Inside Out Helsinki: Cafe

Our favourite cafes in Helsinki

Cafe Regatta

Usually, here at Inside Out Helsinki we make a point to talk about hidden Helsinki treasures, away from the main touristic highlights. However, rules are made to be broken, and this week we'll talk to you about a well known café, for which we have a true coup de coeur: Café Regatta. As co-founder, Hanna Råst, explains:

Regatta is definitely worth mentioning: I recommend visiting the place either early in the morning or late in the afternoon / evening when it’s more quiet and the atmosphere is beautiful. Also for those seeking something different: try the winter days and get some hot chocolate with whipped cream to warm you up.

The café, open all year round, is listed as number 1 on Trip advisor in its café category, and a hot topic in Japanese magazines and Scandinavia books.

Cafe Regatta was founded by Raine Korpela. It's like he brought a piece of countryside, or Lapland even, right in the middle of Helsinki. It can best be described as a quaint small wooden hut located right next to Sibelius park in Töölö. It was originally built at the end of 19th century when Paulig, a famous family of coffee makers, built the place for  fishermen to store their fishing nets. Outside, the red walls and tables contrast with their white surroundings. Inside, the decor is worthy of your grandma's attic. Vintage chic, cosy cottage-like, where you can snuggle and read antique Finnish comics. Small scattered garlands and candles give the place a warm and friendly atmosphere. Inside there are around 4 tables where you can sit down. Outside there is a big terrace with a fireplace and seaside view.

Regatta offers a wide selection of baked goods, like cinnamon rolls and scrumptious blueberry pie, but also typical drinks like coffee, tea and hot chocolate. You can also have Karelian pastries and other savory treats such as salmon bread.

=> Good to know: their speciality is to pay back 5 cents for each coffee  re-fill - but prepare to wait in a line, which can sometimes be very long since the place is very popular.

It's more busy during summer months, but we think it’s definitely worth visiting during the winter time as well.

=> Insider tip : If the sea is frozen, there’s usually even a ice skating spot next to Regatta for those looking for a perfect way to spent their winter days.

As we mentioned in our previous post on Seurasaari, next to the Cafe Regatta runs “Melontareitit” and “SUPregatta” where you can rent canoes, kayaks and SUP boards to explore Helsinki by water.

Further information:
Address: Merikannontie 8, 00260 Helsinki
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Cafe-Regatta-official-125305227553336/
Phone: 040 0760049
Opening hours: Open every day around the year, from early morning until late at night!

Cafe Kokko

Here at Inside Out Helsinki, what we love most about Helsinki are its awesome cafés which have been flourishing in the past decade.

=> Note of Insider Emilie to fellow Americans: going to Starbucks in Helsinki is a crime!

What's more to enjoy than the bridge between Finland's love for coffee and tasteful decoration style? That's why it's impossible not to talk about Cafe Kokko when suggesting up and coming Helsinki addresses to fellow travelers and Helsinkiers.

Café Kokko makes one of the best cafes around. We kid you not! What's more, is the style which is exquisite; quirky second-hand style meets Scandanvian influence. And the highlight of the café is of course it's amazing raw vegan cakes, the best in the capital! Kokko always has a surprising and interesting blend to offer whether you are a coffee or tea person.

=> Good to know : Kokko is the only 100% raw, gluten free, lactose free and vegan cafe in the city.

The story starts in 2012 with a cafe in Katajanokka. There they also started to offer their scrumptious raw cakes. In 2014, the cafe moved and opened a pop-up cafe for a couple of months. Finally, in May 2015 Cafe Kokko opened in special Kalevankatu.

=> Suggestion from the chef: their lactose free, vegan, raw, gluten free ice cream and cold brew coffee.

=> Good to know: cafe Kokko is located next to cool vintage interior design store Roomage, which we will cover in our next post for you ! Stay tuned :) ...

A wonderful devil, vegan's worst bikini nightmare !

Further information:
Address: 31 A 6 Kalevankatu, 00100 Helsinki
Website: http://www.cafekokko.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cafekokko/
Phone: +358 (0) 40 544 2926
Email: info@cafekokko.com
Opening hours:
Mon-Fri: 12-6pm

Kahvila Sävy

Here at Inside Out Helsinki, we love a good coffee ! And Fins are usually winners and combining great beans and a cosy atmosphere ! It doesn't come as a surprise that we warmly recommend Khavila Sävy as a must go-to coffee place in Helsinki. It's delicious coffee choice, offering a changing variety of coffees from high quality roasters all across Europe, and great nibble offers (from sandwiches to yummy pastries), and it's warm decor and ambiance and feel, is a perfect place to snuggle while waiting for Spring to arrive ! We love their nice and talented baristas as well!

