unique restaurant experience have space in which to blossom (the restaurant’s name literally translates as “Creativity Blossoms from Chaos”).
Both the menu and the daily wine list at LKK (for short) live and change according to the mood. Influences have been absorbed a little bit from everywhere and everything, so anything from yellowtail mackerel sashimi to horse tenderloin, scallops to chestnut soup, may be served on your plate. Wines from small producers, sake and champagne are also poured into your glass with a loose wrist. If you need to look for a unifying theme, it could be found in the delicate and pure flavours and respect for quality ingredients. While a Japanese philosophy can be distinguished on the plate, the unhurried and relaxed service and atmosphere are authentic Helsinki. The end result is a restaurant experience that, in its uniqueness, is difficult to imagine anywhere else.
Pieni Roobertinkatu 13, Kaartinkaupunki
Café Savoy
Café Savoy, the Southern French cousin of the classic Restaurant Savoy, opened at the street level of the legendary restaurant at the end of the year. Despite its name, Café Savoy is in true French style more of a restaurant than a café. The Savoy’s Chef Patron Helena Puolakka has selected down-to-earth southern French dishes for the menu, which combines authentic flavours and high-quality ingredients into a nicely balanced whole. In particular, the four-course prix fixe menu shines with Puolakka's vision, which Chef Matias Poutiainen, who has been cooking upstairs for eight years, executes with devotion.
Café Savoy also shares the wine cellar that the Savoy Restaurant has accumulated over the years, so if you wish, you can also enjoy an exceptionally wide selection of wines. Café Savoy's interior is timelessly stylish without being too formal in the slightest. A classic at its birth is often an exaggeration, but in the case of Café Savoy, the expression can be used with a clear conscience, so enthusiastically has it been received by restaurant critics and numerous dinner guests alike.
Eteläesplanadi 14, Kaartinkaupunki
Mat Distrikt
Mat Distrikt, a relative of the Meat District restaurant in nearby Porvoo, opened on Tehtaankatu in southern Helsinki in January 2022. Mat Distrikt is an authentic and honest neighbourhood restaurant with the spirit of a classic Southern European gourmet bistro. The simple slogan “Good Meat, Fish & Wine” in the window says a lot about the restaurant's menu, although Mat Distrikt also offers very tasty vegetarian dishes. Quality meats from local producers, aged raw in its own aging cabinet, are a sure choice for both steak and tartare, but the menu also includes delicious boletus mushrooms, trout and mussels.
One thing is for sure; you should definitely try the risotto, especially when there's truffle risotto on the menu, because behind Mat Distrikt is the same top team as at Albina in Konepaja are, whose truffle risotto has already earned a legendary reputation. Don’t skip the desserts either, because the kitchen is run by Chef and Master Pastry Chef Teemu Aura, one of the founders of the Michelin-starred Demo. The wine selection focuses on small European producers, and Mat Distrikt's speciality is the widest selection of vermouth in Finland, providing a Mediterranean atmosphere. The interior is classically cosy, and the large windows give the restaurant plenty of light and space.
Tehtaankatu 12, Ullanlinna
Omadi Omakase
Hidden behind the curtains in a small side room of Helka Hotel is Omadi, where guests are pampered by the chef’s 14-dish Japanese omakase menu comprising small but delicious portions. The pleasure is completed with artisan sake and champagne.
An atmosphere of a Japanese culinary adventure is created by the undulating wooden panel ceiling combined with Finnish wood design furniture and ceramic dishes in the small and intimate restaurant space built around the bar counter. The team led by Chef Nadim Nasser has also been responsible for creating the unique experiences in the forest restaurant Nielu, as well as a Michelin-starred sushi restaurant, so at Omadi you can be sure that you are in good and competent hands.
Pohjoinen Rautatiekatu 23 E, Etu-Töölö
Sekel Bar & Restaurant
Opened beneath arched skylights and chandeliers on Bulevardi, Sekel offers a uniquely classic fine dining experience. The new restaurant of Filip Langhoff and Linda Stenman-Langhoff, who previously ran the Michelin-starred restaurant Ask and the more casual neighbourhood restaurant Jord, draws its theme from the historical food culture of Helsinki 100 years ago and brings dishes found on the menus of the era to the present day. Classic French culinary skills are at their best, and the dishes are technically ambitious.
Experiences from the old days have also been sought; for example, the elk tournedos are flamed with liquor, and the tartar portion is assembled in front of your eyes. After the main course, the cheese selection arrives at your table in a serving trolley. The wine list includes classic producers from the old world and rarer gems from Ask’s wine cellar. If you want an evening of luxury in the style of old times, Sekel is the right address.
