A pint at Kitty's

The weekend is here! Time to leave work and reward yourself for a hard week of work with a tasty pint of beer.

And how about enjoying it with friends in a cozy booth, dim light and a friendly bar atmosphere? Sounds good? Then head over to Kitty's Pub right in the city center.

At Kitty's they have everything you expect of a good English pub: a good selection of beers on tap, a decent whiskey collection and lots of cozy corners to enjoy your drink.

Give it a try and have a good start into the weekend!

Hell's Steam

If you don't know where to go tonight and want to try something a bit different from the usual then check out Steam Hellsinki.

The place at Kamppi opposite of Teerenpeli has changed name and concept regularly over the past years but for a couple of months now draws attention as the cities first steampunk bar. And it is definitely worth a visit.

With an eye for details the owners have put a lot of effort into sticking to the steam punk theme. Everything fits perfectly together. The bar over which a huge zeppelin hovers, the steampunk/jazz music, the decoration items in each corner, the waiters' outfits and even the bathrooms.

And if you are into gin then have a look at their extensive gin selection.

Give it a try and enjoy a cool and relaxed evening at Steam Helsinki! There is a coat charge at the entrance of 3 €.

Small bird, huge variety

Are you up for a drink tonight? Maybe a beer or a whiskey? Then head to Pikkulintu in Eastern Helsinki. The small pub in Puotila is know all around Helsinki for its excellent beer and whiskey selection. 

Choose one out of 14 beers on tap. Like e.g. the famous and hard to get Siperia Imperial Stout brewed in Tampere. Or try one of their over 100 different whiskeys. Let the bartender help you with your choice since you most likely will loose the overview pretty fast. You can also go for one of their beer or whiskey tastings. For more information check out their website or give them a call.

Pikkulintu is by the way one of the very few independent pubs in Helsinki that are not part of any of the big retail and restaurant chains.

Enjoy and have a great Saturday night!

Loosen up for the weekend

The week is almost over and the weekend ahead. Do you already have plans for the evening? Maybe some after work drinks in the afternoon and later some live music?

Well, then you should head to Bar Loose. Located in Annankatu it is easy to reach from anywhere in the city center. Upstairs you can hang out with your friends and a cold beer from the tap. Bar Loose has good after work offers every day till 2 minutes before midnight.

Later you can go downstairs for one (or two) or their regular gigs. They have live almost every day except for Mondays and Tuesdays. Check out their program for the upcoming days and weeks.

Have a great weekend and a relaxed evening!

Mämmi beer

Easter time is close. And you can already get into the Easter mood tonight. Instead of the usual why not have a Mämmi beer for a change tonight. Yes, you can make beer from this traditional black rye based Easter dish. And it's quite nice. 

It's called Laitilasta Kievari Mämmi and you can get it e.g. at Stone's at Keskuskatu fresh from the tab. Give it a try!

Super Sunday at Stone's

Sunday is normally not really the day to go out. That is why Stone's in Keskuskatu started the Super Sunday. Every Sunday starting from 20.00 selected beers and ciders (all 0.5l and not just the standard stuff but really good micro brewery products) as well as three different shots are just 4 Euros for the rest of the night. On Sundays they close at midnight.

That's a pretty good offer for the center of Helsinki. So if you don't have any plans for tonight maybe give it a try. They also have really good burgers.

Helsinki Music Marathon

The Helsinki Music Marathon starts today. It is one of the first music festivals of the year in Helsinki. And the best thing is that it's absolutely free. On stages in six different bars and pubs around town dozens bands will perform for three days (until Saturday).

The gigs take place at Henry's Pub, Bar Loose, Base Bar, Hard Rock Café, Le Bonk and Pub Adjutantti. To see the whole program and find out who performs where and when check out the timetable from the official website.

Enjoy!

The light sign

At some later hour in a bar or pub the light might suddenly go off - just for a second. More mysterious even that this happens all over Finland all the time. A phenomenon that has to be explained to foreigners.