=> Good to know : Fins are the world's biggest coffee drinkers :) !

=> A little background : Originally Kahvila Sävy was founded by Kaisa and Mikko Sarén. A few years ago, Sanni Sointula and her partner Aleksi found out that Kaisa and Mikko were going to sell Sävy. As they knew Sävy's excellent reputation as a one of Helsinki's top coffee shop, they didn't hesitate to seize that opportunity. Aleksi already had an existing enthusiasm about coffee as he worked as a barista. And now coffee is nearly completely ruling Sanni and Aleksi's world.

The speciality/quality coffee scene is small, vibrant and very supportive community in Helsinki. Interestingly, the overall coffee shop culture in Finland is relatively small as Finns mostly like to drink their coffee at home. So, how can small amazing coffee shops like Sävy compete with big coffee chains? According to co-owner Sanni:

"Starbucks for example is doing a great job by tempting people to drink their coffees in a coffee bar. Of course we can't compete with their kind of marketing budget, but we believe that at some point people will also start to appreciate the quality of coffee, and not just a bunch of chocolate-vanilla-mint-pumpkin-flavored liquids and will understand the sustainable point of view of coffee as well. The more people's awareness grows about quality coffee, the better options small quality businesses like Kahvila Sävy have."

Kahvila Sävy simple mission is to constantly improve their coffee all the time, and it has a few amazing changing aeropress options available, but if you want espresso based with milk, Inside Out Helsinki would definitely recommend Sävy's silky and creamy cappuccino and for the sweet-tooth, a home made cookie for a side ;) .

=> Good to know: From now on Kahvila Sävy is starting a co-operation with Helsinki based Good Life Coffee Roastery. The close collaboration with the coffee roastery enable the shop to have an influence not only on coffees they are serving but also on training their staff and improving the quality of the coffee.

Further information:

Website: http://kahvilasavy.fi/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Kahvila-S%C3%A4vy-120657571290663/
Address: Aleksis Kiven katu 12, 00500 Helsinki
Contact: savy@kahvilasavy.fi
Opening hours:
Mon-Thu - 7:30am - 6:00pm
Fri - 7:30am - 5:00pm
Sat - 10:00am - 4:00pm

Helsingin Kahvipaahtimo

Helsingin Kahvipaahtimo is the perfect embodiment of Finnish taste, simplicity, eccentricity and their sacred love of coffee. Located in the quaint Vallila neighborhood - one of Helsinki's preserved historical hoods made up of old fashion wooden houses - the coffee house is the perfect place to snuggle when the darkness and cold settles in.

The story behind the place is quite interesting. The founder's - Benjamin Andberg - love of coffee started as a teenager in Pietarsaari. Roasting green beans on a pan over a gas-stove - or “learning by burning"- eventually led him into buying his first roaster, and then attending the London School of Coffee in 2007 and winning Finland's Cup Tasters' championship in 2010. He then got to know other fellow coffee lovers, and founded Kaffa Roastery in 2007. The story of Helsingin Kahvipaahtimo began in 2011 after Benjamin sold his share of Kaffa Roastery – with Helsingin Kahvipaahtimo, he wanted to do things a bit differently.

Helsingin Kahvipaahtimo perfectly reflects Finland's love for vintage and second hand treasures. When your eyes wander around the coffee house, you can find fun random objects - from deer antlers to a door (!) - but always placed and organized in a tasteful way.
That's not the only reason to push the doors to this little nest. Its coffee is really one of the best in Helsinki. When asked precisely what makes Helsingin Kahvipaahtimo special, owner Benjamin answers:

“Our coffee” a response you’d expect from a coffee roaster, right? Our coffee doesn’t try to mimic what everybody is doing in coffee now. We know what we are doing, and that why it’s easily approachable and not too high-flown. No unnecessary mystification, just top quality. Päiväkahvibaari is quite special, too!

=> Good to know : the coffee house used to be a horse stable, then a garage and a warehouse.

Vesa Hoikka, as a spokesman, who told us Kahvipaahtimo's story - isn't originally from Helsinki - fell in love with Suomiland's capital. They particularly enjoy biking through the city, and wandering around Helsinki's "Laakso" neighborhood, where you can cross country ski during colder months. The owners also recommend visitors to visit Kulosaari, with its ancient villas and Wihuri castle.

