The Best Restaurants in Helsinki
Palace, Finland’s only two-star restaurant, blends French and Nordic techniques with Japonism under chef Eero Vottonen. Helsinki’s finest wine list, stunning views, and informal yet dignified service are offered.
Toni Kostian’s one Michelin-starred Grön celebrates creativity and sustainability, showcasing seasonal Finnish and Nordic produce with a menu that follows and honors the natural cycle of the seasons.
Savoy is a true icon of Helsinki. Led by chef Helena Puolakka, it offers refined haute French cuisine with Finnish inspiration, complemented by one of the city’s most impressive wine lists.
Demo has held its Michelin star since 2007, the longest streak in Helsinki's history. Demo serves a daily changing, creative tasting menu, complemented by a wine cellar featuring over 400 listings.
The focus is on local, seasonal ingredients sourced from small producers. Chef Ari Ruoho personally fishes and hunts. The menu also features berries, mushrooms, wild herbs, and in-house made drinks.
Now led by Mikko Pakola, Olo has retained its one Michelin star since 2011. The restaurant blends Nordic minimalism, refined Scandinavian gastronomy, and a deep respect for high-quality ingredients.
Shii is an ambitious 15-seat omakase and otsumami restaurant in downtown Helsinki, tucked away for privacy. It pairs delicate Japanese-inspired dishes with carefully curated wine and sake selections.
Bona Fide, a new-wave restaurant in Helsinki’s Kruununhaka, is bold, surprising, and internationally recognized. Offering excellent value, it brings fresh, youthful energy to the Finnish dining scene.
Finnjävel celebrates Finnish food culture, transforming traditional recipes into fine dining. Familiar flavors are reimagined as new experiences, complemented by an excellent selection of wines.
Café Savoy offers robust, rustic yet elegant, heartwarming dishes inspired by Southern France, all in a bright space designed by Joanna Laajisto, and a wide range of excellent wines, also by the glass.
Katajanokka’s small, atmospheric restaurant pays tribute to Nordic cuisine with seasonal dishes made from local produce. Inventive plates follow sustainable principles, paired with thoughtful wines.
There is a saying in Helsinki: “Ice melts in the spring, the government always betrays, but BasBas never disappoints.” BasBas offers affordable, well-crafted cuisine and one of the city's best wine lists.
Vinkkeli in Helsinki serves classic French-Scandinavian cuisine in a refined white-tablecloth setting, with caring service, a curated wine list, and one of the city’s best three-course lunches.
Ravintola Jason in Helsinki, led by Michelin-starred chef Jari Vesivalo, offers celebrated Nordic dishes with subtle Asian touches, from seasonal seafood and game to inventive, finely crafted dishes.
The restaurant takes its name from the boreal zone - the northern forest belt shaping much of Finland's landscape - and its premise is straightforward: in a climate with a short growing season, preservation is necessity, not trend. The kitchen is led by Head Chef Pasha Demin, whose background includes time at Noma and leadership at several of Helsinki's top restaurants. The project is further shaped by a close circle of local "gastro enthusiasts" with a deep commitment to produce and producers, which is reflected in the restaurant's meticulous attention to detail. Designed by Treivas Architecture Bureau, the restaurant's dark, muted tones, and amber light create warmth, while natural materials dominate. Pendant lamps grown by the team from kombucha cellulose are a literal expression of the restaurant's philosophy. The menu evolves continuously, with larger shifts following the seasons, while technique remains constant. Fermentation, curing, drying, pickling, and smoking extend the harvest, building flavor through time. Acidity is driven by lacto-fermentation, depth by aging and controlled oxidation. The beverage program follows the same logic. The wine list highlights small European growers, with a lean towards natural and low-intervention producers. Non-alcoholic pairings draw on fermented berries, herbs, teas, and forest ingredients, developed with equal precision. Boreal stands apart in Helsinki by making preservation its primary identity rather than a supporting technique. Fermentation is not garnish but foundation, shaping sourcing, storage, and service. The result tastes like a Nordic winter pantry at its best: layered, precise, and defined by what has been saved and transformed.
Alexanderplats is a brasserie-style restaurant located on Eteläesplanadi. The menu features dishes inspired by Europe’s classic kitchens, an approach reflected throughout the curated wine list.
Bardot is both a bistro and brasserie, offering a lively, informal neighborhood atmosphere. The extensive à la carte menu features brasserie staples, complemented by an easy-going wine list.
Zero-waste restaurant in its own genre. Seasonal, sustainable European cuisine with a Nordic twist delights the palate, complemented by warm service and beers from their in-house microbrewery.
“Creativity blooms from chaos” offers a bold experience where service, music, and a neo-bistro atmosphere come together. Part art performance, part restaurant, the vibe is as essential as the cuisine.
The rustic bistro in Vallila’s wood house area straightens out the flavors, but with unique combinations using seasonal ingredients. The same ideology fills the glasses with natural wines.