Came by the other day before my flight out of HEL and it was a decent experience. Aspire Lounge…read moreappears to be a credit card lounge and access is only appears to be accessible via stairs. There is also an upper mezzanine level as well featuring additional seating. The lounge itself was spacious and featured fantastic tarmac views perfect for plane spotting. Food options were more limited and mainly carbs with minimal protein. There was a full bar too. Staff were super friendly.

This is a very nice lounge with a great view of the airport complex. Only one problem, poorly…read moretrained staff. When I arrive at an airport lounge I want to scan my boarding pass and walk in. I do not want to have even a 10 second conversation about why I'm at the lounge. It's impossible that I am the first Star alliance gold passenger flying on a Lufthansa ticket using this lounge, but that did not stop the attendant from saying, sorry sir you don't have access. I had to then show her my credit card which has the word club on it and open my United mileage plus account app on my smartphone, but she still wasn't convinced. She said this lounge is for Star alliance gold. I explained that United Airlines gold is the same as Star alliance gold. After about 4 minutes with a line waving, she let me through. There's no excuse for this level of incompetence at a major international airport lounge.

I was quite happy to discover this lounge right by my gate, with a wonderful, fulfilling espresso…read moremachine. Double espresso for the win, especially at 6am. A cold, dreary morning with long flights ahead and turned into a caffeine fueled day of energy. Bzzzzzz

The SAS lounge at Helsinki airport is your basic airport lounge. Located in Terminal 1 it is easy…read moreto find just after security. The lounge has a clear Scandinavian feel to it with fairly modern design and as such is much nicer than the Finnair lounge (the within Schengen one) but fairly similar to the Aspire lounge. The lounge is usually fairly empty unless traveling at real peak times. They provide a decent selection of newspapers and magazines as well as free wifi (but is anyway free at the airport) and some computers. Food wise it is not great but there is always some fruit and snacks as well as (depending on time of day) either some salad and (cold) fish/meat or breakfast. For me the average European airline lounge these days (so not top as some of the nice lounges like BA at Heathrow or LH at Frankfurt). Good for something to drink (coffee,tea,sodas and wine,beer and hard liquor) and some eace and quiet. The sas flights also always depart right outside the lounge so convenient then.

Maybe it was perfect set of events but we sat down in the very comfortable couches and had a…read morewonderful seasonal amber ale and dry Oiva apple cider. Everything delicious and excellent service. On a nice day. Enjoy the terrace.

Currently the only bar in the terminal 1 departures area. It has a quite decent selection of beers…read moreand other drinks, as well as pizza, salads and snacks. You can also opt for a smoothie or fresh juice which are made at the bar. Everything is a bit pricey but I guess that's to be expected at the airport. Service was very quick and friendly. The sitting area is nice and relaxed, and if you sit by the window you can watch the planes go by behind the light curtains. They also have power outlets under tables to charge your phone or laptop. Everything you need really!

I didn't want to leave a review, but the old man behind the bar forced my hand. A sign on the bar…read morestated "kitchen is closed today", which if anyone is a barstool sailor like myself, knows this means you can bring food from elsewhere. However, the old man, BERATED my wife telling her she can not, even after she defended herself saying the kitchen was closed. We were respectful and cleaned up after ourselves, but this was not good enough for this grumpy old fart. Finnish people are very nice, he must not be Finnish. Cool place otherwise, just wish it hadn't been ruined by one jerk. Note: I had already ordered 2 Guinness from him.

Pub + Helsinki airport = this place. If you want decent brews and whiskeys, its basically the only…read moreoption. Perhaps because of the zero competition you don't get much for your money here. On this particular day I had a Suomenlinna IPA pint from the tap. Ouch, 10 EUR but I guess that's to be expected at any airport bar. Unusually, I didn't have any problem finding a stool. The barkeep was at the end of his shift and his demeanor showed it. Overhearing his exchanges with customers, I empathized with him -- lots of broken English conversations with (possibly drunk) transient passengers. I like the good selection but there isn't much that stands out for this pub except it being in the airport. Which only means I'm guaranteed to be back here.

Wine & View (next to gate 27) is legendary. It used to be this small wine-stall in the middle of…read morethe terminal. Now it has been rebuilt into a proper wine bar. The interior is a bit charmless, however, there is a good selection of different wines by the glass. I counted at least eight different bubblies in the pool of ice on the counter: four champagnes and four sparkling wines. Additionally there are about five to six reds and whites, and also some port-wines by the glass. I must say, I was not blown away by the selection as it was mainly big-house bubblies: Möet, Veuve Cliquot, Freixenet etc. However, there is a Lanson Extra Age ad a Dom Perignon 2006 if you are prepared to put some money into it. Not great value for money, but a decent selection nevertheless. Reds and whites were more reasonably priced, and I could already see some wines from France and Austria I could have happily tried out. What is quite fun is that they have a list of "cellar rarities" by the glass. You can for example buy a 4cl taster of Mouton Rothschild (-85) or Côte-Rôtie La Turque (-98) if you are curious to try them. Its not cheap, but hey, it is not so common to be able to taste them by the glass. Wine & View would definitely be my top choice when wining at Helsinki Airport.