=> Insider tip : Helsingin Kahvipaahtimo, with its delicious coffee and inner warmth, perfectly represents Northern coziness. Furthermore, the coffee is cheap - you have an excellent cappuccino for 2€50- and they also serve delicious homemade sandwiches and baked goods alongside their coffee selection .

Further information:
Address: Päijänteentie 29, 00510 Helsinki
Opening times: Mon-Fri: 07:30-17, Sat: 10-16
Website: http://helsinginkahvipaahtimo.com
Contact: tilaukset@helsinginkahvipaahtimo.com / vesa@helsinginkahvipaahtimo.com

Cargo Helsinki

Cargo Helsinki is a brand new cafe in the northernmost corner of Helsinki’s new neighborhood Jätkäsaari. The owners Anni’s and Kristiina’s dream came true when they opened on the 17th of May 2015. They had a vision of a bigger container cafe complex, which would be open year round and this is exactly what Cargo cafe is. This minimalistic and stylishly monochromatic cafe offers a big variety of sweet and salty pastries, coffees as well as light Continental breakfast, lunch soups and tapas-like foods such as meat and cheese plates. Food, coffee and culture are Anni’s and Kristiina’s passion and they want to share their taste for and values of quality food and excellent customer service to their customers.

In Cargo Helsinki you are warmly welcomed by the staff and can choose a nice spot in their calm indoor space filled with natural light. During the sunny days or cozy evenings we also recommend their roof terrace, which has its own bar open during the good weather.

Open from 7:30 until 22:00, Cargo Helsinki is there for the customers. Their baked goods are delivered from Petitpa bakery while coffee and tea come from Johan&Nyström. They always have vegetarian and gluten free options. This leads us to a flattering conclusion about Cargo Helsinki: they collaborate with other local entrepreneurs and businesses. Another example of this you can find on their drink menu, which contains Helsinki Dry Gin straight from the Teurastamo distillery. In their drink selection they prefer classics and Inside Out Helsinki recommends to taste the Moskovan muuli (Moscow mule) – delivering a distinct twist thanks to the gin of Teurastamo.

In addition to their food and drink collaborations, Cargo Helsinki also works together with HUG bike shop. In a corner of the Cargo container you will find a quick repair spot for your bicycle and – if bigger help is needed – you are directed to HUG’s headquarters not too far away from the cafe.

Cargo Helsinki welcomes everyone for a visit (dogs are allowed in too!). They welcome different kinds of happenings that they hope to arrange and host in the future. They genuinely listen to their customers’ wishes when it comes to food and drink selection. The modern area of Jätkäsaari inspires the owners because it represents a renewing city where Helsinki is very international and all the time on the move.

More information:
Cargo Coffee & Kitchen
Address: Ruoholahdenranta 8, Helsinki.
Opening times: Monday - Friday 7.30 am - 10 pm // Saturday 10 am - 10 pm //Sunday 10 am - 6 pm
Contact: anni@cargohelsinki.fi // kristiina@cargohelsinki.fi
Website: http://www.cargohelsinki.fi/

Ihana Kahvila

One of the literally “hidden” treasures of Helsinki is Sompasaari, a derelict area behind the construction site of the new Kalasatama district. In this ever-changing wasteland one will be surprised by Ihana Kahvila. It might be a little hard to find, but the adventure through the construction site is definitely worth it. Ihana means lovely in English and that’s exactly what this cafe is like. Sanni Jouhki established it in 2008. The cafe was first based at an old factory in Hämeenlinna, a city not that far away from Helsinki. Ihana Kahvila eventually moved to Helsinki, starting as a pop-up cafe in the famous Flow festival.

In 2010 Kalasatama was still a developing but remote area and during that time a group of people involved in cultural activities launched the Kalasatama temporary project to refresh the area with different kinds of cultural happenings. Soon the area started to flourish, thanks to environmental and urban art projects such as graffiti walls, Konttiaukio (container square) for gigs, exhibitions and other happenings. In 2011 Ihana Kahvila jumped along and started their container cafe at the southernmost tip of the Sompasaari pier. Even though Konttiaukio has since shut its doors and moved to give way to the new residential area, Ihana Kahvila has remained and will continue for at least two more years. Sompasaari is a source of inspiration to Sanni and she associates the wasteland with a feeling of freedom. This is definitely one of the most alternative places in Helsinki to go to!

