Helsinki’s best restaurants, from budget bites to fine dining

What is it? An unpretentiously elegant restaurant in Vallila that’s earned a Bib Gourmand from the Michelin Guide for its excellent value for money – joining the ranks of 305, Nolla and Bona Fide.

Why we love it? One look through the windows and you’ll want to step inside. Plein feels so effortlessly cosy you can’t quite tell whether the laid-back décor is carefully curated or just happy coincidence – probably a bit of both. Unlike many fine-dining spots, it still looks like what it once was: a butcher’s shop. The wine list is written on tiled walls, and the music drifts from old-school rap to house. Once the first plate arrives, you understand why Plein earned its Bib Gourmand. The kitchen combines flavours and ingredients boldly, creating dishes that are both surprising and deeply satisfying. You always leave feeling you’ve tasted something new.

Time Out tip: After dinner, head straight across the street to the lovely Petiit wine bar.

Suvannontie 18, Vallila. Open evenings Wed–Sat. Expect to pay €58 for the four-course menu.

What is it? A restaurant that turns fermentation into culinary art, charming guests with both its food and its juice pairing.

Why we love it? Boreal roughly means ‘northern’, and that’s exactly the flavour landscape the restaurant explores. At chef Pasha Deminin’s kitchen, vegetables gathered in summer and autumn are fermented so they can be served well beyond the growing season. A traditional preservation method is elevated here into fine dining, reviving flavours that never deserved to be forgotten. The fish comes from northern waters and the meat from organic farms. Even though the seven-course tasting menu (€95) is meticulously put together, the atmosphere remains relaxed and homely, more neighbourhood bistro than hushed temple of gastronomy.

Time Out tip: Alongside wine pairings and juice pairings, Boreal also offers a mixed pairing, which is nothing short of genius. You get to experience both flavour worlds, and you won’t have to work your way through a full set of wines either.

Uudenmaankatu 9, Kamppi. Open Tue–Sat 5pm–11pm. Expect to pay €95 for the menu.

What’s it about? A cosy restaurant on Katajanokka with a long history in Helsinki: it was founded back in 1975, but when Dani Hänninen took over the kitchen in 2020, the style shifted from an artists’ restaurant to a high-quality yet relaxed dinner spot.

Why do we love it? Wellamo, tucked away on Katajanokka, delivers a restaurant experience where every aspect is in near-perfect balance. The food is excellent, the service at times even outstanding and the drinks impressive too (there’s a reason the passion fruit mocktail has earned a permanent place on the menu). The atmosphere is in a league of its own: the sea-battered location on windswept Katajanokka makes the restaurant feel like a refuge from the storm. Dishes such as the leek and pike-perch brioche and the starter combining reindeer, potato and roe bring together familiar and unexpected elements with effortless clarity. Perhaps what’s most special about Wellamo, though, is the Helsinki experience it offers: a relaxed evening by the sea in an Art Nouveau building, paired with delicious food.

Time Out tip: You don’t always need to book a table, as the restaurant has counter seats reserved for walk-in guests.

Laivastokatu 18, Katajanokka. Expect to pay 54 euros for the set menu and 28-34 euros for main courses.

What is it? No need for clever wordplay here – this place serves exactly what the name promises: Thai noodles. They’re so good you could easily add ‘The Best’ to the sign.

What is it? A tiny pizzeria on Korkeavuorenkatu that feels as though it belongs in a Kaurismäki film.

Why we love it? A pizzeria where you can’t get takeaway? Where photos are not allowed? Where you can’t book a table? That’s open only on weekdays? With just three options? That’s Kaisa’s pizzeria, run single-handedly by Kaisa Aalto, co-founder and atmosphere-creator of Goose Pastabar. Now she’s crafting the mood in this minuscule meeting place on Korkeavuorenkatu. The vibe is warmly welcoming yet exclusive at the same time – getting a table, especially between 5pm and 7pm, is genuinely difficult. Hence the note on her website: 'I recommend arriving alone or in pairs.' There surely isn’t another restaurant in Helsinki that actively encourages you to come solo. And the pizzas? Like small works of art.

Time Out tip: Try the lemonade with your pizza – heavenly.

Korkeavuorenkatu 17, Ullanlinna. Open Mon–Thu 3pm–9pm. Expect to pay €18 for a pizza.

What is it? A relaxed yet elegant bistro in Punavuori that’s always packed.

