Helsinki Island Restaurants
With 100 kms of coastline and an archipelago of some 330 islands within the city boundaries, Helsinki is a maritime city that takes full advantage of its location on the Gulf of Finland. A unique component of Helsinki’s restaurant culture are the Helsinki island restaurants that can be found scattered through the islands of the Helsinki archipelago.
These restaurants provide a beautiful setting for summer dining and are very popular on weekends and during the crayfish season at the end of summer. Reservations are recommended. Access is via ferries, which run from the beginning of May to the end of September.
Please note that the Finnish for Restaurant is “Ravintola” – thus, all restaurant names are usually preceded by “Ravintola” and this is how I list them to avoid any confusion when you find them. On English-language websites, you’ll usually find them named “Restaurant xxx”, which can lead to a bit of confusion……
Ravintola Boathouse – Liuskasaari Island
Restaurant Boathouse, Helsinki
The Boathouse is a summer restaurant with a relaxed atmosphere that serves good seasonal summer food with flavors from the New World. For over hundred years, Liuskasaari has been the location for the yacht club Helsingfors Segelsällskap’s club house, marina and restaurant. The restaurant is situated in an architecturally unique building (built in 1949), with beautiful sea views. À la carte, Dinner and Buffet options are available on the Restaurants menu.
Reviews indicate that it’s best to go here to enjoy the location, the cliffs, the sea and the sunset, but don’t expect much of the food or the wine – it’s certainly good, but not a gastronomic experience. Being a summer restaurant, the staff are often young and inexperienced but regardless, if the day and evening are beautiful, the restaurant is lovely!
Address: Liuskasaari FI-00140 Helsinki
Telephone: Tel. +358 (09) 1345 6766
Opening Hours: Mon-Sat 5pm-midnight, Sun 3pm-10pm (Saturdays are usually booked for private occasions/weddings), open from May to September. Check the Restaurant’s website as there are periods when the restaurant is closed or otherwise booked out.
Getting there: A connection ferry to Liuskasaari-island leaves from Merisatama. The dock is located between the Restaurant Carusel and the Kompassi pier. There is a connecting bridge between Liuskasaari and Uunisaari so it is also possible to walk from there. Return ticket is 5€/person and can be charged with your restaurant bill.
Bookings: The Boathouse restaurant is owned by the Kämp Group and bookings can be made using the Kämp Group’s Online Table Reservations form, which is used for a number of restaurants so make sure if you use this you pick the correct restaurant.
Website: http://ravintolaboathouse.fi/en/
Ravintola Café Chapman – Suomenlinna
Located in the Suomenlinna Fortress, Café Chapman is a pleasant café in an old stone storehouse (built around 1770) close to the Visitor Centre and near the dry dock on Susisaari Island.
Cafe Chapman, Suomenlinna
There’s a rather nice courtyard terrace which is a popular lunch and coffee spot during the day. The à la Carte restaurant makes a pleasant way to end a day on Suomenlinna (although note that the opening hours are rather more limited in winter, when the Café Chapman is open for lunch only).
Address: Suomenlinna B1, Helsinki 00190
Telephone: 010-841-9195
Opening Hours: Winter season: Mon – Fri 10.30 am – 3 pm, Sat – Sun (open only by reservations)
Opening Hours: Summer season: Mon – Fri 10.30 am – 10 pm, Sat 12 pm – 10 pm, Sun 12 pm – 6 pm
Getting There: Catch the ferry from Market Square to Suomenlinna. Café Chapman is close to the Visitor Centre and easily located and walked to.
Website: http://www.chapman.fi/ (this is Finnish-language only, you can try using Google Translate and you’ll get the gist of the content)
Ravintola NJK – Valkosaari Island
The NJK restaurant, designed by architects Estlander & Zettergren, was built in 1900 in the style of an old villa, and is found on the small island of Valkosaari. It is a highly popular location during the summer season, as well as one of the most popular crayfish restaurants in Helsinki – and a wonderful setting for a tasty meal. The tall, spacious Middle room is surrounded by a sunlit covered veranda with large windows and a view over the harbor towards Market Square and Katajanokka.
Ravintola NJK Helsinki
The restaurant was originally built to serve members of the NJK Yacht Club (Nyländska Jaktklubben), whose rules were approved in 1861 by Tsar Alexander II. The club moved to the island in 1885, and the first club house was built the same year. The traditional style of the building has been maintained to the present day, and the long sailing traditions are recorded in some displays and models of sailboats within the restaurant. The NJK Yacht Club today has approximately 2,300 members and 700 registered boats. The Restaurant serves both yacht club members and the public and combines maritime and Nordic food traditions with today’s gastronomy – all in a charming historical setting.
