Helsinki Dining: International
Where to find the best Turkish, Italian, and Spanish food in Helsinki, Finland.
Helsinki has more international dining choices than ever before. Favorite picks for a great dining experience if you want something other than traditional Finnish fare.
As Helsinki slowly becomes more international, restaurants featuring international cuisine are starting to pop up around town. In my experience, the best restaurants for non-standard, non-Finnish cuisine are a Turkish, Italian, and a Spanish tapas restaurant. All three restaurants have menus in English and dinner reservations are recommended.
For other dining recommendations see Helsinki Dining Guide: Finnish/Russian, Helsinki’s Best Outdoor Cafes, or Stockholm Dining Recommendations.
Turkish
Creamy plates of hummus, warm pitas, flavorful falafel, savory shish taouk await you at Farouge, one of the standouts of the Helsinki dining scene. Farouge’s use of use of herbs and spices enhance the flavor of the fresh, high quality ingredients they use in their cooking. The mezze plate for four is a great way to sample a variety of typical Lebanese fare such as baba ghannouge (eggplant dip), tabulli salad, and moussakaa (eggplant salad). Steak tartare lovers should try the Lebanese version called kibbe naiyeh. Farouge has a decent selection of wines from Lebanon and around the world. Farouge’s décor is a combination of Finnish streamlined simplicity with flourishes from Lebanon, creating an atmosphere of sophisticated and warmth. Address: Yrjonkatu 6, tel: +358 9 612-3455.
Italian
Benjam’s Bistro, behind the Finnish Parliament (“Eduskunta” in Finnish), and is one of my less expensive restaurant picks. Bejam’s Bistro is run by a friendly Italian family who will go out of their way to give you a wonderful dining experience. The atmosphere is rustic, not fancy, but their pasta dishes are the best I have had in Finland. My favorite is the pasta carbonara, lightly dusted egg, black pepper, and pancetta. It will melt in your mouth. Top it off with a piece of homemade tiramisu and you will walk out more than satisfied. Address: Dagmarinkatu 5, tel: +358 9 492 322.
Spanish Tapas
Restaurant Nuevo, sandwiched between Helsinki’s Market Square and the neo-classical Senate Square, is located on the picturesque Sofiankatu (Sofia’s Street), the oldest street in town. Order a glass of sangria or a mojito while deciding whether you should sample some tapas or if you should go for a full meal. The mushroom, sweet pepper, and Serrano ham tapas or the roasted chicken legs with aioli are flavorful tapas. The seafood paella or the grilled lamb are good bets for a full meal. Top it all off with a slice of their insanely chocolatey cake and a strong cup of espresso before heading out to explore downtown Helsinki. Address: Sofiankatu 4, Tel +358 9 677 101.