For urban explorers Ihana Kahvila offers a nice variety of baked goods (also gluten-free options), sandwiches, smoothies and coffees. They also have mouth-watering raw cakes. In addition to food and drinks, they sell small souvenirs such as flip books, cups, cards, small home decorations, chocolate, sweets and much more. Ihana Kahvila’s dream is to continue as a permanent summer cafe in Sompasaari. They have kept their doors open every summer for the past five years from the beginning of June until the end of August.

Another interesting fact about the cafe is that the graffiti on containers are re-painted every year. Ihana Kahvila is also open for self-organized events and some previous events worth mentioning are their famous Youtube-contest and movie nights. So if you are looking for an alternative venue to arrange something, Ihana Kahvila might be the place!

Ihana Kahvila
Address: Nihtikuja, Sompasaari, 00500 Helsinki
Opening times: From June until the end of August - Tue-Sun 10-19
Website: http://ihanakahvila.fi/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Ihana-Kahvila/130517067026801?sk=wall
Contact info:
sanni@ihanakahvila.fi
Tel. +358 45 846 7822

Kahvila Siili

The summer café Kahvila Siili (literally Café Hedgehog) is located in the lovely neighborhood of Puu-Käpylä, which is one of Helsinki’s oldest suburbs with wooden buildings. Kahvila Siili is located in one of these houses that, back in the day, boasted a dairy shop frequented by locals. The café owners felt that it was important to re-establish a sense of community and to create a place where one can relax and meet friends and neighbors.When InsideOutHelsinki visited Kahvila Siili, we immediately fell in love with its snug character and nice mixture of people ranging from families to senior inhabitants. The atmosphere is very welcoming.

Kahvila Siili offers a broad variety of baked goods and pastries, which come from patisseries Petitpas and Teemu & Markus. Their tasty Square Mile coffee originates from San Fransisco and is provided by the Finnish barista champion Kalle Freese. In addition to the daily products they serve brunch on weekends. They also have something special for the kids: Babyccino, which is cappuccino without the espresso part.

The interior is tiny and cute. You will find wall decorations by COMPANY (Aamu Song & Johan Olin design). The overall look is very Helsinki-like: minimal, fresh and lightly colored. On a sunny day you can sip your coffee in the terrace and, if you are lucky, you may even spot one of the hedgehog residents of the area.

Kahvila Siili will be open until the end of August and will open its doors again next summer.

More information:
Address: Ilmattarentie 8 C, 00610 Helsinki
Opening times: every day from 11 to 20 (Sun 11-18) until the end of August
Phone: 040-522 8401
http://kahvilasiili.com/suomi

https://www.facebook.com/kahvilasiili

Mentioned patisseries: http://www.patisseriepetitpas.fi/ and http://www.patisserietm.fi/
Mentioned designers: http://www.com-pa-ny.com/#
Sinisen huvilan kahvila

Sinisen huvilan kahvila (in English Blue Villa’s Café) is located in the beautiful area of Töölönlahti, right next to the central railway station. The Töölönlahti is well known for its beautiful villas in the Linnunlaulu area (Bird’s song, name of one of the villas) build in the nineteenth century. In the very heart of this area also exists this charming little café.

The café is owned by Päivi and Lassi Helenius and it has been up and running since 1995, which means that this year they are celebrating their 20th birthday. In the beginning the café used to have only few tables and regular coffee to offer, but they have since expanded their product selection and offer special coffees like cappuccinos, lattes, dark and lightly roasted regular coffee with a wide variety of sweet and salty baked goods and pastries.

Indeed, the generous selection of cakes, pies and buns, which are made by their own pastry maker, are their pride and they wanted to keep the selection straightforward and home made from the beginning. Besides the bakings, blue villa’s café offers daily soups and sandwiches. You can find the soup menu on their website http://sininenhuvila.weebly.com/

What insideouthelsinki especially likes about this place is its tranquility and easy reachability near the city center. The tables and chairs are all outside, which means that the café is very weather-dependent, but when the sun is shining, it is a perfect spot to sit down, relax, read a book, meet a friend and watch the beautiful view over the Töölönlahti.

Sinisen huvilan kahvila
Information:
Address:Linnunlauluntie 11, 00530 Helsinki
Opening times: Every day from 10:00-22:00 (From April to September)
Website: http://sininenhuvila.weebly.com/
Phone: Kahvila: +358 50 4080816 // Lassi Helenius: +358 40 5018168 //Päivi Helenius: +358 50 5021115

Kuppi ja Muffini

Kuppi ja Muffini (or Cup and Muffin in Finnish) is quite the place when you feel like retreating in a cosy little bakery away from the hustle and bustle of downtown Helsinki.