Reviews of this restaurant are in general complimentary, and advise that the food, wine and service are excellent. Most reviews also indicate the setting and views are superb.
Address: Valkosaari, 00140 Helsinki
Telephone: +358 (0)9 6128 6500
Opening hours: Summer only: Mon-Sat 5pm-midnight (Saturdays often booked for private occasions), closed Sundays.
Getting There: From 8am to 2pm there’s a ferry every half hour. From 2pm to midnight a ferry runs every 20 minutes. The Ferry fee of 5,00 € is added to your restaurant bill. Ferries depart from the Valkosaari pier close to the Olympic terminal. Ferry information can also be found on the restaurant’s website (http://www.ravintolanjk.fi/lautta-aikataulut). Also see this map to show you where the restaurant and ferry terminal are located.
Website: http://www.ravintolanjk.fi/ (note that the restaurants homepage is in Finnish but there is an English-language option – select the tiny UK flag in the top right hand corner).
Ravintola Pihlajasaari – Pihlajasaari Island
The Pihlajasaari restaurant is on the island of Pihlajasaari , only 10 minutes by boat from Kaivopuisto and with superb views of Helsinki’s city centre. The restaurant has been in a 120-year-old wooden villa, called villa Hällebo, for over 80 years. The villa was designed and built by an architect, one Sjöström and it was his residence from 1885. In the 1920’s the house was rented to a shipowner, John A. Nurminen. The villa was turned into a restaurant in 1929 and is at the western end of the island, which was made into a public park in 1929.
Pihlajasaari actually consists of two separate islands connected with a bridge, no longer has any permanent residents and is used largely as a recreation area with large beaches for swimming and sunbathing (artificial beaches were built using thousands of cubic meters of sand), and the Hällebo Villa is located near the beach. One of the two islands also has a camping area (weekend camping only) and it’s a popular weekend destination.
The Ravintola Pihlajasaari is a popular summer dining spot for residents of Helsinki and has 190 seats, 90 of them inside the villa and the rest on two outside terraces. There is an excellent view of the open sea from the front terrace situated on natural rock whereas from the smaller back terrace Helsinki can be seen. The restaurant provides Finnish “home-cooked” specialties e.g. their own smokehouse fish delicacies such as smoked salmon, traditional dishes, such as Grandma’s meatballs, on-site baked pastries and homemade donuts. The menu changes on a daily basis but one of their specialties is a delicious salmon soup.
Ravintola Pihlajasaari Front Terrace
The list of 5-7 options for meals includes salad, soup, “home-cooked” food, pasta, fish and meat dishes as well as vegetarian options. Prices range is 7.80 to 20 €. The restaurant is fully licensed, serving wine, beer, cider and spirits. Price examples: beer/pint (0.4 liter) 5-€, cider/pint (0.4 liter) €5.30, wine/bottle 29-35 €. Reviews of this restaurant advise that the food is good, service prompt and excellent and the scenery is fantastic.
Address: Pihlajasaari, FI-00150 Helsinki
Telephone Number: +358 09 532 6222 and 040 546 5350
Opening Hours: June-August: daily 11am – 8.30pm; See the restaurants website for hours outside the summer months.
Getting There: The ferry to Pihlajasaari leaves from Merisatamanranta behind Café Carusel and 15 June – 11 August from Ruoholahti as well (see this map). The ferry ride is about 15 minutes and a round trip ticket costs €5.50 for adults, € 3 for children (7-16 years) and pensioners. Children under 7 years old accompanied by an adult travel free of charge. Payment is in cash. There is a boat harbor at the island for those who arrive on their own boat. The restaurant is about 300 meters from the beach road so give yourself a bit of time to stroll there and wear some comfortable shoes.
Website: http://www.pihlajasaari.net/
Ravintola Saari – Sirpalesaari Island
Restaurant Saari is on Sirpalesaari island, 2 minutes by boat from the centre of Helsinki. The restaurant serves Finnish and archipelago specialities while giving you “magnificent views of the Gulf of Finland” in a genuinely maritime atmosphere. Fresh fish, Finnish meats and cheeses, as well as tasty Finnish vegetables are served. Classic Finnish dishes include Slightly salted salmon flavoured with tar, Tar flavoured ice cream and Flisholmen Island-style pancake. During crayfish season Saari is a popular place to have a crayfish party. The restaurant seats 200 in the main dining area, 22 on the Belvedere balcony, 12 in a private room and about 75 guests on the sunny outdoor terrace.