Why we love it? There are several reasons BasBas remains one of Helsinki’s most beloved restaurants. The food is excellent and fairly priced, with no unnecessary gimmicks, just great cooking. The atmosphere is warm, informal and cheerfully noisy. And the service is genuinely heartfelt: most of the staff have been here for years, which shows in the seamless rhythm even on the busiest nights. This is the kind of restaurant where you never have a bad meal. Oh, and the wine list? Outstanding value. The tartare? Among the best in the city.

Time Out tip: The booking calendar is almost always full, but you can often still get a seat without a reservation by showing up around 4:30pm or waiting for a table to free up at sister spot BasBas Kulma, which has a large bar that’s perfect for a glass (or two) while you wait. You’ll also find more space at BasBas Studio, which has left the experimental ethos behind and now follows the original’s style more closely, though its small size still allows for more rare and adventurous ingredients.

Tehtaankatu 27–29, Punavuori. Tue–Fri 16.00–01.00. Set menu €54, glass of wine €12–15

What is it? A small Chinese restaurant in Itäkeskus that makes you feel like a secret agent.

Why we love it? There are few things in this world as satisfying as a proper Chinese aubergine dish, and here the aubergine with salted fish is superb. But you won’t get to enjoy it without a bit of undercover work. First you have to find the tiny restaraurant tucked beside the Itäkeskus bus station. Then you flip to the last page of the menu and spot a QR code that unlocks a secret menu on your phone. As it’s in Chinese, you’ll need a second phone to translate it into English – and then you still have to figure out what on earth dishes called Ants Climbing a Tree or Chairman Mao’s Red Pork actually are. It’s worth the effort, because Tiny Food’s authentic Chinese dishes are excellent. The standard Finnish-language menu, on the other hand, is best ignored.

Time Out tip: Order too much. Go for several dishes, even though the portions are generous. Take the rest home – they taste even better the next day, once the flavours have properly settled. Second-day aubergine? Like a golden dawn over the Huangshan mountains.

Tallinnanaukio 1, Itäkeskus. Open Tue–Fri 11am–9pm and Sat–Sun 12pm–9pm. Expect to pay around €20 per dish.

What is it? A cosmopolitan restaurant in Etu-Töölö, perfect for impressing a date or a business partner.

Why we love it? Restaurateurs Teemu Laurell and Lennart Sukapää drew inspiration from New York’s dining scene, and it shows. Teller’s sleek interiors and upbeat energy make every evening feel like an occasion. The menu is long and tempting, but the staff are great at helping you navigate it. The starters are especially brilliant – rich, inventive and beautifully balanced, each one somehow topping the last. You’ll want to try them all.

Time Out tip: Of all the mains we tried, the standout by far was the magnificent pepper steak – a flawless revival of an ’80s classic, rich with the umami of butter, cream and cognac, the bite of freshly cracked pepper, and that perfect, melt-in-your-mouth medium doneness. It’s pure comfort and culinary theatre on a plate.

Fredrikinkatu 71. Open evenings, closed Sundays. Expect to pay €68 for the four-course menu, starters from €14, pepper steak €47.

What is it? The first solo venture of chef Jari “Jason” Vesivalo, who honed his craft at Michelin-starred Olo.

Why we love it? The entrance to Jason, tucked away on Yrjönkatu, feels deliciously secretive: you step through the doorway of a classic Art Nouveau building and into a softly lit dining room that’s both refined and warmly relaxed. This is fine dining without the stiffness. The six-course tasting menu bursts with rich, layered flavours. Seasonality shines in dishes that might feature mushrooms, lingonberries, pumpkin and apple in autumn. Vesivalo says his goal isn’t to chase a Michelin star, but simply to make great food without pretension – which, to us mere mortals, translates to food that can make you both laugh and cry with joy.

Time Out tip: After paying the bill, the waiter will encourage you to pop into the kitchen for a small takeaway surprise. There, the chef hands you a pouch of calming tea to take home – a thoughtful gesture that leaves a lasting glow.

Yrjönkatu 5. Open for dinner Tue–Sat. Expect to pay €15–€39 for à la carte dishes and €87 for the six-course menu.

What is it? The Tart on Yrjönkatu is a stylish yet very reasonably priced British gastropub with a Nordic twist.  The owners are well aware of the double meaning in the name – and clearly enjoy it.

Why we love it? A grand crystal chandelier, dark velvet curtains and a private room hidden behind a bookcase create a cinematic atmosphere – it feels straight out of the Kingsman film franchise, but without the price tag that usually comes with such polish. All the meat is Nordic game, and the taps pour a rotating selection of rarer British beers. The daily-changing pies ensure there’s always something new to try.