Well, when I arrived to Finland and first encountered the light sign I really though there was a power cut or something similar. But this is just the normal way in Finnish bars and pubs to show that the last round just started. After that you still have half an hour before the place closes. Soon after the light sign the music will be turned off and the ugly bright lights will be switched on.

Have a nice evening and enjoy the time till the light sign!

Always order from the bar

Especially among visitors and tourists I still see it quite often that they sit down in a pub or bar and wait for the waiter to take their order. Sometimes they might be lucky but in most cases they will just wait in vain.

In Finland it's not really common to serve drinks to the table. You'll have to get whatever you want from the bar yourself. If the order takes a while to prepare like a cocktail or so the bartender might be kind enough to bring you the drink later.

For those of you who haven't been to Finland before this might be good to know. 

Helsinki Music Marathon

Today the Helsinki Music Marathon starts today. For the third time now this event is being organized in cooperation with bars and restaurants around Helsinki.

Dozens of bands and singers will perform in seven locations in town during the next three days. The festival will be opened tonight at 19:00 at Sir Eino by Cherry and the Night.

The music varies from rock to funk, pop and blues and much more. And the best thing is: All gigs are for free. So check out the timetable on the Helsinki Music Marathon website and plan your next three evening.

There is a lot to see - and hear of course. So don’t miss it!

The favorite-place-finder

The Visit Helsinki blog just launched a cool new tool. It can help you find your favorite place in Helsinki. And that might be one you have never even heard of before.

It’s really easy. Go to www.visithelsinki.fi/favouriteplace and answer three short questions about what you’d like your favorite place to be like. The tool will then give you loads of great suggestions on how to spend an amazing weekend in Helsinki exploring new and interesting places that suit exactly your preferences.

If you participate you can even win a Helsinki travel package for four. So don’t wait and find your favorite places in Helsinki right away!

Cheers to the holidays!

The week is over. And most of you probably also have a longer vacation now till the end of the year. What better way to celebrate that than having a good beer at a nice pub? 

A good place for that is Kaisla (the straw). The pub at Kaisaniemi metro station is a cozy and welcoming pub with lots of space for small and large groups. And now that it’s cold, dark and windy outside it feels even nicer to sit down here with some friends and have a pint of tapped local Christmas beer from Helsinki’s Stadin microbrewery. Or do you rather fancy an international classic? Something from Belgium, Germany or the Czech Republic maybe? No worries, the bar tender will be able to help you with that.

Have a nice evening!

Let’s Kimble!

Do you know Kimble? It’s a board game for two to four players. And it’s a Finnish invention.

The concept is easy. Try to get your four counters once around the board into their save home. Be aware of the other players. They might send your counters back to their starting point. The dice you need to play that game is fixed in the middle of the board and to roll it you have to press the small plastic dome it’s covered by.

You will find Kimble in almost every pub in Helsinki. Or just get your own one.

Enjoy the game!

Happy Arthur Guinness Day!

Yes indeed, it’s just a commercial and just recently made up day by the Guinness brewery celebrating their founder Arthur Guinness. But anyway isn’t it nice to again have a good reason to visit one of the nice Irish pubs in Helsinki and enjoy a good pint of Guinness?

Arthur Guinness Day is actually celebrated today and tomorrow. So if you don’t find the time to go today there is still a chance to join in Friday night. Not just that in most pubs the Guinness is on special offer today. There are also lots of live music acts on today and tomorrow.

So check out O’Malley’s, Molly Malone’s, Parnell’s, Dubliner or whatever other Irish pub you have close by and enjoy a tasty Guinness.

Sláinte!

Pub on tracks

Did you know that Helsinki has the only pub tram worldwide? You can sit inside, enjoy your beer that comes fresh from the tap of the small bar inside the tram and watch the Helsinki city life as you are passing by. 

The so called Spårakoff operates on the normal Helsinki tram network and one tour takes 40 minutes. You can just hop on at one of the stops. A single ticket can be bought for 8 Euros (6 Euros with the S-Etukorti). It is otherwise also possible to rent the whole tram for a private party. More information on prices, timetables and stops can be found on the official website.