Helsinki's first time cafe

There is a new pop up cafe Hauskafe in Lasipalatsi that you really should try. It is Helsinki's first time café. The concept already exist in some other big European cities and now also came to the Finnish capital.

Instead of paying for what you order you pay for the amount of time you spend here now. When you enter you receive a card marked with your entrance time. Every hour costs 5 €. During the time you spend you can have as much delicious Johan & Nyström coffee, tea and cookies as you like. 

You can also play table football, board and cosole games, read books or use the meeting room. Some special cakes and sandwiches are charged extra but still for a rather reasonable price. You can also bring your own food or beverages if you like.

For now Hauskafe will be at this location until mid December. If things go well, the cafe will be established there permanently.

Give it a try!

A house for all occasions

Do you have any plans for the weekend already? Looking for a good place to go for dinner? For having drinks? For a nice brunch? Or maybe a nice theater evening?

In all those cases you can head to Café Talo in Hakaniemi. This place has it all. And it is a good choice for all those occasions. They have an excellent selection of wines and whiskeys, delicious dishes for any time of the day and a real feel-at-home athmosphere.

Check it out and have a nice weekend!

Good times as Bon Temps

How about trying out a new cafe this week? Maybe with a good afternoon coffee or a nice breakfast before heading to work?

A beautiful and cozy small place is Cafe Bon Temps in Meilahti on Mannerheimintie. Apart from several small and big, sweet and salty breakfast options they also have a good selection of teas as well as good coffees.

Sit down at one of the wooden tables or sink into one of the pillows on the window sill and relax while looking out onto one of Helsinki's busiest street.

Give it a try and enjoy!

Chill at the docks

Are you looking for another nice terrace in Helsinki to hang out with friends and enjoy a great view over the water and the city?

Then off with you to Ihana Kahvila. It is probably one of the most extraordinary places Helsinki has to offer. In midst the old industrial harbor area behind Suvilahti it is build right next to the water out of two big containers. Grab a cup-o-joe and sit down in one of the comfy bean bags. The view is great. The atmosphere is as well. And if the weather is good you probably don't even want to leave anymore.

Check it out and enjoy the summer! Make sure to check the directions before you go there from their website though!

Creative and cozy

Wanna get creative? Then check out Rupla. The new place on Helsinginkatu is a so called creative space. You can come here for art exhibitions, to look for cool vintage furniture or designer clothing and accessories, join a workshop, visit one of their many events like from live music to theatre. Or you can just come for a good cup of freshly grainded coffee and a piece of cake.

 

Raw cake, to be more specific. And they are pretty good. One of their most popular ones is the mint chocolate one. They also have a wide selections of organic teas and raw chocolate.

Give it a try! It's worth dropping by!

Everything for coffee

Are you one of the many coffee enthusiasts living in Helsinki? Then you probably already know Kaffecentralen. If not, then you should definately go.

Kaffecentralen has pretty much everything you could ever need for making your own good coffee at home. From coffee filters, mashines and pans to real good grinded coffee.

But you can also have your ready made coffee right away. Kaffecentralen serves good coffees to have right there or to go.

Give it a try. You can find them in Helsinki in three different locations: Museokatu 9 in Etu-Töölö, Frederikinkatu 59 in Kamppi and in Korkeavuorenkatu 25 at Erottaja. Or find them online.

German coffee culture

A new German cafe opened in Helsinki. At Cafe DaJa in Kruununhaka you can now enjoy delicious German pastry and good coffee while breathing in the German athmosphere of the place. Read some German magazins and listen to German radio from the speakers.

DaJa offers more though. You can also come here for lunch. They have daily changing offers like Flammkuchen, Maultaschen and more. Or check out DaJa's breakfast during the week and brunch on the weekend. 

For more information on food, drinks and special events at DaJa check out their website.

Raw Food at Hymy

After Cafe Kokko at Katajanokka closed down raw food fans might wonder where to get their sweet and healthy treats now. Well, there is an alternative just a few blocks away. Hymy Raw Food Cafe at Torikortteli also offer delicious raw food pastry.

The two owners Inka and Maria do their best to offer new fresh raw food creations to their customers all the time. You can find their small cute cafe in one of the court yards right next to Kauppatori. 

