Cowboy Lunch

Searching for a new lunch experience? Then head to Shanghai Cowboy for a change. The offer one of the probably best lunches you can find in Helsinki.

At the cozy restaurant below König in the city center you get everything you could wish for for an amazing lunch. As a starter five delicious and fresh salads are waiting for you. The main dishes are changing daily and introduce you into the Mexican fusion kitchen Shanghai Cowboy is famous for. But don't take too much. Otherwise you might miss out on the outstanding dessert.

The Cowboy lunch is 10,10 € and is served on weekdays from 11 to 15.00. Give it a try!

Eat with the firefighters

Are you searching for a real lunch gem? Then check out Pompier. It is well hidden in a backyard on Albertinkatu and extremely popular amongst locals.

The owners took over a 150 year old former firefighter club house and turned it into now one of the most original lunch restaurants in Helsinki. Grab some good home made Finnish food together with some delicious salads from the big buffet and sit down at one of the old wooden tables in the big canteen like room.

Pompier is definately wort the visit. And the food is great. The restaurant is open only on weekdays from 11 until 14:00. Be prepared to queue for a few minutes before getting in.

Casual, central and delicious

Are you searching for a casual place with good beer and decently priced but delicious food? Then come to Café Bar 9. It's located on Uudenmaankatu and the perfect place for a filling lunch or a casual dinner.

Café Bar 9 offers a selection of sandwiches, burgers, pasta, wok, salads and soups for. Mains are around 10 - 18 € and the portions are always quite big. So don't worry about having to leave hungry. One of their all time favorites that made this place favorite is their Pollo Limonello Pasta.

But even if you are not hungry you can alsoways drop by just for a drink and watch people pass by outside on the street.

Give it a try and enjoy!

Lunch at the Street Kitchen

Do you happen to be in the city center for lunch and are just up for some easy take away food? Then check out Street Kitchen. The new food shop in the rennovated Aikatalo has probaly exactly what you are looking for. 

From jumbo sandwiches to fresh salad and smoothies they have a huge selection of fresh food you can choose from. At the moment they even have a special offer for their sandwiches of just 3.95 €. Quite a decent price.

Check it out and enjoy!

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!

Lunch on the sunny terrace

The weather is beautiful outside and you have to sit in the office? Then try to get at least some sunshine during your lunch break. If you are one of the many people working at Keilaniemi or Otaniemi you might want to try out Ravintola Keilalahden Ranta.

You get an amazing lunch buffet with a wide slection of salads, bread, meat and vegetarian dishes. Each day they have another fresh smoothie included in the buffet. All together for 10 €. Which might be much compared to other lunch places. But for what you get there, especially qualitywise it is a really good deal.

The best part about Keilalahden Ranta is the big sun terrace with seats in the sun or the shade. From there you have a great view over the Keilaniemi bay.

Check it out!

Lunch at Bronda

Are you up for something a bit out of the ordinary for today's lunch? Then an excellent choice would be Bronda, the new restaurant of Tomi Björk (Farang, Gaijin, Bulevard Social).

The modern European restaurant on Esplanadi is already design wise worth the visit. Bronda has a timeless yet welcoming and cozy interior and a very surprising architecture. In difference to the neighboring Kasarmikatu that ascends towards Kasarmitori the restaurants stays on an even level which gives it a unique look. But Bronda is of course mainly about the food and not the look.

And that is, as expected from BW restaurants, exquisite. For lunch you can go with a single main dish (around 18 to 20€) or chose a two (25€) or three (29€) course menu. You can choose from three starters, three mains and two deserts. The lunch offers are changing constantly. They give a good first impression of what Bronda has to offer also for later visits for dinner.

As Bulevard Social also Bronda is oriented mainly towards the Southern European kitchen. Bronda impressed with fresh and pure ingredients and a very skilled way of both preparing and presenting the dishes.

The lunch menu is highly recommendable and especially the desserts are amazing. But come hungry. The portions are surprisingly big and size wise one main dish would probably be enough.

All together Bronda offers an outstanding quality. It lacks the surprise aspect of Farang and Gaijin though. For a wonderful lunch or dinner experience it is definitely a save bet though.

By the way you can also just come to Bronda for drinks. A big part in the front of the restaurant is reserved for the bar.

Sandwich at StreetGastro

It is amazing how well a sandwich can taste if it's well made. And the guys at StreetGastro now that really well. At three different locations around Helsinki they sell their "premium street food" as they call it. And that is no exaggeration.

