Hands down, awesome. Whenever I visit Turku, this is one of my first stops. They're set up for…read moretake-away (no seating) -- but I usually ask for a paper plate (to eat ASAP, need the instant gratification) and get a sampler of 5-6 different things: Shrimp salad, crayfish salad, whitefish, herring, roe, and... salmon carpaccio. Which, by the way, is a total religious experience. In my opinion, it rivals some of the best salmon sashimi in Tokyo. The staff is friendly and super-helpful. On a slow afternoon, one of the guys actually pulled out a burner and pan fried a blini to go with my fish roe! (which was beyond delicious). Herkkunuotta is 1 of 2 fish stalls in the Kauppahalli. The 2nd fish vendor is just the next stall over -- it's maybe twice (or 3x) as large but never as crowded. Go with the collective wisdom on this one. You'll be glad you did.

We visited for Christmas Eve dinner, 11 family members. Our reservations had been made well over a…read moremonth in advance, yet when we arrived our table was not ready. The fixed price menu consisted of an appetizer table, a choice of an entree and a dessert table. The waitstaff was slow and obviously either inexperienced in this establishment or extremely overworked. As this dinner was by reservation only, I'm thinking a combination of the two. The wine list was limited and I was asked to go to the bar to see what they had to offer. Not much at all, so the plan to enjoy wine with our dinner was reduced to individual by-the-glass instead of by the bottle. The appetizer table consisted of smoked fish, herring and kinkku (Finnish ham) along with assorted salads, boiled potatoes and some other dishes including pate'. I found the ham to be tasteless and with the exception of the smoked fish, the remaining dishes to be uninspired and either reheated or replated. Other than the entrees, I did not get the impression the appetizers were prepared on site. For the most part, they were not impressive considering the time of the year and the occasion. Also, there were no traditional Finnish Christmas dishes. The entrees (I had the fish) was good but overwhelmed by the plate. The fish was tasty and others in my party did not complain about their dishes (beef and fish) but I did not hear anything complimentary. (Maybe a Finnish thing?) The dessert table was a complete disappointment and was almost picked over by the time I got there. The table was not replenished by the staff and I was embarrassed that our guests had cookies for dessert! The cheese platter was not maintained and we had to ask for dishes as there were none. We arrived for our 4pm reservations timely and left by 6pm. I have heard wonderful things about this establishment and that was one of the reasons for my family to make a change this year for our Christmas dinner from a country house establishment to Samppalinna. However, I must say that we were very disappointed in the service, presentation and the dishes. I felt like this estabishment opened specifically for this dinner and was unprepared. They did not use their best efforts to make the Christmas dinner special and enjoyable and certainly the food was not as good as it could have been. A hurried, uninspired effort. At 38 euros per person, this establishment needs to examine itself. I fear that Samppalinna either had a bad day or is riding on its reputation from days, long gone by. Live and learn.

I arrived on a Friday for lunch not knowing what to expect and was surprised by a buffet with…read moreNordic food, very interesting and large accommodations, and a quiet beer garden in back. I'm sure your mileage may vary depending on when you come and whether this buffet is consistent or rotational, but regardless, I think the venue is well worth a visit if you have time.

First evening visiting Turku and my wife and I were looking for place to eat that also served local…read moreor regional beer. Found this brewpub and it looked like a neat place. The building has an old antique feel with lots of dark wood. Plenty of tables and booths spread across multiple rooms, it appears this place could hold a lot of people. It was mostly empty when we were here, but that was on a Monday evening. I imagine on the weekend it can get pretty busy with so much room for people. We ordered a ribs and a hamburger and they were huge portions. We could have easily ordered one meal and shared it. The burger was a pretty good standard burger with a big patty and lots of vegetable on it, lettuce, tomato, onion, and pickle. The ribs were a big, lots of meat, and better than the burger. Neither was the best in its respective category, but both were satisfying and good. No complaints. They both came with potatoes that were like a cross between chips and fries. They were awesome! I have never had fries like this before. They were wide and flat, thinner than fries but thicker than chips so that they still had some soft potato inside but were nice and crispy at the same time. I would come back just for the fries, some of the best I have eaten. The beer was okay, but in the world of craft beer there is definitely room for improvement. The Kakolan Kalpea pale ale was decent but not as flavorful as I prefer. The Lehtori lager had a strange, bad taste and I really did not like it all. It tasted skunky as if it had gone bad or was old. The Vehnä wheat beer was the best I beer I drank here. It tasted like a traditional German hefeweizen with the banana and clove flavors clearly noticeable and was very enjoyable to drink. I would visit again for the wheat beer and fries.