The food was excellent, the service friendly and informal and the ambiance fun…read more Recommend!

Fantastic on-tap options; kitchen looks really good. Service set-up is understaffed and…read moreoverwhelmed, resulting in long waits.

This place feels very old timey! The interior decor and lighting made it feel like I was in the…read more1970s or something. We came in for dinner on a Friday night with no reservation and we sat at the bar. The place got very busy and they even had to turn people away because there was no room. I guess you should try to make a reservation if possible! The menu is a bit limited and seemed to focus on traditional Finnish food. I was probably most interested in the meatball plate but it looked like too much food (also was like 24 euros which seems steep for meatballs), so I opted for a full sized tomato basil soup. I guess it was also a bit pricey at 18 euros for just soup and some bread so maybe not the best value. I did think the soup was okay, a bit on the saltier side so I had trouble finishing all of it. It did pair nicely with the bread but I didn't get that much bread for the amount of soup I got. The soup had a glob of goat cheese and basil which I thought paired nicely. My husband ordered the stew plate and he liked it but thought they didn't really give you that much meat. I agreed. The mashed potatoes were quite good and creamy but the dish kinda felt like it was just a very expensive plate of mashed potatoes and gravy. The blueberry dessert was not bad but I don't really like jam/jelly that much though so I couldn't eat too much of it. It did pair nicely with ice cream. Overall, interesting ambiance but probably not the best restaurant for me.

Date of visit: 8/29/2024…read more Both appetizers were great: - escargot with garlic 5/5 - tomato soup with basil 5/5 Entrees not so much: - Classical Meatballs (beef & pork) 3/5 - sautéed reindeer (traditional food from Lapland) 3/5: I thought I'd give reindeer a try since I'm in Finland. Couldn't stand the smell. It's simply sautéed with hardly any seasonings which makes the scent of the meat more prominent. It's served on a bed of mashed potatoes that's actually very good. - Fish of the day ala Mannerheim 4/5: I had to order this coz I ended up not eating the reindeer :( Today it was white fish served with wild mushroom sauce. The sauce was delicious. The fish I wish had crispier skin but overall it was a better dish compared to the reindeer. Like with all other Finnish restaurants, this comes with a price tag too. Oh well, lol

Fine dining in this part of town is the norm, therefore , I expect the very best …read more Nevertheless, there was an atmosphere which cannot be fabricated. laughs and chatter from almost every table...loved it ! I had the Toasted duck and others had the pike perch. they were both extremely tasteful. the combination of vegetables and ingredients was something to look forward to . I with I would've had an appetizer because the portion was a little small for my big appetite. We had the Tarte Tatin for dessert, which is basically vanilla ice cream over heated apple pie. service was good . I would repeat to try other dishes . Reasonable prices, considering the area.

We know that we were in a pricier touristy area when we came across this restaurant. However, this…read moreis one of the best meals that we had during our visit to Finland. We were unable to get a reservation online so we decided to see if we can walk in and we were warmly received. We were given a very comfortable table in the center of the dining room. We opted to order the steak and fries, as well as escargot and the smoked trout. The bread service was also outstanding. We paired our meal with a cocktail and a glass of wine. Service was very friendly and helpful. We then finished with an apple dessert. We almost returned the second night, but we were too tired from sightseeing all day. I highly recommend this location and would definitely return in the future.

I popped in for a quick bite after a show at a discotheque nearby, Olympia-kortteli. I was there to…read moresee a reputable black metal band called Hyülkenweiss or something. It was a recommendation from a coworker. The band was ok, but like, they had no stage presence and it seemed like they were on some kind of hallucinogenic drug. If I had to guess which kind of drug they were on I'd say pcp, aka 'angel dust'. 'The devil's sweet, sweet mama,' is what we used to call it. My friends and I used to dabble with pcp. It makes you feel like you took 30 cat tranquilizers and then went bungee jumping. Anyways, the singer of the band... his eyes were pure white, like he was doing a thorough examination of the back of his skull. It looked like he was possessed. Over all the band was good. They were no Apocolyptica, but I'll give them a pass. I checked out their first album and it was pretty cool, but the second album got a little too poppy. It's like they sold out. The audience was cool though, it was like half old fans and half new fans. I could tell that some of the old fans were like, just waiting to hear the hits, but the younger crowd were totally vibing. Let's just say that I saw some very new and unique dance moves that night. I now know what it looks like to twerk to metal. I digress. I read that the elk burger was great, and it totally was. It almost rivaled the reindeer steak, which stole the show. You don't see gazpacho on too many menus, so that was a delightful surprise. Almost as delightful as the cocktails. I asked the pleasant bartender to make me a mocktail because I'm 2 weeks sober. She went a little heavy on the pineapple juice, but that was ok. I'm kind of open to new things...ish. Thanks Ilves for the awesome time! I'lves definitely be back!

