Residential blocks west of the centre near the opera and Sibelius Park, with the historic Elite dining room and the lakeside Cafe Regatta.
Elite in Töölö has been the artists' restaurant since 1932, its walls hung with paintings, serving Finnish classics like vorschmack and fried Baltic herring.
Signature: Vorschmack, Fried Baltic herring
Order: Vorschmack, the minced-meat hash, or the platter of fried Baltic herring with mash.
Tip: The terrace and the artist-portrait walls are the draw as much as the food. A living room for Helsinki's cultural set since 1932.
Cafe Regatta is a tiny red lakeside cottage near Sibelius Park serving korvapuusti and coffee; in summer the tables spill onto the shoreline rocks.
Signature drink: Cinnamon bun and coffee by the sea
Tip: Bring the coffee outside and sit on the waterfront rocks. Cash-friendly, cramped indoors, and busiest on sunny afternoons.
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.
Signature drink: All-day coffee and brunch
Tip: Works as a laptop morning spot and a wine-and-snacks evening room. Near the railway park on the Töölö side.
Layers is a tiny Töölö bakery many rate for the best croissants in Finland, run by Finnish-Spanish baker Daniel Tobal Autiokari from a small counter.
Tip: Open limited days and it sells out, so go early. The pain au chocolat is as good as the namesake croissant.
Worth the queue: Butter croissant
Konditoria Hopia in Töölö is an old-time patisserie baking Karelian pies and cinnamon buns to a recipe brought from Sortavala nearly 70 years ago.
Tip: Come for the karjalanpiirakka rye-and-rice pies, baked daily to the original Karelian recipe. A Töölö neighbourhood fixture.
Worth the queue: Karelian pie (karjalanpiirakka)
The Töölö branch of Levain on Runeberginkatu runs the same sourdough-led programme as the original, with bread, pastries and an all-day menu.
Tip: Quieter than the Punavuori original and a short walk from the opera. Same sourdough and pastel de nata.
Worth the queue: Sourdough loaf
Lykke in Etu-Töölö shifts from morning coffee to an evening wine-and-snacks bar, with a glass-friendly European list served near the railway park.
Signature pour: Wine by the glass with evening plates
Wine focus: European bottles, glass-friendly list
Food: Small plates and snacks
Tip: By night it is a relaxed wine-and-snacks room rather than a cafe. Good before or after an event at the nearby opera.
Lykke in Etu-Töölö pours specialty coffee with an all-day breakfast and brunch plates, a relaxed cafe near the railway park that drifts into wine by evening.
Order: Specialty coffee with the all-day breakfast plates
Tip: Good for a slower weekday brunch away from the centre. Coffee is the strength, and the room turns into a wine bar by evening.
Jaskan Grilli is an open-air burger kiosk near the National Museum open to 4:30am, the classic Helsinki end-of-night stop for a burger or sausage and fries.
Try: Burgers, sausages and meat pies
Tip: Open-air and cash-friendly, near the Parliament. The Jaskan burger on toast is the order after a night out.