The final stop of our food tour in Helsinki, we had a reserved table way in the back this evening…read more Four beers to try including their pilsner, weissbier, marzen and stout. I preferred the weissbier, trading my stour and marzen with my tourmates for theirs. This is a nice comfy underground brewpub and I get the feeling that it can get a little friendly during the more "Oktoberfest" times of the year. Free wifi, comfy seating, great beers. I really enjoyed it here and it's more than clear that Helsinki has an excellent craft brew culture going on! [Review 10076 overall, 1661 of 2018.]

Seems like it's always crowded after work.... and on evenings, and... weekends too. Pretty much…read morealways crowded. Good luck finding a seat. Acutally on Sunday they have a brunch that is not too crowded.... 17 euro a person and you get to eat various things off the buffet. It was decent, but the price is a bit steep. The desserts were quite good also. They have a food menu here in English if you are hungry, but I can save you some time. Do yourself a favor and order the burger. Yes, I realize it's 15 euro for a burger. But it's damned good. Other than that , makara means "sausage" and they have a couple different kinds.

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.

He Said: we are a handful of months removed from our visits in April, but we cannot forget this…read moregreat spot. We were in town for about a week and visited about 7 times, often twice in a day. The vibe is perfect, the beer selection is wonderful, and the staff is very friendly and downright awesome. They have a great mix of local and not local beers and the prices are nice for being right in the city. Highly recommended. She Said: exactly what he said! And the food was good, too. Sadly, I can't remember the specifics of what we ordered because, well, beer. Potty Points: 5/5 I never waited for a potty and they were somehow always clean and well stocked!

A gorgeous bar in Helsinki with tons of craft beer from around the world and of course a good…read moreselection of local ones as well. The place is quite big and dimly lit inside. You order at the counter and pay at the counter as well. They have a small food menu which is ok nothing special. I tried a couple of Finnish beers and they were quite good. Also enjoyed some Finnish spirits which were recommended by the staff and they were good too. Service was very friendly and the bar staff were quite engaging. They also recommended some beers and they knew a lot about what was in house. I would happily come here again. It was recommended to me by a Finnish friend who lives in Germany and I am glad to have visited here.

Big place. They…read morehave a decent down stairs with big screen TV for watching hockey and what not. Probably the most interesting feature is the sauna. It can hold probably 8 or 10 people and you can rent it out for something like 300 euro for three hours, and with that you get 100 or 150 euro worth of food and booze. They make their own beer ....ask for a pint of the "happiness", it's like an IPA that comes in two different strengths. Something like 4.5% and 9% maybe. Also they have a few pricey/small food items like reindeer jerky, cheese cubes, a couple things. The patio is excellent but usually a bit crowded.

The main floor of Villi Wäinö is more of a bar, the ground floor is more of a club and the top…read morefloor is more of a lounge. The place got a cozy atmosphere and a good selection of local beers.

BrewDog Helsinki is my favourite BrewDog bar so far. The best way I can describe is as Shredder's…read morehideout in the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles film: loads of young people (some wearing baseball caps back to front) in a colourful space, a droning rock soundtrack (beats MC Hammer!) and an explicit emphasis on fun. The fun is everywhere, from a large mock-up of VHS cases to the left of the bar, to the industrial-looking steps to nowhere that punters can sit on, to the cheeky message below a high window that states "This emergency exit may require Parkour." Unlike too many BrewDog bars in the UK, it's quite well lit too, making the whole experience less gloomy and instead uplifting. That's all backed up by really friendly staff, who were happy to point out local Finnish beer including an extraordinary one that tasted of ripe banana. There's also free wifi, the password seemingly the same as that found in other BrewDog bars.. The beer is expensive, no doubt, but that seems to be a Helsinki/Finland-wide thing rather than particular to BrewDog. Plus, unlike Bryggeri, you can taste the beer here before you buy it, which is certainly welcome.

My husband, the beer snob, who thinks nothing of dropping 5eur on a can of craft beer (yeah - a…read morecan) anxiously awaited the opening of this place like a child waiting on Father Christmas in Summertime. It was kind of sad and pathetic but it also gave him back his will to live, which I had taken from him some time ago. Thanks, BrewDog! His newfound vigor for life can be attributed to your presence just a three minute walk from our home. Score! This is the kind of bar I was missing after (I always mention it...) moving here from San Francisco, the land of beer and wine bars and craft/artisan/mixologized (insert anything really here). BrewDog is so awesome I wish they'd let me bring my baby here. Because if I they did, I'd be waiting outside their window right now, queuing up for one of their delicious craft ciders. On the topic of craft beer, they do it right and they have very knowledgeable bartenders to steer you in the right direction should you not be so knowledgeable. I am, my husband is, but we heard the experts dropping some education for the lesser-familiar several times last night. In the nice, helpful way - not the hipster-glare-y way that one may be accustomed to at some other choice spots. Great interior - very San Francisco, London, New York. Love the attention to detail but in a very Devil-may-care fashion, loads of seating, I think there's a pool table? (Ok. I was really intoxicated last time and sitting in a dark corner). The mood is congenial, people are in high spirits, the bar is hopping, and it is the least-Finnish bar I have been to in Finland. Which is to say: It's my new favorite. All Hail the Dog!

