Came here on 2 separate occasions. Since it was near my hotel. The food wasn't anything crazy and a little 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. read more

Salve - Salmon - Bistros Near Me - Helsinki, 18

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First meal in Finland, after checking into the hotel checked Yelp for a real Helsinki style cuisine. 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. read more

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Visiting from America and this was next to our hotel. It was delicious, quiet, and had good service. The menu has something for everyone and I love how the restaurants here all have vegetarian selections. Below is the salmon dish. Blueberry pie was also delicious. Vierailu Amerikasta ja tämä oli hotellimme vieressä. Se oli herkullista, hiljaista ja hyvä palvelu. Ruokalistalla on jokaiselle jotakin, ja rakastan sitä, että kaikissa ravintoloissa on kasvisvaihtoehtoja. Alla on lohiruoka. Mustikkapiirakka oli myös herkullinen. read more

Salve - Bistros Near Me - Helsinki, 18

This was located such a easy reach location from our hotel in Finland. The food was delicious and we truly enjoyed things that they offered like 0% alcohol beer and pancakes. It was a great restaurant to stop and enjoy local cuisine. I would highly recommend it. read more

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This small restaurant is a 5 minute walk from the Radisson Blu located across the street from the harbour. The bar has only a few stools so make a reservation if you can to ensure you get a table. The free salad was very basic, but I loved the dressing, the potato salad, beet salad, and pickled veggies a lot. The creamed salmon soup was one of the best things I have ever eaten. So light yet silky smooth buttery broth with chunks of salmon and potato seasoned with dill. I must learn how to make this!!! Blossa-glogi Vinglogg is hot Shiraz wine mixed with Glogi served during Christmas. It was a little too sweet for my liking so I assume they used too much Glogi (whatever that is). The bartender showed me the container of Glogi that is used for mulling flavor. I ordered the fried Baltic herring which the bartender swore was the best in Helsinki. You don't need to take out the bones as you could cut through it with a fork. The herring was well seasoned and had a nice crispness to the outside. The locals enjoy the crunch of the small bones as you eat it. The herring was piled on top of a large portion of mashed potatoes. I had a nice surprise as I got halfway through them...a lava flow of butter erupted out the side as I cut into the middle. Apparently they snuck some butter in the middle and it melted nicely inside. The potatoes were finely mashed and buttered to perfection. Lakka is a liquor from a berry found in northern Finland. You should drink after your meal without any mixers. It has a mild fruity flavor but was pretty tasty. All in all this is a fantastic place to eat local cuisine with high quality. read more

Salve - Creamy Salmon Soup....yummmm - Bistros Near Me - Helsinki, 18

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I stayed in Helsinki for 3 days and I was looking for a local Finnish restaurant to try and I found this place through yelp. (Thanks, Yelp!!) This restaurant is apparently famous because I saw couple tables of Japanese tourists but it seems like there are some locals too. I tried the fried herrings as this dish is highly recommended and it did not disappoint. It is licking finger good, I really like it. It tastes even better with beer and you can ask the waiter to recommend you the beer if you do not know which one to choose. They have AYCE salad bars w/o additional charges, though the selections are limited but the veggies tasted very fresh. If you visit Helsinki and you are not too far away from this area, you should try this place! Credit Card is accepted and no tips is needed ( same of other restaurants in Europe, you don't have to tip). read more

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Excellent food! Fried herring (Salven Silakat) is a must have. I found Salve on Yelp while planning my first time vacation in Helsinki. It is right behind Stop 11 Hop on Hop off bus and it serves Scandinavian food. I went here during their lunch hour on a Monday afternoon. Had the Grilled chicken which is served with grilled pineapple and veggies and fried herring that is served on top of mashed potatoes (this dish is their restaurants speciality). Soup and salad is complimentary with each dish. The food was excellent especially the fried herrings. Their menu is not in English so you have to ask them. In my case I showed them the photo of the fried fish on Yelp. We found their ordering system a bit confusing since their servers do not speak English well. But figured out that you first order at the counter, taken their token number and find a table to sit. With each main course/entree you 1 bowl of soup and 1 plate salad is complimentary. The portion size is good so you can share the food with everyone on the table. For instance, we shared two dishes amongst four of us. The price is reasonable. Tap water is not free (it is charged, about 2 Euro per pitcher/table). read more

Great little restaurant with local finish dishes. We had pickled cucumber with honey and cream (surprisingly good), beef liver and white fish. All tasted great. And had cheese bread form Lapland as desde and lakka as digestive. Great meal, friendly staff and nice atmosphere. read more

The hours should be adjusted on this site, I went there at 10:25 PM and they were already closing.

