My friend and I ubered here and were a bit skeptical of driving through the large empty stadium…read moreparking lot, but the bar itself is cute and welcoming with blankets for their limited outdoor seating. I tried 3 of their draft beers. I tried the Hazy Amber, the Porter and a third that I can't remember. I wasn't super into any of mine. My friend's beer was called Awesome something and I thiiink it was a pale ale (apologies the beers we had aren't on their website so I can't get the exact names) and it was very good. They have a ton of other craft beers available in bottles, so if you end up not liking what they have on draft you certainly have a lot of options.

You have to know what you are looking for to find this newly opened small bar that's connected the…read morebrewery of Stadin Panimo. This must be one of the better beer bars on town. They have their own beers on tap and an impressive selection of mostly Belgian bottled beers. Most people seemed to drink those. No music, no TV, small terrace outside. Definitely worth a visit, especially for a beer enthusiast. The fifth star would be obtained if they would offer some tastings of their own or the Belgian beers, now I was left quite alone to choose from a massive amount of alternatives. I hope they could also enhance to offer some snacks and/or spirits as well.

This Alko is always stocked well, have friendly and informative staff and is generally pretty…read moreclean. Absolutely nothing bad to say about the place. It isn't as big as some other Alkos so can get pretty packed late Fridays and on Saturdays.

I had passed by Il Birrificio a few times and unable to get into another spot walked around the…read morecorner and gave it a shot. You order at the counter then find a seat which can't be simpler. All the in house beer info is also easily found on the wall and the menu is simple; mostly based on their also homemade sausages. Not wanting a full meal, I went with the Poutine which has all the things I love - sausage, fries, cheese curds, and a light and slightly tart gravy. All yum, and all gone from the plate within minutes. I would think all the other menu items are equally worthy but if you just want a great beer, this place will do it too.

The people behind old favorites La Torrefazzione and Fratello have moved beyond serving good coffee…read moreand brunches to also expand into beer and proper restaurant food. In the space of a previous garlic restaurant they have opened up a restaurant where they serve up simple dishes from nice ingredients. The menu is refreshingly short, all in all around 10 dishes out of which 5-6 are mains and then there are a few snack dishes and some dessert. The food I had has been very good, uncomplicated but with flavors that really fit together well. In addition to serving good food they also brew their own beer on site as well as serve other good craft beer. The beer is very nice and a lot of interesting types of beer can be sampled (served in either small (0.2l) or regular (0.4l)). Nice and friendly service adds to the appeal of this place. Orders are places at the bar so can at times be a bit busy but not really an issue. The place is also nicely designed in a mix of rustic wood and white tiles behind the bar. The improvement would be to try to reduce the noise level in the bigger room as it got rather loud (and the tables are big so people sit fairly far from each other resulting in louder and louder conversations).

Surprisingly good food in this hidden location in Helsinki. We were visiting Helsinki during…read moreMidsummer, and so many restaurants were closed. I was advised that Bryggeri Brewhouse might be open so got a reservation. When we arrived, I was told that the reservation represented seating inside with table service, but it was a beautiful evening so we opted to merely order from the fast casual counter and have the food delivered to us at a patio table. Our food was really good. I started with a serving of the salmon soup which had been recommended as a Helsinki specialty by our guide that day. I have nothing to compare this soup to, but it was outstanding. Great flavor, perfectly prepared salmon. The starter serving was more than enough for an entire meal, so I shared with the rest of our table. For our main courses, my wife had the sloppy joe sliders and I had the wild elk meatballs with mashed potatoes. The meatballs were wonderful, perfectly done, good flavor and matched well with the potatoes in the gravy provided. My wife found the sloppy joes to also be very tasty with a bit more kick than such an offering in the United States. The buns they were on were perfect and the entire serving very large. One other dish to comment on that was ordered at our table was the Chicken Burger. Do not get thrown off by the name burger and expect a ground chicken patty. This is a full-size chicken breast perfectly fried and with excellent condiments and sauces. So, food, 5 stars. When it came to the beer, there are only a few of the offerings available at the patio stand, so I was not happy with choices given this was a brewhouse. I learned later, after my first bland lager that I could just go to the main bar inside and get the full offering. So my second beer was excellent, the Sofia. This entire experience would have been a 5 except for a couple of faults. One was that food took a long time to arrive and came sporadically, and second is that the full complement of beers should be offered outside or the bartender there should inform patrons that they are limited, but 20 steps away they can order from the full list. If looking for a nice casual night out in Helsinki, I can highly recommend this restaurant.

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

Basic Alko store. They have product on all price ranges. Not every store has all same products, so…read moremixing stores you may find new products. daytime store is quiet.

tl;dr - Great atmosphere, friendly staff, fantastic DJs, and don't forget to try the cocktails (or…read morethe coffee, if you're not into drinking)! There's something about the ambience in here that I really love, and so I can easily say it's my favorite bar in Helsinki. This place is the site of the former canteen for the harbour workers, hence its name, and the interior decor is very representative of its history. Across the ceiling are numerous flags from different countries, and along the walls you'll see some photos of the old canteen. The furniture is classy, old-fashioned and gives the bar an incredibly cozy feeling, more like hanging out at home than in a public venue. The bar counter itself is part of a boat hull, which is also really cool. The cocktails/mixed drinks are all great, and they've got a couple of local specialities that can't be missed, such as the Bus Island Iced Tea, a Jätkäsaari spinoff of a Long Island Iced Tea. The beer selection is pretty standard, so if you're not into the fancier drinks, you're covered. The coffee and pastries have also been good from my experience, as well as the selection of tea (although you're paying a bit much for a cup of hot water). The music selection seems to rotate every so often - for the first couple times that I came here, it was mostly classic Finnish rock. Another few times, it was Latino music. The live DJs are both wonderful, especially the one who works on Saturdays - he was making up short poems as a form of introduction to the upcoming songs, as well as occasionally whipping out a small flute and playing it! Very spunky guy, and fun to listen to. The staff are also fantastic - I didn't sit at the bar to chat with them, but they are definitely friendly and they like to converse with their customers. I think there is a large group of locals who come in as regulars here, and they've gotten to know the bartenders well. There's always a swarming crowd in the evenings on weekends at the bar, so be warned - get your seats early! It's much quieter on weekdays, but it's certainly not empty.

Great bar near Clarion Hotel and tram stop. Nice atmosphere for small group conversation with great…read moreservice, charming decor, and Finnish classic rock covers playing on an antique turntable. Homemade salmiakki highly recommended!

This is likely the best brewpub in Helsinki. Their many beers on tap are superb. I particularly…read morerecommend their IPAs and sours. Several of their offerings push the boundaries far from the safe hop combinations found at the average brewpub. While you can buy bottles and cans to take out, I preferred to linger in the friendly bar area. In the intimate room next to the bar they schedule evening events. There is outdoor seating as well.

Although it is a small shop, there is a good variety of products to choose from. I think this is…read moreone of the closest grocers by the lake, so it is a good place to get pre-made sandwiches, salads, and sodas. I almost never buy such things, but these actually looked pretty good and I was hungry. For a little over than €3 I got a roast beef sandwich that I would guess was about a foot long! In addition to the meat there was also cheese, a few pickles, and a surprisingly fresh bunch of arugula. Really not bad at all. The girl at the register was friendly and fluent in English. As for beers there was a very small selection but you will have to go to Alko for hard stuff or K-supermarket for more interesting beers. When you want to have a spontaneous picnic by the lake or get something to eat before visiting the botanical garden, this is a good bet.