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).

The same folks that started Vin-Vin, etc. just launched this new beer bar. The space certainly has…read morea cozy lounge feeling to it, with extremely high ceilings, wood panelling, fireplaces, and comfortable seating. This is the largest selection of beer I've seen at a bar in Finland -- I reckon that's what they're aiming to be known for. While the on tap selection was rather limited (8 taps or less maybe?), their bottled craft brew menu spanned a whopping 9 pages (yes, 9!). I tasted Mission Brewery IPA, Sierra Nevada Flipside Red IPA, and Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale. I haven't seen these anywhere else in Finland. I could tell the staff were still learning the menu -- a few blank stares when ordering. The place just opened, and given the broad, exotic menu I sympathize. Their extensive selection comes with a price -- be prepared to drop some dough if you want to sample the tasty brews. Definitely worth checking out -- stop by and sip something new!

Ok, the place is a beer bar, I get that. But that they don't have any non-alcoholic drinks is a bit…read moreof a minus. So if there is one in the party who can't drink alcohol for one reason or another, they can't join the fun. Because otherwise this place is fun! A very impressive selection of beers on bottle, and some interesting choices also on tap. I very much like the idea of a tasting menu, where you get 5 different beers for 12,50€. This is a concept I very much like. The place is a bit dark, not very spacious, and the bathroom capacity is limited. That, and the lack of non-alcoholic beverages, result in only 3 stars. It's close to 4, but not yet at least.

After a walking tour of Suomenlinna, we met a large group of colleagues for dinner. I ordered the…read moreCauliflower patty which was pretty flavourless. Other diners at the restaurant really enjoyed their meals though so it might just be a case of vegetarian options not being as well thought out. Service, ambiance and wine was all great.

Taking a ferry trip to an island almost exclusively for tourists did not promise to yield great…read morefood and beverages, but this place wildly exceeded expectations. It's nothing overly fancy inside, but the staff made us feel right at home. The menu is full of Finnish delights; do try the game platter (the bear salami is unique). We got a sampler of the beer, all of which we enjoyed. If you need a change of scenery while in Helsinki, take a short ride over here and work up an appetite walking the island.

I found Sköne with my sister while looking for a nice spot for a drink by the sea in the center of…read moreHelsinki. This summer, most of the trendy sea side places seem to be on the other side of town (Hernesaari), but this one has all the charm. The place is cosy and relaxed, the bar tender was funny and helpful (we even saw him serving tables which seems to be unheard of in Finland!!), and the view over the old harbour with wooden schooners was pretty by the sunset. The place had also selected their drinks carefully to display a great variety of Finnish specialties. To our surprise, they even serve Sandels and Iisalmi IPA beers on tap! For those who don't know, they come from a Finnish owned brewery from the Savo-region - worth tasting!

From the owner: Katajanokan uniikki, tyylikäs olohuone. Laadukkaita juomia…read morejoka lähtöön!

Beer Bar! This place has a great beer scene! The bartender…read moreis really knowledgeable about the beers, and is even willing to sample from the selections of beer to make recommendations. Most of the beers are American micro craft beers, even some American non-crafts. They run the list of beers on the big screen television sets above the bar, so you know what the ABV and IBU level of the beers are (but not the price.) They had a huge selection of beers, with about a dozen Finnish beers. The beer list was much more expansive in cans and bottles than on draft. They have about ten different beers on draft, with pours ranging from 0.2 CL to 1L. Buy more, get a discount! The venue played rock music, and had one small restroom. It's not a very big bar, with seats surrounding the kegs, which are the best seats in the house because you get samples! They serve Mexican roasted crickets at the bar. Yes, you can eat insects here! The bartender was really friendly, and kept the place in good order. Some ruffians came in looking for trouble, and the bartender instantly took charge and restored order by throwing them out. This bar had the best beer selection I saw in all of Finland! Isn't a TommyKnocker an evil character from a movie?!

In Helsinki on vacation from the US. I tried a few of the Finnish beers, but the specialty here is…read moredefinitely American beer. I know American beer pretty well and recognized most of the beers in the cooler -- lots from Rogue, Ballast Point, and a few of the bigger US microbreweries, but they had a good selection of small breweries too. Their selection is definitely a reasonable cross section of the scene in the US now, but they didn't have anything extremely fancy or special. You'll have to come visit for that! Good vibe, knowledgeable bartender, & a nice patio out front to enjoy the long summer daylight. Not particularly cheap, but that might just be because I'm used to the prices across the bay in Tallinn!