I ate at El Greco last night during my first visit to Finland, I was referred to this place by many…read moreco-workers and my expectations were FAR exceeded!! By far the best spot I've eaten at since being in Helsinki. The menu itself is beyond impressive! I was lucky to be with a large group and we ordered a little of everything. I loved every bite! Amazingly fresh food with an impeccable touch of Greece! I truly felt the authenticity with all the special flavors. Coworkers raved the entire night. I will tell anyone coming to Helsinki to PLEASE treat yourself to a special meal at El Greco, the ambiance is great & I'll never return to Helsinki without going there for a meal...or two!

Tradition Greek food in a beautiful setting. The manager was accommodating and friendly…read more The food was delicious, I had the Gyro with grilled pork and potatoes, it was so nice and moist. The tzatziki was very nice and fresh. The starter of spanikoptika was excellent, full of feta and freshly cooked. The olive tapenade was so good with the fresh baked bread. Good place to eat!

My friends and I travel to Helsinki for a conference and found Taverna Zorbas. The food and wine…read morewere fantastic and our server Basilia (not sure if the spelling) took great care of us. We returned for a second night and had the same excellent service and food. I will definitely return if I am back in Helsinki

Such a treat to eat here. Went after going to the amusement park and had some feta cheese pies,…read moretzatziki, moussaka, and lamb chops. The moussaka was as stated "the best in Finland" and probably beyond. Tzatziki was delicious. Lamb chops were excellently cooked, seasoned, and the potatoes that came with were amazing. Feta pies were a little greasy but nice and crisp. Deeeeelisious!

Terrific Turkish food frequented by many Turks. Casual. Inexpensive. They have a fantastic mezze…read morebar with all kinds of fresh vegetarian appetizers/salads that would be of a meal in itself, included with entree. A number of grilled meats. I had felafel, rice, hummus and the mezze bar. Children welcome. Owner very friendly. There's a buffet at lunch. No alcohol.

No, I don't go around looking for just the buffets when I'm in a new place. I might happen to…read moreinclude some if they look appetizing and seem to enjoy a good reputation. That said, I did go to this restaurant, Istanbul Grilli, while in this city on a stopover. (I ate at a restaurant of another ethnicity using a menu the other night I was here.) They did have a buffet going when I visited. This part of the globe has really short days during the colder months and really long days during the warmer months. Thus, it was dusk when I arrived here to eat, so I don't recall if it was the end of the lunch buffet or the beginning of a dinner buffet, if such a thing even exists. There is also a menu to order from. At Istanbul Grilli, there seem to be two major serving stations: the one toward the left and further back seems to have the meats, chicken, and main dishes and the one to the right and closer to the front seems to have the salads, fruits and vegetables, and some desserts. There is also an area where things like coffee and tea get put together. Some food selections were 3 star items and some things were 4 star offerings. It was good, but it didn't rock my world. (That's probably because I keep trying to like Turkish food as much as I like Greek food.) I don't believe they had kunefe, which I really like, but they had something like baklava. The interior is clean. It's on a major street close to the center, so there are big windows all around and the lighting is good. The service leaned amicable. The price is a good value and fair for this slightly more expensive country. It's also easy to get here, being close to Helsinki's center. The Metro seems to weave across the city and surroundings in an east-west manner, so it won't get you close enough. However, one can easily hop on just one tram or bus and/or walk to reach this restaurant. These latter observations kick up Istanbul Grilli to a solid 4 stars. In addition to that, the restaurant is popular and one will see customers who are locals, probable expats, tourists, and people of Turkish and Middle Eastern extraction. If such a diverse clientele frequents this eatery, that is also indicative that it's a worthwhile stop.

If I was gonna go by the name, I would rate this 0 stars. I rate it two because the waitress was…read morevery nice and the meat was ok, even though it obviously wasn't gyros meat, just finely chopped pork. What I have a problem with, is the whole actual thing. You don't call your restaurant "going Greek" and add rucola and (of all the things in the world) orange in the gyros, that is a downright disgrace to the dish. And you do not call this gyros. You can call it pita, but not gyros. Gyros is the meat, not the pita. A Greek gyros dish has fries, tomato, onion, ketchup and mustard. Doing away with the whole recipe thing (and the price, which was kind of really expensive, considering the amount of the food and the lack of any sides), that's what gyros is. I'd be fine if the restaurant didn't claim it's Greekness so profoundly in the name and I would think that this is just some hipster variation of the best Greek dish. This place should be called "Going hipster", or if the name needed to absolutely be kept, then all recipes should be scraped. Definitely not Greek.

Holy Moly! This place was great!…read more Stark bleak and minimalist interior is endearing as the food is phenomenal. Best döner I have had probably anywhere! Not much more to say... Try it and love it! Chicken off the spit was great and the seitan was juicy and perfect as well! Good Hungarian bell pepper soup and I don't even like bell peppers. My only wish is that there was more more more! Great lounas deal. Go try it soon!

Fly in to a place you never visited. Looking for that hole in the wall with a interesting crowd,…read morerelaxed vibe, semi hipster location and great food and beer. Extra points for having a vegetarian orientation. Maybe even fast, efficient service and a funky set up, oh yeah. It's raining and we've walked from the station to Kallio the long way around the harbor to see the sights. We make it to Made in Kallio, a shop specializing in local designer items. I bet she has a good idea for lunch. We ask for vegetarian and no hesitation, Doner Harju a block away. You can take the 9 tram from the main station and be there in 12 minutes. For around € 9.50 you get a self serve soup, a plate with your choice of sliced meat kebab style but the best part are the veggies sides and salad piled high on the plate. A massive portion of goodness eaten in a crowded but happy room or out on the terrace. Served on metal plates this place would be a smash hit in San Francisco as a mash up in the Mission but here it is just the real deal. Be sure to try their carefully curated selection of Finnish beers. You will really like this place.

Super greasy, very salty and uninspired food. OKish service.read more

Not my favorit. The Souvlaki was delicious but all the other things a bit bland and greasy. The…read moreservice left something to be desired. He did not ask what we wanted to drink and his fingers was very close to his nasal area and butt region when waiting for more customers. Sad because I love greek food.