In this guide
💡 The Short Version: Helsinki eats seasonal wild produce, Baltic fish and food from century-old covered market halls. For lunch, order salmon soup (lohikeitto) at SOUP+MORE in the Old Market Hall or the weekday lunch buffet at Café Ekberg. For dinner, try pan-fried Baltic herring at Sea Horse in Ullanlinna, meatballs and pyttipannu at Kolme Kruunua in Kruununhaka, or sautéed reindeer at Savotta on Aleksanterinkatu. The market halls close by 18:00 and on Sundays (Hietalahti is the exception). Or book a tour: a 3-hour food tour of Kallioad from €107 tastes Karelian pies, salmon soup and cold cuts, with a Finnish long drink.
⚠️ Market halls close at 18:00. The covered food halls shut at 18:00 on weekdays and Saturdays, and they are best for morning coffee, fish counters and lunch. Arrive before 14:00 for the full lunch counter selection.
What to order
Lohikeitto with rye bread. Photo: Tuijasal, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0.
- Lohikeitto (salmon soup): Salmon simmered in fish stock and cream with new potatoes, leeks and allspice, finished with plenty of dill and eaten with buttered dark rye bread (ruisleipä).
- Paistetut silakat and muikut (fried Baltic fish): Baltic herring (silakat) or freshwater vendace (muikku), dredged in coarse rye flour and fried in butter until crisp, served with mashed potatoes, pickled cucumber and lemon.
- Poronkäristys (sautéed reindeer): Thin slices of reindeer braised in butter, black pepper and dark beer, served over mashed potatoes with lingonberry preserve (puolukkahillo) and pickled gherkins.
- Karjalanpiirakka (Karelian pasties): Oval rye crusts crimped by hand around barley or rice porridge, eaten warm with munavoi (butter mixed with chopped hard-boiled eggs).
- Korvapuusti (cinnamon buns): Finnish buns are flavoured with ground cardamom in the yeast dough, rolled with butter, cinnamon and sugar, and topped with pearl sugar rather than icing.
Fish stall, Market Square. Photo: Jorge Láscar, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0.
Helsinki’s covered market halls
Helsinki has three covered market halls (kauppahallit) from the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
1. Old Market Hall (Vanha Kauppahalli)
Eteläranta 9 (South Harbour) | Monday – Saturday 08:00 – 18:00 | Sunday Closed
The brick-and-timber hall on the South Harbour quayside, designed by Gustaf Nyström, has operated since 1889:
- SOUP+MORE: Sit at the counter for salmon soup, seafood bouillabaisse or a vegetarian root vegetable bisque, served with bread and olive tapenade.
- Kalaliike E. Eriksson: A fishmonger trading since 1890, selling hot-smoked whitefish, cold-smoked Baltic salmon, vendace roe (muikunmäti) and cured gravlax.
- Cheese and bakery stalls: Scandinavian cheeses, Lapland cloudberry preserves and rye bakeries.
Hakaniemi Market Hall. Photo: Jisis, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0.
2. Hakaniemi Market Hall (Hakaniemen kauppahalli)
Hämeentie 1a (Kallio) | Monday – Saturday 08:00 – 18:00 | Sunday Closed
Built in 1914 in Kallio and reopened in 2023 after a multi-year restoration:
- Ground floor (food): 24 independent merchants selling reindeer roasts, sourdough breads, smoked herring and cheeses, plus another branch of SOUP+MORE.
- Upper floor (crafts and design): Finnish souvenirs, hand-knitted mittens, vintage Marimekko prints, antique stamps and wooden kitchenware.
- Ravintola Kirsikka: An evening bistro on the second floor serving seasonal Nordic dishes, with its own street entrance that stays open after the stalls close.
3. Hietalahti Market Hall (Hietalahden kauppahalli)
Lönnrotinkatu 34 (Kamppi) | Monday – Tuesday 08:00 – 18:00, Wednesday – Saturday 08:00 – 22:00, Sunday 10:00 – 16:00
Completed in 1903 at the western end of Bulevardi:
- Street food: Unlike the grocery stalls of the Old Market Hall, Hietalahti is now a casual dining hall with ramen, Neapolitan pizza, Filipino skewers and organic burgers.
- Sundays: It is the only market hall open on Sunday afternoons.