Bulevardi 7, Kamppi
Forza Helsinki
The fight for the title of the best pizzeria in Helsinki has continued to intensify in recent years. Forza, which opened at the beginning of 2022, went straight to the top, which is no wonder because the previous pizzeria named after pizza guru Luca Platania was already voted the best in Finland. Everything in Forza's pizzas, from the twice-raised sourdough to the imaginative and decorative toppings, oozes perfection. The restaurant was even voted the 22nd best pizzeria in Europe in its opening year, as well as among the 20 best pizzerias in the world outside of Italy by the legendary Italian restaurant guide Gambero Rosso.
Forza’s Neapolitan-style thick-edged pizzas and Roman-style crispy flat pizzas hardly need more recommendations, but on top of all the good things, the pizzeria's sommelier has chosen many interesting natural, organic and biodynamic wines that suit the pizzas perfectly and can also be ordered by the glass.
Pursimiehenkatu 29-31, Punavuori
Brasa
Brasa opened in a prime location on the edge of Senate Square. As its name suggests, Brasa boasts a huge open-fire grill on which the meats, fish, shellfish and vegetables are prepared, and served on your plate straight from the smoke. The raw-cured meats and fish are displayed in the cabinets inside the restaurant, and Chef Taneli Korsiala finishes them on the grill using Japanese binchotan charcoal and fir branches. In addition to the open fire, the food has influences from around the world, from Japan to Southern Europe and the wild herbs of the Finnish forest.
Head Sommelier Severi Lukkarinen's extensive wine list casually combines classics from the old world with experimental natural wines, and special treats are also available by the glass. Smoky aromas can be found even in the cocktails, for example, in the charcoal-grilled tomatoes of the Bloody Mary. For dessert, you can order Brasa's artisan ice cream, which is served on a cart at your table. The interior of the restaurant, with its rugs and design lighting, successfully combines new and old, managing to be at the same time both fine and cosy like your grandma’s.
Aleksanterinkatu 22, Kruununhaka
Mauritz
Mauritz, opened in the Munkkiniemi neighbourhood, has the atmosphere of a French neighbourhood restaurant, an impression that is backed up by the tree-lined street on which it is located. The compact menu of this stylish bistro adapts to the spirit of the neighbourhood with earthy classics prepared with piety, from Jerusalem artichoke soup and salmon pastrami to tartare, fried whitefish and beef tenderloin.
Inside the two-storey restaurant, you can choose to sit on a soothing blue wall bench on the lower floor or a bright fuchsia coloured wall bench on the upper floor, depending on your mood. The wine list is appropriately French-focused, but there are also a few other European gems.
Munkkiniemen Puistotie 17, Munkkiniemi
Sanchome
Sanchome at the prestigious Hotel Kämp exudes Japanese luxury, from the finest and rarest ingredients, including balfegó tuna, wagyu beef, koshiibuki rice and vintage soy sauces. Even the polished grey interior seemingly glows in various shades. True to the style of Tomi Björck's restaurant empire, at Sanchome you can choose from a long multi-course tasting menu, as well as a wide selection of Japanese flavours from sashimi and tempura to tataki to skewers – many with the extra twist that Björck is known for.
The heart of the restaurant is the six-seater Roku Omakase bar, where during the evening you can enjoy a selection of 24 dishes, the best that Sanchome has to offer. In addition to a comprehensive selection of sake and wine, Sanchome offers a particularly wide range of Japanese quality whiskies.
Kluuvikatu 2, Kluuvi
Elm
Elm is a Mediterranean-style neighbourhood restaurant that opened on the edge of the Kaivopuisto park last summer. The bistro charms with its atmosphere. The painstakingly renovated decorative interior ceiling of the old wooden villa is like a work of art, while the recycled chairs in different pairs invite you to relax.
The team behind the restaurant is the Spanish-Portuguese-Serbian trio of owners of Nolla, which was named Restaurant of the Year in 2022. The food cultures of the Mediterranean region are also strongly present on Elm's menu, which includes casual classics like boquerones, patatas bravas and grilled octopus. In summertime, the terrace opening onto the park serves as an atmospheric place for afternoon coffee and a glass of wine with marinated olives and salted almonds. Modern classics from France and Italy shine on the wine list, while Elm’s house wines, sold by the glass, come unexpectedly from North Macedonia.
Puistokatu 4, Kaivopuisto