Time Out tip: Even if you don’t particularly need to, pay a visit to the loo. The red velvet-lined corridor turns a bathroom break into an experience in its own right.

Yrjönkatu 2, Punavuori. Open Tue–Sat for lunch and dinner. Expect to pay €8 for pies and €15–€32 for main courses.

What is it? Open just four days a week, Bona Fide has evolved from a pop-up into a Bib Gourmand-awarded neighbourhood bistro where prices are fair and all attention is firmly on the plate.

Why we love it? Helsinki has no shortage of bistro-style neighbourhood restaurants, but the small and ambitious Bona Fide stands out above all for its cooking. The atmosphere is stripped-back and unadorned, yet oddly relaxed. When the first dish – a winter salad – arrives, it’s immediately clear that the focus is on the food. The plates show precision, inventive flavours and quiet ambition without any unnecessary fuss. Arguably the best-value six-course menu in Helsinki progresses steadily from a strong opening to increasingly impressive dishes. The standout is a deceptively simple noodle soup, its broth so perfect that your mouth starts watering again before the second spoonful.

Time Out tip: Even if you’re a local, pretend you’re on a city break and head round the corner for an aperitif at the magnificent Peacock Bar at the Waldorf Astoria.

Vironkatu 8, Kruununhaka. Open Wed–Sat 5pm–11pm. Expect to pay €48 for four courses and €63 for six.

What is it? A tiny, three-table sushi restaurant serving the best sushi in Helsinki according to our Japanese friends.

Why we love it? You don’t need to go to Tokyo – Töölö will do nicely. Here, a Japanese sushi master in a crisp white coat slices fish with clockwork precision right before your eyes, shaping perfect rice morsels with equal care. The minimalist décor hardly matters when the sushi is this good – you’ll find yourself closing your eyes just to focus on the flavours. The combination of fresh fish and perfectly seasoned rice (with vinegar, salt and sugar) opens up such a vivid sensory world that even the soft background music starts to sound epic.
 

Time Out tip: The restaurant’s name is beautifully apt. Wa means both ‘Japanese’ and ‘harmony’, while Gocoro translates roughly as ‘heart’, ‘mind’ or ‘spirit’. So the romantics among us might read it as ‘the sushi of harmonious spirit’, while the realists will just see ‘Japanese sushi’.

Runeberginkatu 63, Taka-Töölö. Open Tue–Sat 12:00–18:00. Expect to pay €15–€25 for a sushi set.

What is it? A bistro so coolly styled it almost feels like an art gallery, moving in rhythm with the performances at the neighbouring Finnish National Opera.

Why we love it? The monthly changing four-course menu (€59) is like a piece by Finnish choreographer Tero Saarinen – a showcase of Nordic expertise where playful experimentation meets technical precision. Every dish feels like a small adventure. Take the tom yum cod: it sounds like it could be a complete misfire, but in Aperte’s capable hands it becomes one of the best fish dishes we’ve eaten in Helsinki.

Time Out tip: This isn’t the place to play it safe – surrender to the journey. If there’s a root vegetable dish on the menu, such as yellow beet finished with walnuts and cheddar, order it. At Aperte, roots rise from the soil into something close to a culinary aria.

Mannerheimintie 56, Taka-Töölö. Open Wed–Sat 4pm–11pm. Expect starters from €16 and mains €25–€29. Four-course menu €59.

What is it? A Michelin Green Star restaurant on Iso Roba where you can indulge guilt-free – and surprisingly affordably – thanks to its focus on sustainable gastronomy.

Why we love it? We’ll admit it: the first time we went, it was because Natura is one of Helsinki’s most affordable fine-dining spots (along with Kuurna). Only later did we learn about its strong sustainability ethos. The menu changes daily based on the season and what’s available. Ingredients come from small family farms and organic producers the staff know personally. Expect Finnish game, sustainably caught fish and well-thought-out vegetarian options. The elegant dishes highlight Nordic flavours and techniques like fermenting, curing and both hot and cold smoking. A charcoal grill adds the finishing touch.

Time Out tip: The wild duck appears often on the menu. When the waiter warns you to watch your teeth while biting in, take it seriously – there might actually be a tiny piece of buckshot hidden in the meat. Finding one feels a bit like discovering the almond in your Christmas porridge.

Iso Roobertinkatu 11, Punavuori. Open Wed–Sun 17:00–00:00. Expect to pay €49 for a four-course menu, mains around €24.