Founded two years ago by pastry-makers, Katri Ekebom and Tanja Juppi, the place can be described as a cupcake bakery café located right in the center of Helsinki. It's a small joint with top notch quality products. Both owners have a common interest in baking, and have a little bakery alongside the café where they bake everything from scratch, with homemade quality (e.g. no additives).

The speciality here is the cupcake, but you can also have a porridge breakfast (with berries, nuts, jams and different types of seeds), fresh juices, and a big selection of salads for lunch for instance.
Like our last post on Onda Restaurant, Kuppi ja Muffini makes sure that seasonal changes also affect their offer.

=> Good to know: you can order cakes or cupcakes for private parties or sandwiches for small business occasions. A selection of smoothies that are also provided. It isn't though a catering service as the volume remains small.

What Inside Out Helsinki loves about this café is its tiny, intimate and "home-like" feeling - for example the blankets in the café are brought from the owners' home. Our favorite moment was sipping a delicious cup of organic café while tasting the strawberry-lime cupcake, or lemonade-chocolate one (the flavors of the cupcakes are always changing).

The owners have no plans to expand, as they want to keep the café small. Their goal is to keep on developing quality products, and new flavors.

=> You don't always find small independent cafés in the city center, so Kuppi ja Muffini is a great spot after a long day of walking and sight-seeing.

Further information:

Telephone: 044 02 02 130 
Address: Kalevankatu 17, Helsinki
Opening hours:
Mon-Fri 7.30—6 pm | Sat 10—4 pm

=> During the month of July Kuppi ja Muffini is closed for summer vacation.

Cafe Köket

Köket, which means kitchen in Swedish, was created in 2007 by owner Arla Joensuu. It will launch their bigger restaurant the end of the month of April in Kiseleff's house. Before that, they have decided to create a little “pop-up Köket” in the Tori quarters, next to its new upcoming place (you can literally see the renovating space through the pop up’s glass back door). You can drop by here for lunch, pastries, coffee or tea. The pop-up also offers weekend brunches.

What Inside Out Helsinki loves about Köket is its big diversity of products, at reasonable price. It is very cozy, with an authentic down to earth type of atmosphere, where you feel at home.The decoration is very colorful with lots of details. Most of all it’s important to mention that Köket does the food itself, so most of the things here is homemade from scratch.

=> Good to know : they have free wifi and the place is on 2 floors so there's plenty of space to work on too.

Further information:

Address: Aleksanterinkatu 28 / Unioninkatu 27, Kiseleffin talo,Torikorttelit, Helsinki, Finland
Email: koketvaraukset@gmail.com
Phone: 0440 12 77 07
Opening hours:Mon-Fri 11 am - 5 pmSat 10 am - 5 pmSun 11 am - 5 pm
Brunch during the weekends, lunch weekdays from 11 am to 3 pmBrunch is 15€ and lunch during the weekdays 10€

Cafe Suvanto

Café Suvanto would be the perfect example of the Finnish word Kotoisa, or “cozy home-like feeling”… Nestled in a corner of a busy avenue, the café is a haven in cold Helsinki days : a warm charming place where people can stop by anytime for nice cup of locally brewed coffee from KaffeObscura or for a light lunch, made of homemade soups and sandwiches. The place also offers delicious extended breakfasts everyday and you can buy there local and organic food as well, e.g. different sorts of oatmeal or barley and wheat flakes from Mustion Mylly Organic. In the warmer seasons, you can enjoy a nice smoothie on their outside terrace.

Inside Out Helsinki recommends: delicious Hörhö avocado smoothie and chocolate Rocky Road cake.

Café Suvanto - whose name comes from the street it is located on (Suvannontie) - was founded a year ago by Ulla Maija Hänninen and Marita Suontausta. The place has had many past lives: it was first a secret bar, before being a butchershop and then a food and lifestyle photo studio, where Ulla was working as a photographer and Marita, a journalist. The idea of creating an alternative cozy lifestyle café stemmed from their common experience working for the studio.

Fun fact : When doing the interview, we found out that Ulla comes from the same town, Saarijärvi, as founder Hanna Råst, and used to play with her aunts and uncles during grade school.

Coming up : Suvanto is going to host starting March 18th, every 3rd Wednesday of the Month, a live acoustic music night, in collaboration with Hilland records (more information below).