Inside Out Helsinki: Eat

Our favourite cafes and restaurants in Helsinki

Linko pizzabar

Here at Inside Out Helsinki we are always up for pizza. We talked about the scrumptious pizzas on Uunisaari island . When the pizza is not only delicious, but uber original and in a laid-back, relaxed and original setting, what more could we ask for ?

Linko is fairly hidden pizzabar at the back of Helsinki's Töölö area. It started when two friends decided to open their own bar 6 years ago. They since then have also gotten a third member in the funky bunch, a chef, and decided to also make some food. They found the place and it happened to be an old pizzeria. That's how in June 2013 Linko Pizzabar started.

The place is tiny but very cozy with welcoming and friendly staff. The interior is decorated with objects from different eras and cultures and you can't get enough of finding new little things every time you visit the place. Besides their delicious food, Linko has a wide selection of drinks and talented bartenders who can mix a cocktail with ingredients you like - sweet or sour - you name it. In the evening, Linko hosts live music concerts, jazz jams and other events, so be sure to follow their facebook page for more information.

There are 6 to 7 pizzas, 2 salads and 1 dessert on their menu. At lunch they have 2 pizzas, 2 salads and a soup. Menu varies from time to time. There´s always one seasonal pizza and a good selection of vegetarian pizzas, one of them is always vegan. As the chef puts it, come here with an open mind. Try their beetroot and goat cheese pizza. Or their spinach pizza with arugula, walnuts and asparagus.

This is definitely a place to visit and is on a good location if you are heading towards Cafe Regatta or Seurasaari (look out for our up coming posts on those places - we are taking over Töölö now!)

Further information

Address: Linnankoskenkatu 12, 00250 Töölö – Helsinki

Website: http://www.linkopizzabar.fi/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/linkobar

Email: info@linkopizzabar.fi

Phone: +358 44 733 1337
Opening hours:Kitchen:
Tues - Fri
4 - 11 pm
Sat
12 - 11 pm
Sun
12 - 8:30 pm
Lunch:
Tues - Fri
11 am - 3 pm
Bar:
Tues - Fri
16 pm -12 am
Sat
12 pm -12 am
Sun
12 pm -12 am
Döner Harju

Our special place this week is Döner Harju. It is a small and cozy restaurant in the heart of Kallio, or actually Harju, the area just next to Kallio. The districts of Helsinki tend to be small, but all in all Kallio, Harju, Alppila and Vallila are the top ones where to go right know. And that’s something the owners of Döner Harju figured out when they set up their restaurant.

One evening the owners were discussing their favorite foods over a few beers. Soon after they ended up ordering the biggest döner machine they could find. The next morning they had to find purpose for their machine. That’s where Döner Harju’s story begun. Both owners have a long history working as chefs in different places. In Döner Harju they want to serve the best: in their delicious selection you can find food for both meat lovers and vegetarians. They serve lamb, chicken and seitan daily and always have something special on the side such as pork, moose or veal. Side dishes include bulgur, couscous, various salads and beetroot to name a few. Everything is served with herbs, olive oil, lemon and garlic. The most popular dish is Lamb Döner, which we also warmly recommend you to taste. The well-grilled lamb adds a crispy taste and is mixed together with yoghurt, tomato sauce and herbs to form a perfect combination. And their food is not the only recommendable thing. It is definitely the atmosphere itself, made by the staff and clients, which creates a cozy feeling to the place.

Döner Harju is open from early midday until late evening. The day starts with the lunch menu (9,90€) including a main course, the soup of the day and coffee. During lunchtime the place is bustling and the murmur of cheerful chatting fills the air. Towards the evening Döner Harju serves bread döner and plates that range between 9-15€. Besides the dinner, we recommend that you taste their selection of beers and wines, especially the Moroccan red wine. We asked what Döner Harju would recommend to our readers and they cherished the evenings, especially weekends. On Friday and Saturday evenings you can experience a busy but intimate atmosphere when the locals prepare themselves for the weekend. The staff is relaxed and works fast, you can just admire.

The restaurant scene in Helsinki is changing fast and new, interesting restaurants are opening all the time. Just a few years ago you could easily check through all the best restaurants in Helsinki, but no more. Many skilled chefs are doing their own thing, which brings variety and every place has something unique to offer. Döner Harju’s future looks promising: they opened a new restaurant called Palema in the Teurastamo area, which serves classic Finnish food.

The owners also visited Berlin not so long ago and found a Rolls Royce grill. It’s a three-meter charcoal grill made of stainless steel, bricks and glass. They bought it and now they have to find a place for it…

Döner Harju

Address: Fleminginkatu 23, 00500 Helsinki
Phone: 045 180 5868
Website: http://www.donerharju.fi/
Opening times:
Monday - Thursday: 10:30 - 22
Friday: 10:30 - 23
Saturday: 12 - 23
Sunday: 13 - 21

B-Smokery

Beware vegetariens, this post is not for you ;) (don't worry though, we at Inside Out Helsinki have covered some great veggie friendly places, and are planning to cover some more in the future too!) B -Smokery is the place to go to when meat craving.
Everything started in 2011, during Restaurant day, when B-Smokery owners sold in 4 hours over 200 kg of scrumptious pork ribs. They then knew this was a Eureka moment! These six guys, with no real resto experience, decided then to open a Barbecue restaurant, and found the perfect spot at Teurastamo. The joint opened in January 2014, and has been booming ever since.