Classic restaurants
Sea Horse
Kapteeninkatu 11, Ullanlinna | Daily 12:00 – 23:00 (Sundays from 15:00)
Open since 1934 in Ullanlinna, known locally as “Sikala” (The Piglet):
- Atmosphere: Dark timber panelling, brass lamps and a 1930s fresco of two black seahorses on the back wall.
- What to order: Fried Baltic herring (paistetut silakat) with buttery mashed potatoes and sweet dill pickles, or the onion steak (sipulipihvi).
- Cloakroom fee: Charged on weekend evenings outside summer.
Kolme Kruunua (“Three Crowns”)
Liisankatu 5, Kruununhaka | Daily 16:00 – 01:00 (Weekends from 12:00)
A tavern from 1952 in the quiet residential streets of Kruununhaka, with original stained-glass windows and timber booths:
- What to order: Meatballs (lihapullat) in brown cream gravy with lingonberries, or pyttipannu, a skillet hash of potatoes, diced cured ham, onions and fried eggs.
- Salmon soup: Served in generous tureens with toasted dark rye bread.
Savotta
Aleksanterinkatu 22 | Daily 16:00 – 23:00 (Lunch service Thursday – Saturday from 12:00)
On the southern side of Senate Square, facing Helsinki Cathedral:
- Interior: Salvaged 100-year-old pine logs, vintage logging equipment and antique tableware from Finnish homesteads.
- Game: Order the sautéed reindeer with mashed potatoes and lingonberries. Savotta also serves a 50 g portion of slow-braised bear meat (€24.90 on the restaurant’s menu).
Cafés and bakeries
- Café Ekberg (Bulevardi 9): Founded in 1852. The salon serves specialty coffee, Runebergintorttu tarts and a daily lunch buffet of warm soup, salad bar, homemade bread and coffee.
- Café Regatta (Merikannontie 8): A tiny red cottage from 1887 on the water’s edge in Töölö, open daily 09:00 to 21:00, known for warm cinnamon buns (korvapuusti) and an outdoor fire for grilling sausages; see the Sibelius Monument guide.
- St. George Bakery (Yrjönkatu 13): On the ground floor of Hotel St. George, baking sourdough breads, croissants and breakfast sandwiches.
Practical dining details
- Weekday lunch (lounas): Between 11:00 and 14:00 on weekdays many restaurants serve a set lunch with a main course and salad buffet, usually cheaper than dinner.
- Payment: Restaurants take contactless cards, debit cards and Apple or Google Pay.
- Tap water: Tap water comes from Lake Päijänne and is safe to drink. Carafes of table water are almost always free.
- Reservations: Book weekend dinner at popular places such as Sea Horse, Kolme Kruunua and Kuurna online 3 to 7 days ahead.
What to explore next
- Guided tastings: Helsinki food tours.
- After the Old Market Hall: the ferry to Suomenlinna, in the Suomenlinna guide.
- Free sights: Free things to do in Helsinki.
Common questions
Where can you eat salmon soup (lohikeitto) in Helsinki?
At SOUP+MORE inside the Old Market Hall (Vanha Kauppahalli) on the South Harbour waterfront, and at its other stall in Hakaniemi Market Hall. Bowls come with bread and butter. For a sit-down dinner try Sea Horse in Ullanlinna or Kolme Kruunua in Kruununhaka.
What is the Finnish lounas lunch tradition?
Lounas is the weekday lunch served from 11:00 to 14:00 in almost all restaurants and market halls. It usually includes a warm main course or soup, a salad buffet, rye bread, and coffee or tea.
Do you need to tip at restaurants in Helsinki?
No. Service and VAT are already in the bill. If you want to leave something after a sit-down dinner, round the bill up.
What traditional Finnish dishes should visitors try?
Lohikeitto (salmon soup with dill and allspice), paistetut silakat (pan-fried Baltic herring with mashed potatoes), muikut (fried vendace), poronkäristys (sautéed reindeer with lingonberries) and korvapuusti (cardamom cinnamon buns).
Are Helsinki's historic market halls open on Sundays?
The Old Market Hall and Hakaniemi Market Hall are open Monday to Saturday (08:00 to 18:00) and closed on Sundays. Hietalahti Market Hall is the exception, open on Sundays from 10:00 to 16:00.
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