I love this place! It's my favourite place for grocery shopping…read more After 3 years in Helsinki I see a minor increase in food quality, but this mini-market has always been consistently good, sources local produce, a lot organic, and I can see they really make careful decisions about what to offer. And the staff are genuinely friendly (yes, warm and service-minded does exist here!) If you live here, consider this place to support local businesses. For visitors, consider stocking up here for a picnic in Kaivopuisto. If you're missing the picnic gear, you can probably get everything between this place and the kitchenware place next door.

Among the best grocery stores in downtown Helsinki. Not the cheapest though, but if you're in need…read moreof something more special, you'll probably find it here. I wouldn't go there for regular groceries but for special occasions. Always great service and nice atmosphere and tons of inspiration.

This is a very big department store and I think the biggest in the city. I went in to buy a pair…read moreof trousers but didn't have too much luck. They start their crazy days sale on Wednesday (it was Monday) and so have been preparing for that, so there was a lack of stuff to buy. Nice to have sales but not to deny those who need to buy something the chance to buy it.

There are a couple of spots like Andstrom in Helsinki and I just thought this was a great place to…read morego for local Helsinki flavor. The shopkeepers were all friendly and took the time to answer my questions. There is food and also some local vendors for things like wool blankets which seemed well priced from what I saw elsewhere. Do check the times they are open as they are not open late in the evenings.

Amazing fishmonger in Old Market Hall! This seafood market…read moresells lots, and lots of fish. We're talking about a huge variety of different types of fish, all locally caught, and prepared in a mind boggling array of different styles. They've got cold smoked salmon, hot smoked, salmon with different herbs, spices, salts, peppers on it. They have fish that I've never heard of, as well as eels! You can get the fish raw, to take home and cook later, or premade fish that are ready to eat on the spot. We got a variety of different smoked salmons on rye bread that was some of the best salmon I've ever had! They offered a bunch of pickled fishes as well. They are friendly, and answer all your questions about the fish, and are helpful in cutting up the food for easy sharing or transport. All of the fish looked and smelled fresh. The quality of the food here is some of the best I've ever seen at a fishmonger! This place is among many other fishmongers and seafood markets in the Old Market Hall, but this one really stood out! You can take your food takeaway, and eat in the center of the food hall under the giant mirror- that's the common eating area.

Vanha kauppahalli or Old Market Hall, is a smaller food hall that unlike some of the others we…read morevisited in Sweden and Denmark, is shotgun style with two lanes straight up and down. There was very little seating outside of the few shops that have it built in (which can only be used by their customers) and the shops are on the smaller side and a little more touristy than you'd expect. Another friendly reminder that Reindeer jerky can't be brought into the US, so if you do purchase it here, make sure to eat it before you get on the plane to head home. All in all it's a cute little food hall with an okay selection, but we liked the ones in Stockholm and Copenhagen better since they were larger and more of a deli style.

Seriously difficult to rate one stop above others as anything in this market is going to be good…read more Solid bars good options at several stalls and cute shops to hunt for that special item. Bonus that this has restrooms and is inside - a great way to get out of the cold! Though there ARE opportunities to sit a spell, people watching here might be limited (if that's your thing) as the hallway around the market is more narrow and doesn't have much room to sit and only one or two stalls have seating areas. Service at each business is fast as it can be for a popular place and of course the value for your spend might be limited as well because there are tourists everywhere! When in doubt grab a sweet roll!