There are restaurants in every city that, when you step in, you can feel the historic value and the nostalgia exudes in every detail. Restaurants where traditions are honored and which have not been wavered by trends. Restaurants that have remained virtually unchanged for decades and which you wouldn't even think about changing.
Salmon soup, vorschmack, liver with lingonberry sauce and mashed potatoes, casseroles, traditional pork stew, oskarinleipä - an open sandwich with sirloin steak, metsästäjänleipä - an open sandwich with a pork steak and mushroom sauce, skagen - creamy prawns on a toast and other traditional dishes. And of course every restaurant has their own take on the Finnish stable, fried herring. For dessert, of course, you cannot go more traditional than bread cheese, Finnish fresh cheese that has been fried, with cloudberry jam, as well as cranberries with caramel sauce. Restaurants that don't necessarily serve strictly traditional Finnish food, the food has a strong classic French influence and prepared by Michelin-starred chefs. However, all of these restaurants are united by one thing; They have a long history and over the years have earned a permanent place in the hearts of Helsinki residents.
In addition to traditional food the interiors of many restaurants have remained admirably original. These places give you the opportunity to admire Paavo Tynell's lamps and vintage Artek pieces, thus giving you an insight into the crux of Finnish design and art nouveau interior design. Savoy's devoted preservation of the award-winning ensemble designed by Alvar Aalto is not only admirable but also worth experiencing in itself. Though Meiccu, Elite, Kosmos, Palace and Brasserie Kämp also exude special dignity. Restaurants such as Sea Horse, Kannas, Cella, Konstan Möljä and Wellamo, have a more traditional block restaurant atmosphere.
These restaurants have witnessed and lived through many seismic moments and historic moments worth telling. Over the years they have been hosts to many of the country’s political and cultural elite, as well as the common people and skyline painters. It is no wonder, then, that almost every Helsinki resident has a strong emotional bond and memories of these restaurants, which have survived from father to son and mother to daughter.