BBQ and music

Today is the second day of the Grillimaisteri tour on Narinkka. Apart from the main event, a grilling competition with prominent Finnish chefs in the jury there is much more happening today.

A great lineup of Finnish bands and singers is awaiting you with gigs from Roope Salminen ja Koirat, Sanni and many more. And don't worry about getting hungry when watching all that cooking. Throughout the day Lidl provides free grilled food like sausages and steaks for everyone. Be prepared to queue for a while though.

The event starts at noon and goes on until nine in the evening. Entrance is of course free. Check it out and have a nice Sunday!

Tapas time

The beauty of tapas is that they are the perfect food no matter how hungry you are. And luckily there are a few quite nice tapas place around in Helsinki.

One of them is Bar Teos in Töölö. Don't expect a fancy interior and outstanding design. But at Teos  you don't only get delicious but also really well priced tapas. It is up to you to select one of their tapas menus that include both hot and cold dishes or to create your own combination. You can of course also ask the waiter to substitute one of the menu dishes with something else.

Give it a try and enjoy!

Hauska laskiainen!

Today is Shrove Tuesday, or how they call it here in Finland Laskiainen. Did you already slide down the hill today at Kaivopuisto? Or did you skip that due to the rainy weather?

Well, in any case you shouldn't miss out on a delicious if also a little unhealthy laskiais pulla. The pastry with either jam or marzipan and loads of whipped cream can be bough at supermarkets, bakeries and cafes.

Enjoy and have a nice laskiainen!

Restaurant for less

Hungry and not up for cooking? Then head to one of the many restaurants participating in SYÖ! viikot again. Until Thursday this week you can find many good offers for main dishes all around town.

At participating restaurants you get selected dishes for just 10 Euros. A list of all offers and restaurants in Helsinki and other Finnish cities can be found on the City website.

Enjoy and have a nice week!

Off to the Christmas market

Helsinki's biggest and most beautiful Christmas market opens today. On the city's most prestigeous square, on Senaatintori, many small huts are waiting for Christmas fans to drop by.

You can find beautiful hand-made handicraft, delicious treats, warm drinks and a whole lot of Christmas atmosphere here.

The Tuomas Christmas market is open every day from 11:00 to 20:00 until December 22. Come and have a look!

Music and tasting

Today a late visit to the Hietalahden Kauppahalli might be a good idea. At 17:00 the first out of a series of several Musaa & Maistelua events will take place at the market hall.

At this special Saturday event its all about music and food. Taste declicious treats from the shops, restaurants, cafés and street food booths. To make the experience unique, We Love Helsinki invited some DJs to provide the venue with some suitable tunes. 

So have a snack, grab a drink, lean back and enjoy the evening! The event lasts until 22:00 and the entrance is free. Make sure to drop by!

Primula goes Skiffer

After being closed for a while the new renovated Primula opened again a couple of weeks ago. The renewed place comes also with a new concept.

Half of the location was turned into the Old Skiffer, a new gin bar by the owners of the Skiffer restaurants. The other half remained Primula which still offers delicious modern Scandinavian food which is now complemented with the famous Skiffer liuskas (pizzas).

Pay it a visit and dine in a stylish yet cozy sail style ambiance. And if you are still up for it, head over for a perfect gin or Skiffer's own brewed beer at the Old Skiffer next door.

Or go check out Primula for their brunch on Saturday and Sunday.

Healthy and fresh take-away soup

Soups are a new trend in Helsinki. And they are the perfect food to warm up on a cold fall day. Among the soup places in town is also a small new soup kitchen called LaSoupe. You find it on Eerikinkatu just a few blocks away from the city center.

LaSoupe has several fresh and tasty soups on offer every day. The selection varies daily but always has enough choices for everyone's taste.

The soups come in take-away cups for you to have on the way to work, town or just in between for a snack. Of course you can also eat them right there at one of the high tables though. 

Or try one of the owner's new specialties: Bone Broth. It is a hot soup-like drink made from stock and ginger. Ask for a tasting cup and give it a try.

Sushi and more for 10 €

Until this week's Thursday you can still enjoy dishes at various restaurants in town for only 10 €. SYÖ! is on again.

Have some burgers, Nepalese or Mexican food, pizza or some fresh sushi. New on the SYÖ! list is Kita, a Japanese restaurant on Eteläesplanadi. Here you get a nice delicious selection of different sushi or alternatively some beef noodles as a SYÖ! offer.

The list of all participating restaurants can be found on the City website. Enjoy!