Crayfish at Ravintola Saari
Reviews seem to be pretty unanimous that the food is great, the atmosphere easygoing and the location and views great. Prices are a little on the high side but you can check these for yourself by visiting the Restaurant’s website (below). A useful tip is to bring sunscreen with you – the terrace can be rather sunny in summer and you may need sunscreen to avoid sunburn. To make an online reservation, use this link and selecte Saari, Island Sirpalesaari.
Address: Sirpalesaari, 00150 Helsinki
Telephone: +358 (0)9 7425 5566
Opening Hours: May and September: Mon-Sat 4.30pm-11pm and Sun 4.30pm-10pm, June to August: Mon-Sat midday-11pm, Sun 4.30pm-10pm
Getting There: A ferry boat to the island leaves every hour and a half from the Saari pier located on the shore of Merisatama. The crossing (about 200 m) takes a few minutes only A small number of docking spaces are available for guests arriving at the restaurant aboard their own boats.
Website: Ravintola Saari
Ravintola Saaristo – Luoto-Klippan Island
Restaurant Saaristo is a beautiful summer restaurant, located on a small island “Luoto – Klippan” near Kaivopuisto. Located in an old villa builtin 1898 in the atmospheric Jugend style, you can admire the hand-crafted and romantic Jugend style wood cuts and wood-carved animals carved into the beams and balconies. Saaristo breathes history, and from the restaurant you can not only look out over Helsinki but also southwards over the historic fortress of Suomenlinna.
Ravintola Saaristo, Helsinki
The building and the restaurant have a long and vivid history going back in time to the 1920’s and 1930’s with languid dinners held during the nightless summer evenings gazing at the sea, passionate dancing on the dance floor and long, alcohol-drenched lunches. This restaurant has been the scene for many crayfish season festivities with accompanying schnapps songs, as well as weddings and business parties. Eino Leino, the Finnish poet, almost always chose Saaristo to celebrate the festival of Vappu, the First of May.
Saaristo’s menu offers the best delicacies of Scandinavian cuisine. Sunday Brunch is served every Sunday from the 19th of May until the 1st of September and summer lunch is served weekdays from the 13th of May until the end of August. From the 22nd of July until the end of September Saaristo offers you traditional crayfish parties. Reviews all agree that the setting is wonderful, with great views and good food. To make an online reservation, use this link and select Saaristo, Island Klippan.
Address: Luoto (Klippan), 00140 Helsinki
Telephone: +358 (0)9 7425 5590
Summer Opening Hours: May-open Mon-Sat 6pm-11pm, Sun closed; From mid-May to August: open Mon-Fri midday-11pm, (Sat 5pm-11pm), Sunday Brunches midday-4pm;
Getting There: During restaurant opening hours and for Sunday Brunch, a boat leaves every 20 minutes (full hour, 20 past and 20 to) for the Restaurant Saaristo from a pier located near the Olympia-terminal, next to the Peace Statue. The boat trip takes a few minutes only and the fare for the boat ride (6 eur/person for a return ticket) will automatically be added to your restaurant bill.
Website: Ravintola Saaristo
Restaurant Särkänlinna – Särkä Island
Restaurant Särkänlinna can be found in a historic fortress on the island of Särkkä that was once a part of the Suomenlinna sea fortress complex. The fortress on Särkkä was originally constructed to guard the sea routes to Kruunuvuorenselkä. However, over the years it has been put to a number of uses: as an ammunition storage depot, a penal establishment for Russian political prisoners and, in 1952, a base for Olympic sailing, to name but a few.
Island restaurant Särkänlinna
Ravintola Särkänlinna was designed by Architect Oiva Kallio and established in 1924, offering magnificent views over Kaivopuisto park and the open sea. Once inside the restaurant you will see that the restaurant floor slopes gently towards the kitchen (about a 7 degree slope to be precise). This is not contrived – in times gone by, a sloping floor was designed to make rolling cannon balls down to the cannons easy and fast.
The kitchen of the Särkänlinna restaurant combines French and Finnish traditions spiced up with some Russian influences. The menu, designed by Chef Tero Nummelin, draws on the finest Finnish ingredients from the seas of the archipelago and from seasonal Finnish food. For crayfish lovers, Särkänlinna is also a good choice during crayfish season. For online reservations, you can use this link (just note that Ravintola Särkänlinna is part of the Hotel Kämp group and you will need to make sure you select Restaurant Särkänlinna from the available options.