Extremely busy for lunch on weekends, expect to wait 45 minutes for the food, and wth children it can be very unpleasant. They do have a salad bar but it is very simple and you don't want to stuff yourself with tomatoes and cucumbers. Food was burnt in the end, but were large portions. Expensive for what we got. read more

The quality of the food here is what pleasantly surprised us the most. From start to finish, everything was delicious, and you could taste the freshness of the ingredients. The salmon soup is highly recommended, as is the fried herring for which the restaurant is known for. We had steaks for our main course, and while I wasn't a huge fan of the pickles on the Russian Onion steak (I'm American, so I'm used to crunchy pickles), the quality of the meat was phenomenal. It melted in your mouth. I haven't had such an amazing steak since I can remember. The french fries, which seem like a small thing, weren't a small thing at all. I couldn't stop eating them! They were amazing!! We loved the decor and ambiance. It was filled with locals, so you could tell it was a quality spot. The service is phenomenal. It takes a while for the food to come, as they make it to order, so it's probably not the best place for those in a hurry, but it's worth every minute. read more

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My wife and I came here for dinner on a Sunday night. Fortunately it wasn't too busy even though we had a reservation. The noise level was very moderate. Comfortable environment on a busy street. My order of salmon with warm vegetables and crayfish was superb. The salmon was juicy, flavorful, and perfectly cooked. The crayfish was a little bit too salty. The vegetables might have been a slight bit greasy but good nonetheless. They consisted of zucchini, tomato carrots, string beans, and mushrooms. My wife had the same vegetables with her very large Wienerschnitzel. It came with Anchovies, capers, lemon and dill. She loved it all. Very generous quantity and very flavorful. Service was friendly and efficient. read more

Tasty cozy restaurant with good service. Service: Pretty good, though slow. We are American tourists, and the wait staff did not realize that, but when we told them we did not speak Finnish, they were as helpful as they could be. Food: Fresh salmon, a small salad bar with some basic vegetables, but nothing special. We ordered the appetizer of garlic bread, but it was really way too greasy. The salmon with vegetables was fresh and tasty. We had asked for potato wedges, but we do not think the wait staff understood what we meant (potato wedges were an option). My mom ordered a salmon salad that came with a huge piece of salmon Atmosphere: Simple, with a nautical theme of ships everywhere. Cost: Moderate. The food was adequate with good prices. read more

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We loved it. The restaurant is almost on the peers. The cuisine is excellent and the atmosphere lively!! read more

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We ordered the Grilled Salmon, Salve's Baltic Herring and Salmon Soup. The salmon soup was really good. I did like the mashed potatoes that come with the fried Baltic very much. Those two dishes are something I would suggest to give it a try :) read more

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Really good food! Probably my favorite meal in Finland. We went for a nice walk along the water after dinner too! read more

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If you love fish, this is an amazing place to have a meal in Helsinki. The Baltic herring is a must try. Fried fish is one of my favourite things, and the fried herring and mashed potatoes at Salve is flawless. I licked the plate clean. The unlimited salad bar is quite basic, but after a month in India, this was the perfect answer for the fresh vegetables that I had been craving. Bonus: free wifi read more

This was by far the best meal we had while we were in Helsinki - it was deliciously decadent all around! We had the pear cider to drink, and the Zander Walewska for our main course: pike-perch with creamy chanterelle sauce and crayfish tails. Just wow! All the flavors blended perfectly. For dessert, we had the traditional Finnish pancakes, which were equally delightful, served with strawberry jam and whipped cream. The salad bar was a nice touch too, and the veggies were all fresh. The restaurant itself has a great view of the harbor and is decorated in a classic nautical theme, with nice ambiance and good service. Though it was a bit pricey, it is totally worth the extra money (unlike some other places in Helsinki). Highly recommended! read more

