While Finland’s Michelin landscape remains stable, Helsinki’s culinary scene is bubbling beneath the surface. Instead of chasing stars, many chefs are embracing casual fine dining, sustainable concepts, and international collaborations. The result is a vibrant urban food culture that is growing authentically and gaining increasing international attention.
Restaurants like Aoi, Maukku, Kuurna, and the legendary Wellamo combine innovative cuisine with a personal touch, perfectly capturing the spirit of a new generation of diners. The dishes are prepared at a high level, but without the formality. Many of the new concepts are driven by chefs with fine-dining backgrounds who’ve deliberately chosen a more approachable style. “Helsinki’s gastronomy stands out for its strong connection to nature and local ingredients, making the city an increasingly attractive destination for culinary travel,” says Nina Vesterinen, Director of Tourism for the City of Helsinki.
Another key driver of growth: collaborations with international kitchen teams. The new Nolita in Helsinki regularly brings guest chefs from abroad as part of its “Co-Hosted Dinner Service,” including recent appearances from Rotterdam and Tallinn. Nolla co-founder Albert Franch Sunyer says, “Collaboration is a way for us to grow — and a chance to show the world what Helsinki has to offer.” This July, Nolla will host a pop-up with former Noma chef Matthew Orlando, founder of the trailblazing sustainable restaurant Amass in Copenhagen. Canvas Canteen founder Ina Niiniketo also recently participated in a Finnish food pop-up in New York, organized by Visit Finland.
Food festivals like À la Park and the internationally acclaimed Flow Festival focus on quality, local products, and sustainability. Flow has even committed to going fully vegan in the future. Meanwhile, everyday Helsinki continues to transform into a stage for new culinary experiences — from summer terraces and pedestrian streets to the revival of the iconic lippakioski kiosks, now serving creative snacks and drinks. Laura Styyra, co-founder of Kuurna and the wine bar Klaava, sums it up: “Helsinki feels like a garden in full bloom. The scene is compact, fresh, vibrant, and full of seasonality and it just keeps getting better.”
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