Reviews are generally very complimentary about the quality and presentation of the food, and the setting in the old fortress is superb. Comments on the service are mixed and some reviewers commented that the meal was pricey and the wines were expensive (generally speaking, that’s a comment applies to all of the Hotel Kämp group’s restaurants). Overall, almost all reviewers were complimentary about their dining experience at Ravintola Särkänlinna and rated the restaurant highly.
Address: Särkänsaari, 00130 Helsinki
Telephone: +358 (0)9 1345 6756
Opening Hours: May-September, Mon-Sat 5pm-midnight, Sundays-closed
Getting There: A boat to Särkänlinna departs from the Ullanlinna pier in Kaivopuisto park.
Website: http://ravintolasarkanlinna.fi/en/
Restaurant Suomenlinna Brewery – Suomenlinna
Restaurant Suomenlinna and the Brewery pub in the Jetty Barracks is right next to the ferry boat harbour, which makes it an ideal place to end your day on Suomenlinna. The Restaurant is in a long, red-painted barracks building that was built during the years 1868-1870, when Finland was part of Tsarist Russia and Suomenlinna was a key fortress in the network of Coastal Fortifications that the Russian’s built to safeguard St Petersburg.
Suomenlinna Brewery Restaurant
Brewing has a long history on Suomenlinna. Back even before the Russians, when Suomenlinna (then called Sveaborg) was a Swedish fortress (when Finland was part of Sweden – before the Russians moved in), beer was brewed her for the thousands of soldiers who garrisoned the fortress. Beer is still brewed and served here, continuing in a great tradition.
The restaurant itself seats 120, with additional space in the sunny garden courtyard during the summer months. The restaurant’s menu is based on local produce and is inspired by the island’s history as a fortress to highlight Scandinavian and Russian traditions in association with classic, continental cuisine.
Reviews are fairly mixed, with some reviewers rating the Restaurant fairly highly and others being rather critical (see Tripadvisor reviews). Probably a fair assessment is to say that it’s a typical Brewery-Restaurant in a tourist area that serves good food and drink, but don’t set your expectations too high.
Address: Rantakasarmi, Suomenlinna C 1, FI-00190 Helsinki
Telephone: +358 (0)9 228 5030
Opening Hours: Tue-Sat midday-10pm, From May to August Mon-Sat midday-10pm, Sun midday-6pm
Getting There: Catch the ferry from Market Square to Suomenlinna. The Restaurant Suomenlinna and the Brewery pub in the Jetty Barracks are close by, easily located and walked to and it makes a good place to end your trip to Suomenlinna.
Website: http://www.panimoravintola.fi/en/.
Ravintola Uunisaari – Uunisaari Island
Restaurant Uunisaari is an attractive, fully-licensed restaurant and café with a sun terrace and three saunas on an island off Kaivopuisto Park (Uunisaari is actually two islands together, North and South Uunisaari, separated by a narrow channel). Until the late 1800’s the islands were mostly used for agricultural purposes, but in the late 1800’s the land was rented out for industry and the building the Restaurant is in was built at this time. For some decades the building was a boat paint factory. During the Second World War the building was used for storing weapons and building caskets and was then empty for many decades afterwards.
Ravintola Uunisaari
Other buildings on the island are a ticket sales kiosk and a dressing room built for the 1940 summer Olympics (these were however cancelled due to WW2 and the summer Olympics were finally held in Helsinki in 1952). The main building was renovated in 1999 under the supervision of the National Board of Antiquities and features the original red brick walls which create “a warm and festive atmosphere”. The Restaurant is open all year round and seats 120 people, while the café seats an additional 60. The outside terrace seats a further 250 people in the summer months.
A uniquely Finnish service that the Restaurant provides are three saunas – and a sauna plus restaurant is one of those “only in Finland” experiences you should try while you’re in the country because you won’t find this anywhere else in the world. All three Sauna’s have a separate terrace and a dressing room. The charge include towels and washing equipment. Note that Meals to saunas have to be ordered beforehand (Meals in saunas? Drinks in Saunas! This is Finland!) and standard restaurant pricing applies (you’re not allowed to bring your own drinks to the saunas).
In winter time there is a hole in the ice where you can swim if you have the courage! There is also a hot water Jacuzzi outside in which you can relax and enjoy beautiful scenery of the Helsinki coastline (charge for the Jacuzzi is 150 €. Sauna charges are 280 € for both the 8 person and 10 person Sauna (for 2 hours) and 320 € for the 15 person sauna (also 2 hours). Make sure you check the Restaurant website for any changes in the cost.