Salve - Traditional Finnish pancakes - Bistros Near Me - Helsinki, 18

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My friend and I were roaming around the Saturday market just around the corner, and decided to grab lunch here. Service is good, food is well portioned, and you get free salad with every meal. I got the seafood soup and it was quite nice! read more

The vibe is a neighborhood local atmosphere, not pretentious at all. We tried their escargot appetizer, divine. I enjoyed my pork cutlets, perfection. My husband has the reindeer dish, thinly shredded meat in a creamy sauce. Both dish came with generous portions of mash and sauteed potatoes. They also had a salad bar for customers. Overall we had a delicious dinner. We waited quite a long time for our entrees and the restaurant was not even busy. read more

This is a good place to have dinner with your friends or family after a long day in the cold. They serve lots of comfort food with good portions. We got the meatballs, special, and reindeer, which were all delicious. The salad bar was simple but the sauce was quite tasty. The candy at the end was a very nice surprise!! read more

Very nice local restaurant. A very old one too. They have great fish dishes for lunch, and a traditional pea soup and pancakes on Thursdays. The terrace is also nice when it's sunny and not very windy. read more

Salve - View from Salve terrace - Bistros Near Me - Helsinki, 18

Wanted to try typical Finnish food, so I had Elk. The Elk was great, the atmosphere was allright. The diet coke was absolutely horrible, came from a machine or was a very bad brand. Elk does not come with any veggies, but I got some beetroots on request. Good side to the enormous amount of patato mash you get. All in all a good meal, not great. read more

Salve - Elk with red onions - Bistros Near Me - Helsinki, 18

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Great place for an informal dinner with traditional Finnish food. The fried herring on potato mash was excellent. read more

I really don't get all the great reviews. I came on a Sunday night for an authentic Finnish meal. It was half empty so I got a table immediately. Looked over the beer selection with untapped and everything was badly rated... settled on a Baltic Porter and indeed it was mediocre at best. Ordered the salmon soup based on other reviewers and it was good, the only good item I had. The salad bar was terrible - literally a pizza hut in the middle of North Dakota would have better. Had the reindeer entree and it was terrible. Just culinary garbage, some kind of tourist trap. Like dry chipped beef ( think shit on a shingle, if you're familiar) without gravy. Grainy mashed potatoes. Down right sour sauce. Gordon Ramsay would vomit and chuck it across the room. I had reindeer two other times on this trip at other places and it was delicious... read more

Went out of our way based on reviews. Food was ok. Server not friendly. Disappointed.

We were taken here by the locals to experience old homemade style Finnish food. It was exceptional. We started with the deep fried rye bread with garlic And spices. I could have eaten just that....if you go you must must must start with that. AMAZING!!!!! I has the fried herring and they were fantastic. The seasoning was just right and the fry was perfect. Not too greasy. If you are looking for old world Finnish food stop by this restaurant!! read more

Just landed in Helsinki, walked in the city center to grab a bite to eat. Found this amazing traditional Finnish harbor restaurant. Great food and packed full, which is always a good sign :) read more

Salve - Salve ! - Bistros Near Me - Helsinki, 18

Salve was welcoming and delicious! Our first encounter get with Finnish food. We has the salad bar, salad with smoked salmon, fried perch, schnitzel and egg plate and open face salmon and egg sandwich. Shared garlic bread and potatoes. The pancakes, crepes really, with whipped cream and strawberries, were devine. Service was relaxed, but hey, it's vacation and we are here to learn their way. read more

Salve is a nice place for proper Finnish cuisine. Nice fish and friendly service. The ambience is more family than romantic and in the true spirit of Finnish restaurants, there is a nice all you can eat salad bar. Wine selection is average but this place does have a local appeal to it. read more