This is our go to when we come to the Helldone festival to see HIM. We had eaten dinner here before…read moreplenty of times, but this was one of the last times in a while that we would be coming to this restaurant..since our favorite band was giving us their farewell tour. It is pretty small and if you had ever come for a HIM show like we did, you would know that it's going to get full pretty quick and once in a blue moon you will see one of the guys. The service is pretty quick, the servers are very nice. We ordered hamburgers as we were in the mood for something quick and familiar. The restaurant was clean and as usual we had a good time. If you're in the mood to be close to Tavastia and want to have some good food which and good drinks stop here it's a pretty good place.

Excellent service and food. The atmosphere is cozy and upscale. I cannot say enough about the…read moredishes. All were very good - not a single misstep. Cannot say that very often.

What an absolutely wonderful dining experience. It is obvious that the staff work together and…read moreenjoy presenting unique and interesting flavors.

Ravintola Konstan Mölja offers a buffet of traditional Finnish food in a cozy, decorated dining…read moreroom. The friendly server explained to us all the different dishes, starting with the huge array of cold appetizers. There were three different kinds of pickled herring, mashed boiled eggs, butter, beets, lingonberries, caviar, red onion, sour cream, pickles, quinoa salad, mushroom salad, cucumbers, sauerkraut, potato salad, pickled artichokes, several kinds of breads, and Karelian pasties (a potato filling baked in a rye crust). The soup of the day was the traditional Finnish creamy salmon soup, made with chunks of salmon, potatoes, and lots of different vegetables and herbs in a milky broth. For the hot entrees and sides, the Slavic Chicken Stew was made with chicken, potatoes, peppers, leeks, and other vegetables in a sweet and savory sauce flavored with blue cheese; and the Sautéed Moose was made of shredded moose meat flavored with warm spices including bay leaves and juniper berries. The sides included Barley, Mashed Potatoes, and Honey Roasted Root Vegetables (carrots, beets, green beans, and parsnips). The drinks included the standard coffee and tea, served with both dairy and oat milks; but the most unique drink was the 1% homemade ale, which had a sweet, fruity taste and light consistency. My favorite items from the huge selection of dishes included the mushroom salad (chopped mushrooms in a sour cream dressing) and the sautéed moose (which almost tasted like meaty, lean beef), but everything was high quality, delicious, and came at an unbelievable value for lunch. Definitely a great restaurant for sampling a bunch of different traditional Finnish foods!

I always wanted to go to Finland because it was a mystery country for me, the northern lights, the…read morenorth pole, the artic circle but never I thought that the food will be a highlight of my trip. Konstan Molja is the way to go if you want to try a variety of traditional finish food!

We were very cold and wet from a nasty weather day and wanted to try something warm. Also wanted…read moresomething local to Helsinki as well and Yelp said this one would satisfy our taste buds. Not a single tourist in site, everyone speaking Finnish so we knew this was the perfect spot. Had only 30 minutes before lunch ended so we ate quick and snapped as many pictures as I could. Very interesting salads with unique dressings, most them couldn't tell what in the world made them taste so good. Helsinki proved to be awesome and to not copy Norway, Sweden, and Denmark. Finland borders Russia on the East side which might be why their foods are so different and yet so delectable. Would be better to visit when the weather is warmer with some sunshine. For sure would return to this place as it was superb!

Love the unpretentious lunch hidden in the street corners of Helsinki city centre here. You kind of…read morehave to look for a place as it doesnt have street front...just a sign they put outside to say they are open...and you kind of have to brave yourself to step in a small corner inside the streets to actually get to the restaurant. There are all types of clienteles here and you pay right when you arrive, get your plate, grab your food from the buffet line and seat whereever the table is free. Pretty casual and stress free...and the staff there do run like a well-oiled machine. They clear thr empty plates and clean the tables, and refill the food in tje buffet line as much as they can. The buffet line has a section for vegetarian and regular hot meal food. There's also a separate corner to grab your own tea/coffee as you wish, too. For ~€12 and quality all you can eat lunch...this is a very very good deal! I did try everything from the buffet line and they all tasted fresh! I had 2 full plates and a cup of tea..and didn't feel bloated after eating so much afterwards at all. If I had time to come back to Helsinki again, I would definitely want to have lunch here again. I debated goinf back there again my last day in Helsinki but unfortunately didn't have enough time to go back there...else I would be back there again! Give yourself and your friends a nice casual lunch when you are in Helsinki and you will be happy to stopped by for sure!