Address: Uunisaari, 00150 Helsinki
Telephone: +358 (0)9 636 870
Opening Hours: Ravintola Uunisaari doesn’t have official opening hours. They open when they have customers – you just need to call them and make a reservation in advance. Call Kati Palomäki at the restaurant on +358 (0)9 636 870.
Getting There: In summer it’s 3 minutes by boat from Merisatamantori – 5.00 € / Pers. In winter, there’s a bridge and you can walk (see map)
Website: http://www.uunisaari.com/en/.
Ravintola Walhalla – Kustaanmiekka Island, Suomenlinna
Restaurant Walhalla is a gourmet restaurant located on the historic fortified southern edge of the Kustaanmiekka Isle, part of Suomenlinna. Suomenlinna was built starting in 1748, while Finland was under Swedish rule. Around 1800 the Viapori Fortress (from the Swedish name Sveaborg) was the second largest town in Finland, with 4600 inhabitants. In 1808 Viapori surrendered to the Russians and the following year saw the beginning of a 100-year Russian rule over both Finland and the Viapori Fortress (Viapori was the old name for Suomenlinna).
During the 18th and 19th century Viapori was regarded as the strongest fortress in the Baltic Sea, “the Gibraltar of the North”. For Russia it was a key fortress in the coastal fortifications guarding the security of the Tsarist Russian capital city, St. Petersburg. Finland became independent on the 6th of December 1917 and a new era started. On the 12th of May 1918, an independent Finland renamed Viapori to Suomenlinna – meaning “Fortress of Finland” – and to this day parts of the Fortress remain in use by the Finnish military although Suomenlinna is now largely used as a museum and park.
Restaurant Walhalla itself was built into the fortress as Helsinki prepared itself for the 1952 Olympic Games, with the name of the restaurant being inspired by the Walhalla Secret Society that conspired against the rule of the Swedish King Gustav III in the 1780’s (the name of the secret society was taken from Scandinavian mythology, where Walhalla (or Valhalla) is the place in the after world where heroes and warriors enjoy eternal feasting).
Ravintola Walhalla, Suomenlinna
Restaurant Walhalla offers impressive surroundings in the caponiere Delwig (seating 180) which is within the walls of the old fortress, with beautiful stone arches and with windows made out of the former loopholes, a bar, and a smaller dining area, Walhallas Boije (seating 40) and the spacious Castle Square (in tents) with up to 350 diners. In addition, the Sea View Terrace (seating 200 and yes, the views are spectacular) and the smaller Pizzeria Nikolai. The restaurant is a Summer restaurant, open from the First of May through to the crayfish season in autumn.
Walhalla’s restaurant is not inexpensive, neither are the prices on the wine list. Efforts have been made to include Finnish national and historical flavors, as well as local seafood. Starters offered including roe, reindeer and salmon. Main courses include deer, fish and pheasant. There are also suggested menus. You can take a peek at the Walhalla’s menu for yourself if you’re interested.
Overall, reviews on Restaurant Walhalla from a number of different websites (tripadvisor, yelp.fi, eat.fi and ousma.fi) are somewhat mixed, with many reviewers commenting on poor and unprofessional service and over-priced food that doesn’t live up to the “gourmet” advertising. This is a summer-only restaurant in a tourist location, one surmises that most of the staff are also seasonal and as with any large-scale (700 odd seats) restaurant in a tourist location, standards may be up and down. Recommendation is to take it as it comes – the location oozes history from the pores of the stonework, but if you get stressed out when the food and service doesn’t come up to expectations, perhaps it would be best to select one of the other restaurants in this list.
If you have eaten at Ravintola Walhalla recently, please do leave a comment.
Address: Restaurant Walhalla is located on Kustaanmiekka Island within the Suomenlinna fortress, on the southern tip near the King’s Gate. The restaurant is on the Walking Trail as per this map
Telephone: +358 (0)9 668 552
Opening Hours: Summer only. Mon-Sat 6pm-midnight. Sun – closed
Getting There: Regular ferry services run to Suomenlinna from Market Square as part of Helsinki’s urban transport network. The ferry ride takes about 15 minutes, after which it is about a 1.5 km walk to the Restaurant. You can find the Ferry timetables here. In summertime the JT-Line waterbus takes you directly to the King’s Gate, close to Ravintola Walhalla (you can find the JT-Line timetable here)
Website: http://www.restaurantwalhalla.com/
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