Barely edible food. Frightening salad bar. The night we ate at the restaurant there were ants in the salad. After sitting us down they took about 10 minutes to give us water and acknowledge we were indeed humans. Eventually the we did get great service but the food was odd. I had a steak with ground up reindeer and cheese. Billed as a stuffed steak, it sounded good but when it arrived it was not at all appetizing. It was like it was filled with pink slime. I still shudder when I think about it which is why this will now be the end of this review. read more

We asked the ladies at the front desk of the hotel we were staying at where to try traditional Finnish food. Salve was top choice. Our waitress took very good care of us with service and suggestions for traditional Finnish house specialties including Koff beer. My coworker had traditional meatballs with mashed potatoes and beets, which he said were absolutely outstanding...this says a lot coming from someone who isn't an adventurous eater. He even mentioned he hated beets, but would like to be able to make those at home! I, myself, had the stuffed steak that another Yelper commented. Personally, I found it excellent. The "weird ooziness" is actually a very good but strong smoked cheese. I think it's just something our American palates aren't use to. The salad bar is really nothing but "self-serve" salad, which was fine. The pickled beet salad was very good. The second night we ate was New Year's Eve. Being from the States, we completely neglected the idea of making a reservation. Our waitress remembered us from our previous visit and told us she'd take care of us even though they were technically reservations only. 10 minutes later we were seated. My coworker had the braised reindeer and I had the fried herring with mashed potatoes. Again, another excellent meal for both of us! The herring plate portion was HUGE, as forewarned by the ladies at the hotel. My only issue that I had, was my American stomach definitely wasn't use to eating whole herring filets...I didn't get or feel sick, but dear lord the nonstop belching was TERRIBLE! No amount of beer, bread, chocolates, etc. could kill that taste every time I burped later that night - just don't know how the Finns get use to that! read more

A very traditional Finnish restaurant. No us style service, which in mind can be a plus if you are out for a relaxed dinner with friends. We tried the steak stuffed with cheese and reindeer. For the win! The Lappish cheese was also great but no replacement for the blueberry pie. Oh sooo much blueberry deliciousness! read more

A legendary restaurant in Helsinki. The food is ok and the portions are big (Helsinki standard). I would recommend to order fish dishes, especially the the "Herrings of Salve" is good. read more

Restaurant host would turn down one person for a seating while half of the restaurant is literally empty. Great showing of Finnish hospitality. read more

A comfortable atmosphere with friendly and helpful staff. Menus in various languages (Finnish, Swedish, Russian, English & German). We picked the minced elk meat and the open-faced venison with chantrelle sauce, which gave us the traditional Finnish comfort food we were looking for. The portions were ample. The blueberry pie with vanilla sauce was also tasty and not too sweet. read more

This is a very reasonably priced and very friendly restaurant. I had the salmon, excellent. Others in the group had meatballs, sautéed herring, and Wiener schnitzel. Everyone was happy. The local beer was a big hit. Our waitress, Nele, was wonderful ! She explained everything, was very patient, and friendly. Salve is right across from the waterfront and a big shipyard. Somewhat industrial, but still beautiful. We spent hours there ! read more

Try their salmon. It is perfection. Very friendly and accommodating . visiting from USA

If you want to find an authentic, old-world feel, and get a real taste of Helsinki, this is the place for you. It is not a gourmet experience. It is an old longshoremen's place down by the water. The Baltic herring is terrific, and I would go with other traditional dishes here. A great, great place. I have been there dozens of times and have recommended it to many first-time visitors to Helsinki. Except for people who are looking for a "refined" type of place, everyone has loved it. read more

This is a traditional Finnish restaurant with a nice, homely ambiance. The atmosphere is great and the place was busy and seemed like a lot of tourists and Finns alike enjoyed it. I wanted to try traditional Finnish food so I tried the reindeer here and it was very good (although it does taste a lot like steak). My girlfriend had the perch dish and she also really liked it. The prices were fairly reasonable for dinner and the salad bar was a nice addition (the salad was free with an entree). The only problems I had were the prices and the service was only decent. This was probably because there only seemed to be two or three servers handling a lot of tables that night. I would definitely go back and I recommend it to others who want to try traditional Finnish food. read more