Give it a try and enjoy. Hymy is open on weekdays from 11:00 to 19:00 and Saturdays from 11:00 to 16:00.

Tasty Saturday

Not just the Street Food Carnival takes place in Helsinki today. It's also Restaurant Day again. For the last time this year you can again visit hundreds of pop-up restaurants, cafés and bars around the city and whole Finland.

So don't worry about cooking today. The streets are literally full of delicious food on this Saturday. Find your favorite pop-up restaurants on the offial Restaurant Day website.

Enjoy!

For a bowl of ice cream

Finns love ice cream. In fact they are the leading ice cream consumers per capita in whole Europe. Even during the cold time of the year the consumption is high.

But you might wonder what a good place for some nice ice cream might be durin the fall and winter. Well, if you like ice cream bowls it's not too easy. One place right in the center that you might want to consider is the Sokos Café inside the big Sokos department store. Here you have a big selection of ice cream bowls that you can enjoy with a good view into the big inner yard of Sokos.

Sokos Café of course also has sweet and salty pastry and of course hot and cold drinks. Give it a try!

The Story of Vanha Kauppahalli

With the rennovated Vanha Kauppahalli a new gem came to Helsinki. Ravintola Story is located right in the middle of the old market hall and is a wonderful place for a break on your grocery shopping tour.

Story offers delicious smaller and bigger treats. You can have a filling handmade burger or some cocos curry clams accompanied by a glass of wine of their wide selection from small wineries from around the world. Or just go for some sweet or salty freshly baked pastry together with a cup of coffee.

All the food is for take away as well as to have there. But take the time and suck in the athmosphere of the beautiful old market hall while enjoying your food. Watch the people pass by or look out onto the harbor through the big windows.

Check it out and enjoy!

Raw pleasures at Café Kokko

Raw food is a huge trend around the world. And also in Helsinki you can find places that offer the healthy alternatives to cooked and processed food. One of them is Café Kokko.

The cozy two stroage cafe in one of the beautiful old brick buildings in Katajanokka was opened this summer. Here you find a wide selection of raw cakes and pastries. 

They might not be everyone's thing and are way less sweet than other pastry but you should definitely give them a try. You can also have one of their delicious smoothies and of course good coffee.

Sit at one of the comfy sofas and feel just like being invited to a friend's place. Check it out!

Töölönlahti's Blue Cafe

It is one of the nicest cafes in Helsinki and right now might be the best time to visit it. The Sinisen Huvila Kahvila on Linnunlauluntie offers probably one of the best views in town. Located a litte above Töölönlahti its terrace gives you a view not just over the bay but also over many of Helsinki's landmarks such as Torni, Opera, Finlandia Talo and the National Museum.of Finland.

Get a good cup of hot coffee or tea and enjoy the scenery. The best time might be during the evening hours between 17.00 and 19.00 when you can watch the sun set over the city. And if it gets to cold just grab one of the blankets.

Sinisen Huvila Kahvila is open daily from 10.00 till 22.00. Stop by as long as the weather still allows it.

Birgitta - summer terrace by the sea

The great weather doesn't seem to stop. If you don't have any lunch or after work plans you should head to Hernesaari and visit the new cafe and restaurant Birgitta.

Located right next to the sand beach Birgitta is the perfect summer hangout. Sit down on the summer terrace, smell the salty sea air and watch the boats entering and leaving the harbor.

But it's not only the location that makes Birgitta a great place to be on a warm day. Their offering is as well. To keep a cool head get an iced latte, a cold lonkero or cider or one of their delicious homemade fruit juices. Getting hungry? Go either for some tasty pastry or check out what their food from the grill. A nice burger with potato wedges might fit well with your cold drinks.

Birgitta is open daily from 9:00 till 22:00. Between 11:00 and 14:30 they also serve lunch. Check it out and enjoy the wonderful summer day!

Töölö's exhibitionists

No, this post is not about people running around naked in town. Nor is the wonderful small café in Töölö with the peculiar name The Exhibistionists.

But it is a place you should pay a visit to. The Exhibistionists on Museokatu has room for just a few customers but is dedicated to making their stay as cozy and comfortable as possible. While listening to French music from the loudspeakers feel free to grab one of the books from the shelf and let your thoughts travel. The occasional sip on a cup of good, freshly brewed coffee makes that experience even better.

