9 Best Restaurants in Helsinki, Finland

Just a short walk from the Stockmann department store, this cozy restaurant has become a lunchtime favorite; come evening it's given over to artists and journalists. Menu highlights draw on Scandinavian and Russian elements and include reindeer, fried vendace, perch, trout, and cèpe mushrooms. Chilled chocolate cheesecake makes a superb dessert. The high ceilings and understated interior lend a Scandinavian air of simplicity and elegance. Happily, some things never change, and Kosmos has retained its character since 1924. 

This hotel restaurant has a magnificent view of the South Harbour. Chef Eero Vottonen has steered it to Michelin-star status with a sumptuous seven-part menu that covers almost every conceivable fresh Nordic ingredient, from crispy rye sourdough bread and smoked trout roe to Norwegian king crab and scallops with asparagus. There's a shorter Menu Palace version as well as a delicious lunch.

A 1930s functional design interior provides the backdrop to the innovative contemporary cooking at this hotel restaurant. Interesting combinations on the menu might include herring with a salad of new potatoes, pepper steak à la Torni, and chocolate cake with berry salad.

If you like finding the true character of a city and enjoy local color, try looking in simple, friendly restaurants like this one, whose name means "moon." The menu combines Finnish specialties such as perch, salmon, and reindeer with imaginative international fare. It's especially convenient for nights at the opera, and the delightful covered terrace is open year-round. Diners can choose from an a la carte list or go for one of two fixed-price four-course house menus.

A five-minute walk from the somewhat austere neoclassical Parliament House, on the same street as the National Museum and close to the "Church in the Rock," this casual local gem is the kind of restaurant travelers delight to discover. The main courses have a pan-European flavor, but the "classics"—the sort of hearty food that grandma used to make—are what this place is about. Seasonal game is popular in the colder months; in summer the menu lightens to include quality salads and fish. But whenever you come, you're in for good-quality, wholesome, Finnish organic ingredients at their best. Roasted butternut squash is an excellent starter. Pan-fried breast of pheasant makes a terrific main-course follow-up. Diners can choose between one of three set menus, including a delicious vegetable-only option, and a varied à la carte selection.

Look for a giant propeller and anchor to find the main door of Nokka in the redbrick buildings near the Uspenski Orthodox Cathedral in Katanajanokka, overlooking the marina. This innovative restaurant specializes in seasonal fare with fresh Finnish ingredients provided by smallholdings across the country and the forests of Lapland. The rather limited but excellent a la carte menu might include pan-fried fish, lamb, mushrooms, and local cheeses, while vegetarians are well catered to in the four-course Menu Green.

There's the flavor of Hyannis Port and the Kennedys in this lovely restaurant—stunning views of yachts and mansions and other islands in the Baltic Sea abound. The boat trip to this island (€6 added to the bill for the ferry trip there and back) from the Ursininlaituri jetty only takes a few minutes, and it's well worth it. Given its location, the maritime theme here is obvious enough, but it's not overwhelming or tacky. A great starter is the assortment of archipelago appetizers, with roast lamb and alder-smoked salmon fillet choices for the main course. A full vegetarian menu is available. Like other island restaurants in Helsinki, Saari is a popular venue for the traditional late-summer, often vodka-fueled crayfish party.

Sitting at the mouth of Helsinki's South Harbour, this restaurant, which specializes in but doesn't exclusively offer seafood, sits on Klippan island in a magnificent wooden pavilion. There's hardly a seat in the whole restaurant that doesn't offer a stunning view: from the Empire-era buildings to the north to the massive sea fortress of Suomenlinna to the south, with yachts and cruise ships floating by. This is a favorite venue for the often boisterous August crayfish parties. Glazed duck breast makes a sumptuous main course, as does roasted sea whitefish, finished off with a blueberry tartlet dessert. A selection of local Finnish cheeses is a great way to finish your meal, perhaps with a glass of schnapps. There are also four fixed menus available, including one for vegetarians. The ferry to the island leaves from the southern end of the Olympia Terminal.

Right beside city hall and a handy place to take a break from shopping in Market Square, this building retains marble columns and deep wood panels that harken back to the days when it was a bank rather than an elegant restaurant, fitted as it is today with very plush and luxurious furniture. Toast Skagen, a Nordic classic, is a good bet—it's shrimp, mayo, and chives on toasted bread, topped with a generous dollop of whitefish roe. Pan-fried Baltic herring is another classic. A full five-course chef's menu costs €65, while the price of a more compact three-course Scandinavian menu is €45. Salutorget has adopted with gusto the very British concept of afternoon tea, served Monday to Saturday from 2 to 6 pm.