10 Best Seafood Restaurants in Helsinki

One of the best high class seafood establishments is Finlandia Caviar, the first specialist caviar shop in Helsinki which serves quality caviar, oysters, and roe. Finlandia also offers tasting sessions and has a shop selling their caviar products, making it an ideal location for those wishing to try the best quality seafood in the city.

Finland and Japan both share a love of seafood, which has led to a boom of Japanese and sushi restaurants opening across Helsinki. Salmon sushi was even invented in Finland’s neighbouring country of Norway. One of the best Japanese restaurants in Helsinki is Gaijin, which makes dishes from Japan, Korea, and Northern China including mussels, sashimi, miso salmon, and crab. The restaurant also donates to several charities, including helping low income families of Helsinki.

Located in the design district, Café Bar 9 is fairly laid back and casual and offers traditional Finnish salmon soup with rye bread, smoked salmon pasta, and various other burgers, soups, and pasta dishes, all for a good price for the area. It is an ideal place to stop and rest after shopping or touring the art galleries of the design district.

Located on Töölö Square, this restaurant has been operating since 1981 and offers an a la carte menu including salmon roe, scampi salad, and even an unusual salmon pizza. Its location on the square makes it an ideal place to eat after an event or to try a slightly more international cuisine with a Finnish twist.

This restaurant combines new and old with a modern exterior and classic internal decorations and disco era music at night. The equally classic menu includes a seafood platter, blini, smoked perch pie, and many other old fashioned Finnish dishes from throughout the country, and all in relaxed but quirky surroundings which are ideal for meeting friends or enjoying a night out. It is also known as a welcoming place to take foreign visitors.

Juuri serves classic Finnish cuisine in simple contemporary surroundings, intended to provide a nostalgic experience of traditional Finnish meals. The food and drink is all local, and includes arctic char, perch, Baltic herring, pike, and many more of Finland’s best fish and seafood dishes for good prices. There is also a tasting menu and the Finnish take on tapas, known as Sapas, which makes for a great way to sample Finnish cuisine.

The slightly unusual name of this restaurant doesn’t deter from its high quality food and wine, and attractive modern aesthetic. Located in Töölö, it is an ideal pre-theatre restaurant or a place to stop by after a day of shopping or sightseeing. Courses include shrimp sandwich, whitefish, salmon soup with malt bread, and crayfish all provided by the best local fishermen.

This Japanese restaurant reflects both Finland and Japan’s attitude of good service, quality food, and a friendly atmosphere. Their traditional Japanese recipes use locally caught fish. The restaurant also serves Japanese deserts, Japanese beer and sake, and an equal amount of tasty vegetarian dishes.

Serving the ‘real taste of Finland’, this is a highly nostalgic restaurant just outside of the Senate Square overlooking the cathedral. Every part of this restaurant from the interior decorations to the traditional menu screams of an authentic Finnish experience, including the fish soup of the day, breaded perch, and Lappish arctic char. Even the floor planks are over 100 years old. Savotta uses local suppliers, authentic antique decorations, and even Moomin mugs to give a feel of grandma’s living room rather than a restaurant. For those who want something a little different, there is also reindeer and even the rare opportunity to try bear meat.