The Exhibtionists is also a good choice for a bite in the morning. They serve breakfast every day of the week and on the weekend also offer brunch. For breakfast you can just drop by any time. Make sure to make a reservation for the weekend brunch though. As mentioned the seats there are limited so they need to know how many people are coming.

Give it a try!

Beach feeling at the ferris wheel

With the new Finnair SkyWheel another new attraction came to Helsinki: Allas. The terrace is located right next to the wheel and makes Katajanokka a more attractive place to visit.

This year Allas is a pop-up where containers function as café and ice cream parlor. The terrace itself offers several grass areas with comfortable wooden chairs to sit down and enjoy drinks and snacks. From here you have a great view over Kauppatori, the ships in the harbor and some small islands. Watch the ferries to Stockholm leave while having a cold beer, wine or cider.

You can already look forward to next year. During the fall and winter Allas will change into a permanent café and restaurant. Along with it a pool at the waterfront will be built. 

But for now enjoy the great beach club atmosphere at Allas (which btw means "pool" in Finnish) during the summer days. Allas is open daily from 9:00 to 24:00 and on Fridays and Saturdays even till 2:00.

Lonna, the new island

This summer Helsinki opened a new island to the public. Lonna might be small but is a wonderful place to go on a sunny day. The former military island is still undergoing some mayor rennovation but most buildings and the rocks surounding the island.

To get to Lonna you need to take a boat from Kauppatori. The JT Line brings you there. You get a ticket from their small blue ticket office. You might be surprised that Lonna is not mentioned on any of the signs and timetable but their ferry going to Suomenlinna (not the from HSL) makes a stop at Lonna as well. Return tickets are 7 €.

On the island you can visit both the new cafe and restaurant that are residing in one of the old storrage buildings now. In the big yard you can also sit outside if you like. On the summer weekends they have quite often have parties in the yard with DJs and delicious bbq snacks.

But you don't have to visit them to enjoy Lonna. Head to the rocks facing Helsinki. This is just the perfect picnic place and it has an amazing view towards the city. Stay till the evening to see the sun slowly go down over the city.

Don't miss it!

Movies in the yard

The weather is excellent. Time to spend your whole day outside. Movie theaters are something for rainy days, right?

Or you just combine those two and add a good glass of wine and maybe some delicious pastry. Then you get Kesäkino Engel. During the summer till late August Cafe Engel and Kino Engel turn their small yard into a summer cinema, combining the best those two places have to offer. Get your drink together with a small snack from the cafe and get comfortable in one of the chairs outside. Should it get to chilly then just grab one of the blankets.

The movies, like in Kino Engel, are rather alternative and mainly from Europe. If you don't speak Finnish then be sure to choose one where a language you understand is spoken. You can find their program and more information on the movies on their website.

Drinks and coffee on the boat

The forecast for this weekend and the upcoming days looks really good. Seems like summer is finally arriving in Helsinki. Looks like the perfect weather to spend more time on the summer terrraces.

But what about rather sitting on the sun deck of an old steam boat to enjoy your drinks in the sunshine? At Nikolai II that's possible. The boat that was built in Helsinki in 1903 serves as a cafe and restaurant since the 1980s. After having served as a tourist cafe at Kauppatori for several years it's new owners moved it to Hietalahti. Now Nikolai II is more targeting towards locals.

And they have a lot to offer. On four decks you can sit either in or outside and can experience the athmosphere of the boat no matter how the weather is. They are both a cafe and bar. So stop by to have a good cup of coffee, a fresh squeezed fruit juice or some delicious pastry or come for a beer or wine in the evening.

Nikolai II is a great summer place to go. So check it out and have a nice weekend!

Coffee or Bear?

There are tons of cafés in the Kallio area. One of the most unique and original is probably the Kulmakahvio though. It is a gay café located at the corner of Karhupuisto and it welcomes of course everyone.

The interior is something. The whole place is filled with pictures, postcards and other decoration hanging from the wall or standing on the table. The bright colors give the place a happy and cozy feeling.

Choose your favorite among their long list of great coffees and other hot drinks. And of course get one of their delicious pastries on the side.

Give it a try!