What is it? A small, intimate bistro institution tucked away in Kruununhaka that has been teaching locals what a perfect restaurant evening looks like for over 20 years.

Why we love it? Kuurna is like a warm hug from a good friend you don’t see often enough – but when you do, the conversation flows instantly. Hiding in sleepy Kruununhaka, it still manages to feel like a secret, even though everyone knows it. The menu changes every three weeks and, at €54, offers excellent value in one of Helsinki’s most beautiful quarters – just steps from the tourist draw of Senate Square. Though the dishes evolve, Kuurna’s legendary pepper steak remains, rewarding diners time and again.

Time Out tip: The most popular dinner slots are snapped up quickly, so book well in advance or aim for the early sitting at 5pm. Next door is Klaava, the owners’ charming wine bar, which doesn’t take reservations. Try the smoked cod liver with a glass of wine.

Meritullinkatu 6, Kruununhaka. Open Mon–Sat 5pm–11pm. Expect to pay €46 for two courses and €54 for three.

What is it? Forget the cosy-but-creamy fusion food at Pumpui – the city’s best Thai restaurant is the fully plant-based Thai Vegan Kitchen, which also happens to be one of Helsinki’s best vegetarian restaurants.

Why we love it? Thai Vegan Kitchen manages something rare: making Thai food taste authentic without using fish sauce. The flavours are vibrant and balanced – from spicy nam tok muu to rich khao soi noodles – with even the weakest dishes still absolutely delicious. Meat-eaters will want to taste everything just to see how each Thai classic works in vegan form. The décor is simple, but the food sings loudly enough for everyone.

Time Out tip: Do as they do in Asia – order as many dishes as possible and share them around the table. It’s the only proper way to eat Thai, where every plate is designed to balance the next.

Lapinlahdenkatu 9. Open daily, including lunch. Expect to pay around €15 for mains.

What is it? A casual, lively pasta bar from Justine Caoibes (of Pobre fame) that puts as much emphasis on atmosphere as it does on food – and doesn’t pretend to be Italian.

Why we love it? In all its bourgeois calm, Töölö has been crying out for a spot like this: fun, approachable, and with a fantastic price–quality ratio. Third Place Pasta Bar has a menu with generous pasta dishes big enough to share, plus snacks and small, affordable pizzettas. Evenings often feature live music, DJs, pub quizzes or delightfully weird themed bingo nights. It’s the kind of place that could easily become your local.

Time Out tip: It’s popular but spacious enough that you usually won’t need to queue – unlike at another trendy pasta bar, Goose on Eerikinkatu. The crowd is a mix of locals and families, and parents needn’t worry about noise: this place is lively by design.

Arkadiankatu 23, Etu-Töölö. Open evenings Wed–Sat. Expect to pay €18–€22 for pasta.

What is it? A laid-back Portuguese restaurant in Vallila serving perfect piri-piri chicken and other homey classics at wallet-friendly prices.

Why we love it? When you crave simple, hearty home cooking, Wave of Flavors is the place – served the Portuguese way. Portugal may not be famed for its haute cuisine, but when it comes to piri-piri chicken, they know exactly what they’re doing. Here it’s perfection: grilled to crispness on the outside, tender and juicy inside. The sauce hits all the right notes – spicy, tangy and aromatic – and the fried potatoes are divine. The seafood stew (marisco) is another must. Next time, we’re coming back for the cod and Alentejo pork stew.

Time Out tip: The piri-piri chicken is so good you’ll be tempted to test how many days in a row you could eat it. Probably quite a few – and your wallet won’t complain either, since it’s just €15.90, even at dinner.

Sturenkatu 28, Vallila. Open daily for lunch and dinner. Expect to pay under €20 for mains.

What is it? Authentic Sichuan cuisine on Annankatu – the kind of place where you’ll actually find dishes like pig’s ear in chilli sauce.

Why we love it? Okay, not many Finns get cravings for pig’s ears, but this dish shows just how seriously Mei Lin takes Chinese cooking. Nothing here is toned down for Western palates. True to its name, Mei Lin also shines with its vegetarian dishes. The best way to experience it? Come with a group and order the table full of different plates – yes, including the pig’s ears. They’re surprisingly delicious.

Time Out tip: Mei Lin sits in a tiny pocket of Chinatown on Annankatu, next to two other classic Chinese spots: China, Helsinki’s oldest Chinese restaurant, and Long Wall, where Roger Moore once dined (because nothing else was open that night).

Annankatu 29, Kamppi. Open daily for lunch and dinner. Expect to pay under €20 for mains.