Cozy and delicious spot in Helsinki with a lovely warm atmosphere. There is a fairly limited menu…read moreand you can do a 3-course tasting, but it may be worth checking ahead if you're picky (but note it is veg-friendly). They have a nice variety of wines as well to go with your meal. Everyone seemed to enjoy everything immensely.

Wonderful cozy spot perfect for dinner with friends or a date night. You can choose from a set…read morecourse menu of two or three courses. We weren't hungry so we choose the two courses. The menu changes every two weeks depending on what is fresh and available. While the food was excellent, what puts this restaurant at a five star level is the personalized service. It is a one man show in here - he is probably the owner, manager, and wait staff all in one. He came over to our table, had a small talk about our tastes, and suggested an excellent red wine to go with our meal. So far this is normal for most restaurants of this caliber. As we were finishing our meal, he came over and asked if we want dessert. I was hesitant and my husband was too full for dessert. However, Mr. All-in-one (I cannot remember his name) encouraged us to try the dessert and then brought us some dessert wine to try (on the house!). He explained to us how this particular wine pairs well with the dessert. The best part is that he genuinely wanted us to enjoy our meal and experience his wonderful hospitality. That alone puts this restaurant on the five star level. Service beyond excellence and the food is delicious! One of the highlights of our culinary tour of Helsinki.

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.

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!

Shelter is located in the harbor with views of the President's resident. Walking in, there was a…read morewarm reception with a basket of blankets and a coat rack. The interior was nicely decorated, minimalistic and elegant. I'll warn not to arrive hungry because service was slow; very slow hence I removed a star. It was my first dinner in Helsinki after a day of traveling, and I was famished. I ordered the risotto and fish of the day; double entrees due to hunger. The food was tasty. I also ordered the real passion cocktail and didn't like it at all. The bread selection, especially the brown/black bread, was so fresh and soft. I ended the night with the honey dessert that was beautifully plated.

Very good value for multiple course tasting menus. Has a fun looking outdoor bar that I didn't…read moreutilize. They were able to make my menu vegetarian with no problem. Most staff were absolutely excellent. Food is bib gourmand level and affordable for the quality level. Worth a shot

Ari was the best bartender we met in Helsinki! His cucumber martini and the punches were the best…read moredrinks I've ever had! Would recommend you visit.

I would not know whether or not to recommend this place for food, but it's awesome for drinks! They…read morehave a large wine selection, housemade punches, and carry Finnish gin and make great cocktails!

The food here is phenomenal. I very rarely say that…read more Everyone seems to order the salmon soup, which is possibly the greatest soup I have ever had. I don't even like salmon! Or dill! I would also recommend the black market steak. I ordered mine medium-well and that is precisely what I got. The sauce is delightful. It has some slight acidity (from red wine I presume) and complements steak better than any steak sauce from a jar... or any sauce I've had at steakhouses in my hometown of NYC. (See pictures below.) This is one of the finest establishments in Helsinki if you care about food.

I came to this restaurant based on the great yelp reviews and 1 reviewer who said they don't like…read moresalmon but loved the salmon soup. I too do not care for salmon but took a risk and was rewarded for it! The salmon soup is a cream & butter base with dill, potatoes and fresh salmon. If you actually like salmon you'll probably love it just as much! I also ordered the charcuterie platter and was happy to have it all to myself. Not sure what meats were on it because it didn't come with a description and the menu implies that it changes, but I suspect cured game meat, pork, reindeer and a pate with lingonberry is on the tray. I ate every last piece! Delicious and casual but classy environment.

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.

Our recent visit to restaurant OX in Helsinki was a real feast for the eyes, as well as the palate…read more The restaurant serves bistro style food from ingredients from the season and the wine list features small producers also from the biodynamic movement. The small restaurant is rather new in town, located on the edge of the center and Punavuori. The ambience is warm and welcoming when we stepped into the restaurant. Fall was creaping on us and I felt very comfortable in the cozy little corner table. While waiting for our dinner company, we browsed through the list of available bubblies by the glass: Philipponat and Fleury Rose were the choices of the evening. When our friends arrived, we realized we could have ordered a bottle. The list by the glass was sufficient but nothing to get excited about. The menu gave us two options: either go for a surprise menu, or choose dishes from a la carte. Tricky, as well all wanted the tasting menu, but there were several picky people in the dinner party: my date with his dislike for sea food, my friend E who does not eat mushrooms and J, who is just picky because he can (why make up any excuse for that). The waiter was kind enough to tell us what was on the surprise menu, so that we could make our order. We went for a mix, my date choosing a la carte, and me going for the surprise. The boys ended up browsing the wine menu for a long time before settling for the Printz von Hessen 2002 Riesling. I take it as there were so many good alternatives to select from. For food we had some lovely lamb tartar, pork tongue with beetroot, cabbage soup with kale, and deep fried cod. Mmmm..deep fried, but still very fresh, and some German Spätburgunder to wash it down. However, the desserts were the best: sea buckthorn parfait with chocolate and hazelnut, and lingonberry ice cream with basil cake and strawberries. They were both delicious. The only thing I can give a negative comment about is the service. It was not bad. Not unfriendly. But the waiter just seemed exhausted with all of our questions. We did take a lot of her time with asking about the foods and wine, but still, you could take it that we were just really interested. Perhaps she did not mean anything, but we just didn't feel the love. Anyway. Great experience. Not horrible on the bank account, perhaps we paid 50 something Euros for the five course menu. Beautiful and tasty food! I can warmly recommend.

Fantastic in every way possible. Great food flavor, size of portions, service, and price. I got the…read moreNever Ending meal and had 14 courses for 100 EUR. Fantastic.

The food is good and the pasta portions are bigger than they appear on the photos because they…read moreserve in deep dishes . I was disappointed by not getting bread with the meal because the sauce was very good. there is not table service , they have beer and wine . I would repeat for lunch , not dinner .

Great service and wonderful food! We found Cafe Bar 9 while out walking and decided to stop in…read more Very glad we did. We will definitely be back.