The place is located in the former slaughterhouse district, and has a nice cozy industrial rustic feel to it. The atmosphere is laid back and casual, the staff extra friendly and you can pop in there for lunch or dinner.
=> Good to know : the extra big dinner portions, which are rare in typical Helsinki cuisine. Also, B-Smokery has a very nice selection of quality wines which are particularly enjoyable to have with ribs and meat.
Inside Out Helsinki particularly recommends its mouth watering baby back ribs, along with their baked sweet potatoes. They also offer delicious sandwiches and hamburgers, such as the Philly sandwich.

Image above: wall of fame or how should we call it? The presidents of Finland :)

Further information:

Address:Työpajankatu 2 R1 C, 00580 Helsinki, Finland
Phone: +358 40 777 5959
Website: http://bsmokery.fi/
Email: info@bsmokery.fi

Opening times:
Monday - Closed
Tuesday 11 am - 2 pm
Wednesday 11 am - 2 pm
Thursday 11 am - 2 pm & 5 pm - 10 pm
Friday 111 am - 2 pm & 5 pm - 10 pm
Saturday 1 pm -10 pm
Sunday - Closed

Sandro

Sandro Kallio

The first brunch Inside Outer Emilie McDermott had when she arrived in Helsinki, was at Sandro: an authentic scrumptious Moroccan brunch. Homemade, with fresh fruits and juices, everything was tasteful. Since then, Sandro has become one of InsideOut Helsinki's favorite go-to food places.

Sandro was the name of a small kiosk that used to be there in place of the first restaurant, which opened in Kallio in 2012. The owners wanted to keep the name as it was already a neighborhood hit at that time. The intention at first was to open a stylish but casual place where you could grab cocktails, have some food and listen to good music. A few years later, Sandro is serving full-on Marrakesh Madness experience with different lunches, brunches and dinner in two locations (Kallio and Eira), plus catering and food trucks for events.

The delicious eclectic cuisine reflects the owners rich multi-cultural background. Originally from Asia, they lived in Scandinavia, but also Spain and London, before settling for good in Helsinki. Sandro is the symbol of Helsinki's dynamic ever changing and growing food scene. Finnish cuisine traditionally was known as rather modest and under-stated. But with this light shed on Helsinki new addresses and chefs (e.g. to name a few, Nokia or Spies), it's changing.

The food here at Sandro is always sure to surprise your tastebuds, and satisfy your cravings. The atmosphere is warm and welcoming, and most of all you are sure to have a genuine experience here. As the owners say :

"Our guests should feel at home and not have the feeling that the waiters are educating them"

=> Inside Out Helsinki recommends the "Marrakech Madness Brunch" on Sundays, but also any of their delicious refined vegan or vegetarian dishes, such as their lentil soups, or vegetable dumplings. Their different tagines are also to die for!

Sandro Eira

Sandro has two addresses: the original address, Kallio, as seen in the photos above. And its new location in Eira, as seen below.

Sandro is already focused a lot on vegan/ vegetarian cuisine and plans on continuing to gear the place towards that direction in the future. The restaurant stresses the importance of seasonality and sustainability, as does InsideOut Helsinki for its choice of addresses, and they use as much as possible local and organic ingredients.

"We want to serve people fresh, seasonal and natural food, something that will contribute positively to their overall wellbeing and happiness."

Further information:

Website:

http://sandro.fi/

Addresses :

Kallio

Kolmas Linja 17

00530 /

Helsinki

09 428 92317

info@sandro.fi

Opening times:
Mon – Thurs
10:30 am – 12:00 am
Friday
10:30 am – 02:00 am
Saturday10:00 am – 02:00 am

Sunday
10:00 am – 12:00 am

Eira

Tehtaankatu 34 D

00150

Helsinki

040 765 7693

info@sandro.fi

Opening times:

Mon-Thu10:30 am-11:00 pm (kitchen closes at 10:00 pm)
Fri
10:30 am – 12:00 pm
Saturday10:00 am – 12:00 pm
Sunday
10:00 – 11:00 pm (kitchen closes at 10:00 pm)

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.

Onda

If you are looking for a delicious place to eat, at a low price but in an original and home-like setting, then Onda restaurant is the place to go. Onda opened in October 2014 by Jussi, Maya and Peetteri. It can be described as an eatery-type bistro, and gallery, that offers both lunch and dinner (with 3 starters and 4 main meals).

They offer weekend and week specific meals, and both meat and vegetarian options. During the weekdays they have a lunch-time buffet and their food is mainly organic.

What Inside Out Helsinki particularly appreciates is that Onda makes everything from scratch, with no preheating and frozen food. Their food reflects the change in season, which is particularly interesting for a restaurant in a country such as Finland, where the change in seasons is so drastic.

During the warmer months, you can enjoy the food on their sunny terrace, and they are planning on extending their opening hours.

All of the owners have traveled a lot and, for example, Maya had a hostel in Peru, so the ambiance is a mix of different cultures, which is quite refreshing and original in a city such as Helsinki.

They also make their very own recipes for the food.

=> We recommend the falafel, which is an original recipe made with hemp seeds.

=> Good to know: The lunch buffet is open from 11 to 3 o’clock. And on Saturdays they offer a Peruvian brunch (table reservations recommended).

Further information:

Address: Toinen linja 3, 00530 Helsinki

Phone number: 0408386638

For table reservations and inquiries email: ruokala.onda@gmail.com

Opening hours:

Mon-Tue 11 am – 7 pm (Kitchen 6 pm)

Wed-Thu 11 am- 9 pm(Kitchen 8 pm)

Fri 11 am – midnight (Kitchen 10 pm)

Sat 11:30 am – 4 pm (Brunch)

Lunch served: Mon-Fri 11 am – 3 pm

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 pm

Brunch 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).