Why join the navy when you can be a pirate?

Excellent question, right? And at the same time the name for a new bar in Kamppi at the corner of Annankatu and Eerikinkatu. At WhyJoin it is all about mixing. The specialize in smoothies and cocktails. And they definitely know what they are doing. Have a look at their menu. You will for sure find something that suits you. 

Should you wonder about the uncommon names of their drinks, such as Kalle, Victoria, Heini, Giovanni, well, those are the names of the people working in the advertising agency just on above the bar. A drink has been dedicated to each of them.

Not up for smoothies or cocktails? Then go for a good wine or beer. And if you are hungry, they also have pretty good sandwiches. So all together everything you need for a great night out.

WhyJoin is open on weekdays from 8:00 and on Satuday from 11:00 till late. Have a nice weekend!

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!

Midnight streetfood

Could there be anything better then a nice street snack after a night out in town? Of course there are tons of small grills all around town. But if you fancy something a bit more tasty and a bit less greasy you should head to the main station.

Apart from the established grills you find food trucks here every night of the week. And among them are some really good ones that you might know from the Helsinki Street Food Carnival already.

Give it a try and have a fun weekend!

Art goes Kapakka

Helsingin Juhlaviikot has a lot to offer. It also brought Art goes Kapakka back to town. This culture city event brings art to the best restaurants, bars and cafes around town.

Experience exhibitions, music, fashion, design, theater plays and much much more in some of your favorite drink or food spots. The program is filled with exciting events every day and still goes on until this Sunday.

And the best thing: all events are free of charge. Check out the official website for more information and enjoy the August in Helsinki!

Ravintolapäivä against wasting food

Today is Ravintolapäivä again. Did you already pick your favorite spots and food stands to go to? As always you can find a list of everything there is at the official website.

Restaurant Day is always special. But this time the people from Froodly have taken the event as an oportunity to do something against wasting food. The food from supermarkets that would otherwise been thrown away the day later and handed them to cooks of the pop-up restaurants for free.

The otherwise wasted food now makes for all kinds of great meals. For more information on the project check out their blog and their website.

Food from around the world

Would you like to try some English fudge, some Italian pastry, a spicy Nepalese dish or maybe a German bratwurst? Then head to Narinkkatori at Kamppi during the next days.

Until Sunday you can get delicacies from around the world here all day until eight in the evening.

Have a look and enjoy!

Deep fried heaven

If you have ever been to the Netherlands then you probably got to try their deep fried snacks sold at pretty much any corner. Well, now you can get those delicious treats in Helsinki as well.

Theun "Tomppa" Willems brought them from his home country to Finland. At his stand right next to the Finnair SkyWheel you can now get thick fries with ketchup, frietsauce (quite close to mayonnaise) and onions as well as other Dutch specialties such as also frikandel and even stroopwafels.

Check it out, give it a try and don't worry about the calories ;)

Chill out by the sea

Many restaurants, cafes and bars by the sea pop up during the summer months in Helsinki. Another new one joined this year and opened in Hernesaari.

Hernesaaren Ranta has a slightly different concept from most other places. Much like Allas you can find food and drinks here from several small kiosks that all offer something different.

No matter if you want to have a relaxed glass of wine or spoon some delicious ice cream by the sea you will find what you were looking for here.

There is even a free shuttle connection from the center leaving next to Ateneum at the full hour that gets you straight there. You can otherwise also take bus 14 from Kamppi.

Check it out and have a nice Sunday!

Iconic Finnish food you must try

There is some Finnish food you should definitely have tried. The most iconic ones have now been listed on Visit Finland.

Have a look at the delicious Finnish delights. Have you tried some or maybe already all of them? What's your favorite?

Street Gastro meat

One of the best places in town to get sandwiches is for sure Street Gastro. Their beef, pork, lamb or chicken sandwiches are just delicious.

But did you know that you can do them on your own at home now? At least the meat, probably the most important ingredient can now be bought from their bistros as well as from selected supermarkets. For information check out their website.

Have a nice start into the week!

Some Mämmi?

Have you had some mämmi over the Easter holidays yet? It's the probably most traditional Easter dish you can find in Finland. And it unfortunately has a bad reputation especialyl among foreigners.

But don't let the look scare you away. The brown rye mash might not look too appealing but it can be surpisingly good. And not all mämmis are the same. Some self made ones might really surprise you. Some even come with different tastes like vanilla or caramel.

And of course you should not eat mämmi just on its own but always with some cream and sugar on top.

So be brave enough and give it a try. You might be surprised.