A long-simmered hash of minced lamb or beef with herring, onion and garlic, served with sour cream, pickles and boiled potato. Rich, salty and unmistakably old-Helsinki.
Vorschmack reached Helsinki through Russia and Eastern European Jewish kitchens, and was made famous locally by Marshal Mannerheim, who served his own version to guests. Savoy, opened 1937, kept it on the menu as a house signature, and it remains a fixture of the city's grand dining rooms. The dish divides newcomers and delights regulars in equal measure.
2 editor picks for Vorschmack in Helsinki, ranked by editorial score. All Helsinki signature dishes · Vorschmack across every city.
Savoy ★ 4.5
keskusta · Eteläesplanadi 14, 00130 Helsinki
Savoy on the eighth floor of the Esplanadi has served Finnish-French cooking since 1937 in an Aalto interior; vorschmack is the house signature.
Elite ★ 4.1
toolo · Eteläinen Hesperiankatu 22, 00100 Helsinki
Elite in Töölö has been the artists' restaurant since 1932, its walls hung with paintings, serving Finnish classics like vorschmack and fried Baltic herring.