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!

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.

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!

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.

Came here on 2 separate occasions. Since it was near my hotel. The food wasn't anything crazy and a…read morelittle pricey. This place is known for their fried herring. First few bites of this were pretty good. Salty and flavorful that comes with mashed potatoes that helps reset your taste buds when it gets too salty. But after halfway, I got tired of the taste. Wasn't enough variety. The salmon wasn't anything crazy. The shrimp tartar sauce that came with it was really tasty.

First meal in Finland, after checking into the hotel checked Yelp for a real Helsinki style…read morecuisine. This came up and we took Uber and arrived 10 minutes later. We tried quite a few things, my buddy wanted to sample their different looking items as well. It was fun trying their seafood, their unique sauces that accompanied them, the lamb, the mystery fish which I couldn't find in google translate, the wild mushroom soup, and to top it off was that excellent cloudberry cheesecake. Had to google was 'cloudberry' was and this was the definition "Cloudberries are very juicy, and they taste a bit like a cross between a raspberry and a red currant". We were sold! So unique and different at the same time had to upload a picture so one could see what they look like before turned into a dessert. For sure would return to this place, great service, excellent tasting food which is so different from other countries.

This was honestly one of the best and most memorable meals from my trip to Finland. My friend and I…read moreopted to just order a bunch of Sapas so we could try a bit of everything. Every dish was so delicious. My favorites were the pork tenderloin and the celeriac dish. I had to order another pork tenderloin dish because it was so good! What I liked best is that no ingredient is used in vain. Every part of each dish really shined and blended together perfectly. I had the petit fours for dessert and like the Sapas they were a great way to taste a variety of desserts. The service was also amazing. Our server was very friendly and attentive. She gave us a few suggestions for dishes and also recommended some of of her favorite local libraries to visit when she heard we were in Finland for a library conference. This was simply a wonderful meal and a nice twist on Finnish food.

OMG. So so good!! Their presentation is impeccable and the flavor of each dish is very well thought…read moreout having quite exquisite balance. I had big lunch so was not hungry at all but the dish I order, a lamb dish from the appitizers menu blew me away. The portion here is pretty small. The size is not any smaller than what you would expect at qualifying three dollars sign restaurant. You get complimentary breads and chips with spread. So so good :) If I were to visit Helsinki again, I would definitely be coming here again. It's a place that you want to introduce to your friends!

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

Great atmosphere, beer was delicious and plenty to choose from. We also enjoyed dinner downstairs…read moreand had the ribs. They were made to perfection.

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.

How I miss Sunday afternoon having a pint of beer or two at the Sea Horse, a.k.a. Sikala. Their…read morecabbage rolls were also some of the best I've ever had! Funny, the first time I went there (when smoking was permitted inside) I thought it was one of the most depressing places, where serious drinkers drink seriously, but then I realized the beauty of this iconic Helsinki institution and made it a regular place for me and my friends to drink when in Ullanlinna. Do they finally have waitresses that can speak English? Did they finally update the men's room in disrepair? (My grandmother, 82 at the time, said she liked the place since the ladies room was well kept.) All these things I'll have to find out on my next trip to Helsinki.

Very old style, traditional Finn meals. I enjoyed pan seared Herring, lots of food. Decent, a tad…read morepricey. Very good service.

There's not many places where you can sit dockside in the refurbished brick ruins of a 300 year old…read morenavy base on an island in the Baltic. Add to that some delicious food and drinks and you create something special. Out of the group I was with everyone enjoyed their meal. I had a salad that seemed to have every random thing you would or could put on it... And strangely it worked. There were two kinds of cheeses, four kinds of lettuce, three kinds of fruit, olives, nuts, artichokes and a bunch of other stuff I couldn't keep track of. Each bite was different but somehow didn't over stimulate my taste buds. If you make it to the islands of Suomenlinna, the place is still hard to find (over the bridge across from the museum and on the north side of the drydock) but worth the journey.

We had an early lunch in Valimo earlier this month on a visit to Suomenlinna. Sharing the terrace…read moreby the little marina with a few local and visiting boaty types we felt comfortable and were made very welcome by the restaurant staff. Since it was not the hottest of summer days the waitress fixed us up with a couple of blankets to stave of the chill. I noticed there was a wood burning sauna and shower facilities for those visiting by boat. The food arrived in good time. My option was the meat dish of the day consisting of a succulent pork belly with creamy mashed potatoes and seasonal vegetables. I was impressed with the dish, everything was cooked and seasoned perfectly and tasted fresh and delicious. My lunch companion enjoyed the pyttipannu 'with a twist'. This dish was a pan fried mixture of potatoes and pork prepared in a Dijon sauce served with a fried egg on top. As I remember we were around 35 euros for lunch and a couple of non alcoholic drinks. This I felt was reasonable given the quality of the food and surroundings.