14 editor picks in Helsinki.
14 cafe places in Helsinki we have eaten in, sorted by editor score. All cuisines in Helsinki | Cafe across every city.
Cafe culture is central to how Helsinki spends its afternoons, from designer landmarks to specialty roasters. Café Aalto on Pohjoisesplanadi and Karl Fazer Café in Kluuvi anchor the classic end in the centre, while the wooden lakeside Cafe Regatta in Töölö is a postcard in itself. The newer wave of specialty coffee shows up at Sävy in Kallio, Andante in Punavuori and Rams Roasters in Ullanlinna.
Story sits inside the 1889 Old Market Hall on the harbour, serving breakfast, brunch and easygoing Finnish hall food with an international turn.
OrderThe all-day breakfast, or a bowl of salmon soup from inside the historic hall.
TipInside Vanha Kauppahalli by the Market Square. Comes into its own at breakfast and brunch; the hall closes by early evening.
Karl Fazer opened this French-Russian cafe and cake shop on Kluuvikatu in 1891, still the city's grand chocolate-and-cake room under a glass dome.
TipThe breakfast buffet runs on weekday mornings and brunch on weekends. Buy a box of Fazer chocolates on the way out.
Cafe Regatta is a tiny red lakeside cottage near Sibelius Park serving korvapuusti and coffee; in summer the tables spill onto the shoreline rocks.
TipBring the coffee outside and sit on the waterfront rocks. Cash-friendly, cramped indoors, and busiest on sunny afternoons.
Café Aalto sits on the upper floor of the Academic Bookstore, a 1969 Alvar Aalto building on the Esplanadi, looking down over the books and skylights.
TipReached through the Academic Bookstore on the Esplanadi. Order a coffee and a slice, then browse the design and architecture shelves.
Ekberg has run on Bulevardi since 1852, the oldest cafe and bakery in Helsinki, where the patisserie counter keeps an old-world ritual alive.
TipCome for the morning pastry counter and the Napoleon mille-feuille. It has been a Bulevardi fixture since 1852.
Andante opened in a former Punavuori flower shop, pouring fruity hand-brews from rotating European micro-roasters that change every couple of weeks.
TipAsk what guest roaster is on the brew bar; it changes every couple of weeks. A design-district spot built for slow filter coffee.
Sävy on Aleksis Kiven katu in Kallio is a reference specialty cafe, pouring Good Life Coffee beans and guest roasters in a stripped-back room.
TipPours Good Life Coffee, the Nordic-roaster-of-the-year team that no longer runs its own cafe. A serious filter and espresso stop in Kallio.
Lykke in Etu-Töölö is an all-day cafe and bistro near the railway park, pouring specialty coffee in the morning and turning to wine and small plates by night.
TipWorks as a laptop morning spot and a wine-and-snacks evening room. Near the railway park on the Töölö side.
Café Clé on Mariankatu brings a quiet, design-led coffee stop to Kruununhaka, pairing specialty coffee with light plates a few blocks from Senate Square.
TipA calm Kruununhaka address for coffee and a light bite away from the Senate Square crowds.
Cafelito on Hämeentie is a Kallio coffee-and-wine bar with a Spanish slant, pouring espresso by day and natural wine by night in a corner room.
TipEspresso early, natural wine late; the small room fills with the Kallio after-work crowd. A Spanish accent throughout.
18 Grams on Livornonkatu in Jätkäsaari blends a specialty coffee bar with a vinyl listening-bar setup, pouring espresso and filter to a soundtrack.
TipPart coffee bar, part listening room. Good for an afternoon coffee in the newer harbour district of Jätkäsaari.
Rams Roasters on quiet Neitsytpolku in Ullanlinna is a family-run cafe and bakery pouring top roasters, known for some of the city's best cinnamon buns.
TipA laptop-free neighbourhood room on a residential Ullanlinna street, sharing the block with Restaurant Aoi. The home-baked korvapuusti is the order.
Cafe Regatta (Cafe) in Helsinki: Take the coffee and a korvapuusti outside to the shoreline rocks. Busiest on sunny afternoons; the indoor space is minute.
TipTake the coffee and a korvapuusti outside to the shoreline rocks. Busiest on sunny afternoons; the indoor space is minute.
Rams Roasters is a small family-run ullanlinna cafe and bakery on a residential street that regulars treat as a second kitchen, off every tourist coffee map.
TipShares its Neitsytpolku block with Restaurant Aoi. Come for the specialty coffee, the home-baked cinnamon buns and the neighbourhood quiet.
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