Make him here at the recommendation of a friend who lives in town, based on her love of large…read morecinnamon rolls. Hailing from the US, and specifically the Midwest in the recent past, a big cinnamon roll is literally the size of a dinner plate to us. This was unfortunately not the experience, but nonetheless the cinnamon rolls were lovely! They basically had the same cinnamon rolls that are available at nearly every other bakery, but to be fair, they were slightly larger. They had lots of additional pastries and desserts, which the little dudes loved! Everything we got was very good, presented nicely and priced like we were in Europe! We ended up with a number of pastries, one cinnamon roll and a couple of sandwiches. It was a really nice brunch and a good chance for everybody to rest for a little bit. The caffeinated drinks were also good. I had a simple latte, and it was just fine. My best half had tea and thoroughly enjoyed it. The place definitely has a little more upscale vibe, so coming in with a few kids seemed a bit out of the ordinary, but overall nobody seem to really care that much. And while the cinnamon rolls were not as large as we had hoped, Everything was as delicious as advertised. Definitely a good spot to check out if you're in town!

This lovely restaurant is on the second floor of the café located below. It is a beautiful room…read morewith large windows, tons of light (at 8pm on a June evening), and the warm feel of someone's house. The wait staff was welcoming, even to those of use with ignorant questions about some of the dishes on the menu. They also made some excellent wine suggestions which really hit the spot. Our entire table ordered from the set menu - 3 courses including dessert. It was a choice of some typical Finnish dishes and was an excellent introduction to local cuisine. Toast Skagen (Shrimp salad on toast to us Americans) was terrific and a nice way to start the meal. Not too heavy and with the wait staff suggested dry Riesling it served as a gracious starting off point. Roasted Char was terrific - expertly cooked with crispy skin and perfectly medium on the interior. The potato terrine was very delicious, light, and nicely crunchy on the outside. Finally, the hit of the dinner for me was the Blueberry and Oatmeal crisp with fresh local blueberry's and a surprisingly pleasant sprinkling of salt throughout. This is an excellent place to get away from the crowds and enjoy a pleasant and pleasing meal.

The server kindly directed us to the restroom, which had a baby changing table available. The…read morerestroom itself was spacious and clean, making it comfortable and convenient to change my child without feeling cramped. One thing I did notice was the lack of follow-up during the meal to check if everything was to our liking. It may simply be a cultural difference in service style, but a quick check-in would have been appreciated. The pricing felt quite high for the portion sizes provided. As someone visiting from out of town, it was a good experience overall and I'm glad we tried it. However, considering the value for the cost, I probably wouldn't return. PS the cheesecake sucked, but the jam that was served with it was good. The pancakes are underwhelming too.

If you're looking for a great spot to explore the cuisine of Lapland while you find yourself in…read moreHelsinki, this is a great spot to do so. Lapp is located only a block or two from the main esplanade and action of downtown Helsinki. I strongly suggest snagging reservations in advance as they fill up quite quickly. We ended up eating here at 4:30 pm because that was the only spot available during our day-of reservations. The interior is wooden and filled with antlers and kitschy decor to set the vibe. Yes, a lot of tourists go here and yes, I was on a mission to have some sautéed reindeer. Note that in true Helsinki fashion, prices can be quite high at this restaurant. We thoroughly enjoyed our sautéed reindeer, lingonberry sauce and mashed potatoes alongside our barley risotto topped with Lapland cheese and seasonal root vegetables (so flavorful!). If you're vegetarian, note that the menu can be quite meat heavy. They also offer a menu of Finnish beers, cocktails with Finnish vodka, etc. Overall, a tasty and positive experience.

A welcome reprieve from the cold. They had a number of drinks and food items available for…read morepurchase, to eat inside or outside. The restaurant inside was really warm, and there was a view of the frozen water outside. The coffee really hit the spot, but the karelian pastry and the egg butter was something I had never tried before. Very delicious. Would very highly recommend.

Cafe Regatta is just as adorable and instagram worthy as the photos suggest! With a bit of…read morepatience, it's easy to capture the perfect snap without a photobomber. I wouldn't say you'd come here for the food (ie: quiches/pies, grill your own hot dogs, and pastries), but Cafe Regatta is perfect for cozy vibes, hot drinks, and yap sessions with a seaside view.