Café Savoy is a french bistro restaurant in Keskusta, Helsinki.
Café Savoy on the ground floor of the Esplanadi building brings Southern French bistro cooking to central Helsinki, below the fine-dining Savoy.
Signature dishes: Southern French bistro plates, Esplanadi terrace lunch
Must order: A bistro classic from the French menu, ideally on the Esplanadi-facing terrace.
Tip: The casual ground-floor counterpart to the fine-dining Savoy upstairs. Terrace tables face the Esplanade park.
Address: Eteläesplanadi 14, 00130 Helsinki
Story sits inside the 1889 Old Market Hall on the harbour, serving breakfast, brunch and easygoing Finnish hall food with an international turn.
Signature: Breakfast and brunch, Finnish hall food
Order: The all-day breakfast, or a bowl of salmon soup from inside the historic hall.
Tip: Inside Vanha Kauppahalli by the Market Square. Comes into its own at breakfast and brunch; the hall closes by early evening.
Story sits inside the 1889 Old Market Hall on the harbour, serving breakfast, brunch and easygoing Finnish hall food with an international turn.
Signature: Breakfast and brunch, Finnish hall food
Order: The all-day breakfast, or a bowl of salmon soup from inside the historic hall.
Tip: Inside Vanha Kauppahalli by the Market Square. Comes into its own at breakfast and brunch; the hall closes by early evening.
Forza in Punavuori bakes round Neapolitan pizzas in a wood oven and crunchy Roman slices in an electric one, near the Kaffa roastery in Punavuori.
Signature: Wood-fired Napoli pizza, Roman electric-oven pizza
Order: A wood-fired Napoli pie, or the crisp Roman style if you want it by the slice.
Tip: On the same Pursimiehenkatu block as Kaffa Roastery and Levain. Two distinct pizza ovens, so order across both styles.
Goose Pastabar on Eerikinkatu became a cult fresh-pasta spot: dinner only, no reservations, a short handmade-pasta menu and a tight wine list.
Signature: Fresh handmade pasta, Daily pasta specials
Order: Whatever pasta is the daily special; the menu is short and changes often.
Tip: No reservations and dinner only, so arrive early or expect a wait. Cash and card; the line moves once seats free up.
Baskeri & Basso on Tehtaankatu pulls from Parisian bistros and Italian osterias, with ingredient-driven cooking and a deep natural-wine list.
Signature: Ingredient-led bistro plates, Natural wine
Order: Whatever vegetable plate is on; the kitchen lets one or two ingredients carry a dish.
Tip: Entrance is through the courtyard. The BasBas group also runs BasBas Kulma and BasBas Studio nearby in Punavuori.
The Bull and the Firm in Kallio pairs an a la carte kitchen with a cocktail bar, with dishes like confit black salsify and a cracker-thin beef-cheek lasagne.
Signature: Confit black salsify, Beef-cheek ragu lasagne
Order: The cracker-like lasagne stuffed with beef-cheek ragu, then a cocktail at the bar.
Tip: Restaurant and cocktail bar in one Kallio room. Good for a dinner that slides into late drinks without moving.
Maukku is the dinner sister to Way Bakery in Kallio, channelling modern French bistros with veg-forward small plates and a natural-wine list on Agricolankatu.
Signature: Veg-forward small plates, Natural wine
Order: A spread of the veg-forward small plates with a glass from the natural list.
Tip: Shares an Agricolankatu address with Way Bakery, which runs the daytime. Maukku takes over for evening small plates.
