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!

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.

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.

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.

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 by for lunch the other day and it was a tasty experience. Karl Johan is located away from the…read moretouristy areas and seems to cater to locals. Reservations are not accepted for lunch. They have a rotating lunch menu and I opted for the tenderloin lunch special for 25 euros. Ordering and payment is done at the counter. Complimentary salad, bread, and water are self service by the bar next to the cashier. Staff bring out entrees and also bus the tables. To my surprise, the tenderloin was excellent. The medium was a perfect medium rare and it was seared on the outside to perfection. This was served with some flavorful grilled vegetables that were seasoned to perfection.

I was rushing by looking for a restaurant that no longer existed due to Covid. I decided to go to…read moreKarl Johan instead and it was a great decision. The lovely server immediately gave me some bread with the best tapenade I've ever eaten. It was a combo of olives and dried tomatoes with tons of flavour, but very little salt. I started with the traditional Finnish Vorschmack. It takes three days to make this delicious beef and fish mush. It's served with chopped onions, beets, pickles, sour cream and a large dollop of mashed potato's. It's the perfect comfort food and I could get seriously addicted to Vorschmack!!! Everyone around me was happily ordering pork schnitzels. I ordered the green risotto. It had a lot of vegetables in it: green beans, arugula / rocket and fresh peas. I found it bland and missing a taste direction. I do not recommend the chocolate dessert, it was the least impressive part of the meal. I think they need to up their dessert game. Based on the description, I thought it would be a chocolate mousse, but instead a dense hard cube of chocolate ganache arrived with a Basil flavoured green whipped cream. Toasted Quinoa was sprinkled on top which led to an unpleasant, gritty taste sensation. Totally unnecessary addition to the dessert.

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!

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!

This place feels very old timey! The interior decor and lighting made it feel like I was in the…read more1970s or something. We came in for dinner on a Friday night with no reservation and we sat at the bar. The place got very busy and they even had to turn people away because there was no room. I guess you should try to make a reservation if possible! The menu is a bit limited and seemed to focus on traditional Finnish food. I was probably most interested in the meatball plate but it looked like too much food (also was like 24 euros which seems steep for meatballs), so I opted for a full sized tomato basil soup. I guess it was also a bit pricey at 18 euros for just soup and some bread so maybe not the best value. I did think the soup was okay, a bit on the saltier side so I had trouble finishing all of it. It did pair nicely with the bread but I didn't get that much bread for the amount of soup I got. The soup had a glob of goat cheese and basil which I thought paired nicely. My husband ordered the stew plate and he liked it but thought they didn't really give you that much meat. I agreed. The mashed potatoes were quite good and creamy but the dish kinda felt like it was just a very expensive plate of mashed potatoes and gravy. The blueberry dessert was not bad but I don't really like jam/jelly that much though so I couldn't eat too much of it. It did pair nicely with ice cream. Overall, interesting ambiance but probably not the best restaurant for me.

Date of visit: 8/29/2024…read more Both appetizers were great: - escargot with garlic 5/5 - tomato soup with basil 5/5 Entrees not so much: - Classical Meatballs (beef & pork) 3/5 - sautéed reindeer (traditional food from Lapland) 3/5: I thought I'd give reindeer a try since I'm in Finland. Couldn't stand the smell. It's simply sautéed with hardly any seasonings which makes the scent of the meat more prominent. It's served on a bed of mashed potatoes that's actually very good. - Fish of the day ala Mannerheim 4/5: I had to order this coz I ended up not eating the reindeer :( Today it was white fish served with wild mushroom sauce. The sauce was delicious. The fish I wish had crispier skin but overall it was a better dish compared to the reindeer. Like with all other Finnish restaurants, this comes with a price tag too. Oh well, lol

Amazing experience. Everyone should spend time taking a sauna and swimming in the Baltic…read more The place organized, spotless worth the price. Be sure to eat in the cafe afterwards.

This is a review for the restaurant/bar and not the sauna area. Loyly is mentioned in basically…read moreevery recent article on places to visit in Finland. The photos of Loyly from a NYT travel article were part of what prompted me to include Finland on a recent trip around Scandanavia. We went on a grey, early Fall day, so I can't speak to what it's like in the summer, but I thought it was over-hyped. From the moment you enter it is very chaotic, probably because it is on every traveler "must visit" list. The bar area is right at the entrance and it is loud and crowded. It would probably be better on a warm summer day when everyone is outside instead of in the doorway. Loyly has three separate areas: the sauna area, the bar/casual outdoor dining, and the restaurant. We opted for the outdoor dining because we did not make reservations and the restaurant was already full very early in the evening. I didn't realize in advance that there are a few items on the restaurant menu that are not on the outdoor dining menu, namely the reindeer, which is what we were mainly interested in trying. We ended up with the elk meatballs and the salmon soup, which were both delicious and probably worth the high-ish price. I can't say I would be running back, but it's worth trying once. I would opt against the sauna area though, as it looked just as crowded as the restaurant and not at all relaxing.