StreetGastro focuses purely on sandwiches. In fact they only have four different kinds on their menu: Possu (pork), Kana (chicken), Härkä (beef) and Vege (vegetarian). And you can't make a wrong choice. All of them are really good. With a delicious bread and lots of fresh lettuce and vegetables they these sandwiches make for an excellent snack and even a decent lunch.

More information on StreetGasto, their locations, opening times and menu can be found from their website.

Enjoy!

Rolls for lunch

Any plans for lunch yet? What about some filled rice paper rolls? The perfect place for that is Rulla. They have a wide selection of rolls with different exciting fillings. Pick a meal of three, four or five rolls accompanied with one of two delicious daily salads. And don't forget the dip for your rolls. Everything here is fresh. And you can taste that. The food is great, really delicious and makes you full without feeling stuffed afterwards. 

The small restaurant in Yrjönkatu is sharing its premises with Nudge. That means that you can not only have a really nice lunch in a cozy atmosphere. You can also find sustainable products from small local shops that sell cosmetics, children's clothing and Finnish design.

Milk for lunch

A fresh glass of milk - that's what makes a perfect lunch. Milk being part of lunch seem to be a Finnish tradition. At least for me milk was always a breakfast thing and not really something to drink later.

At Finnish canteens you will always find a big selection of different kind of milk (at least low fat and fat free) together with some fresh piimä (buttermilk) though. And it is a great thing to go with a tasty warm meal during your break.

If you didn't dare to give it a try yet you should. Have a nice day and a relaxed lunch break.

Lunch at Maya's

Do you happen to be around Punavouri around the lunch time? Then check out Deli Café Maya for some really good and delicious food. The small deli is located on Punavuorenkatu one blog away from Iso Robertinkatu.

It is really quite small and the interior is kept really simple. But Deli Café Maya has everything you need for a good lunch. First you choose your main dish from one of the daily offers. They always have something vegetarian. Along with the main dish which is prepared for your and will be brought to your table (quite rare in Helsinki) comes a great salad and appetizer buffet. Also a soup is included.

When you're done, take your time for a cup of coffee and maybe a small piece of cake if you like. All included in the price of course.

Check it out!

Little Big Lunch

In case you are in the Jätkäsaari or Ruoholahti area during lunch check out Little Big Cafe at Verkkokauppa. It's a great small place that has quite nice lunch offers. You can either decide on one of the three normal lunch offer of which one is always either a salad or soup. Otherwise get one of their delicious pies, sandwhiches or especially hot dogs that come in many different kinds.

They also have nice deserts if you are up for something sweet afterwards.

During the winter you can only visit their cafe on the second floor. In spring they also open an outside take-away that offers some other food as well.

So check it out now and again when the snow is gone.

Dim Sum and tea

There are hundreds of Chinese restaurants out there. Most of them have quite similar and unspectacular food. But there is something new in town that makes Chinese food something special again.

Natural Flavour Tea House in Aikatalo is not just a place to have exotic tea. They also serve Dim Sum (Chinese dumplings). Normally three or four dumplings come together in a small basket and come with different fillings like pork, chicken, shrimp, fish or vegetarian mix. Natural Flavour Tea House is more of a lunch than a dinner place. But the Dim Sum also works well as a snack in between. Especially together with a nice cup of Chinese tea of your choice. Check out their lunch offers. They might be a bit higher than usually in Helsinki but are worth their price.

Check it out and enjoy!

Organic, fast and yummy

On the lowest floor of Kluuvi kauppakeskus you find the organic fast food restaurant Armas Pikaruokala. And don’t let the word fast food scare you away. The only reason why it is suitable here is because the kitchen is really fast.

You can choose from a whole list of delicious meals that range between 7 and 10 Euros. And believe me you get your money’s worth. The stuff you get here is not just organic but also damn tasty. And the portions are big enough to keep your hunger away for quite a while.

Coffee and several flavors of tea are included in the meal. And for very little extra money you can get home backed cookies and other pastry.

After your meal at Armas Pikaruokala take a few minutes to stroll through the organic supermarket Eat&Joy Maatilatori. They have a wide selection of local and ecological products.

Both places are worth a visit. Enjoy!

A Picnic break

There are lots of good lunch places in Helsinki. But sometimes you rather want it to go fast and just want to have a snack in between. You can then either decide to go for kebab, pizza or a burger or maybe rather go for something more wholesome.

Picnic has branches in whole Finland and offers a nice variety of good and quick food. They have daily changing soups and pasta dishes. You will also find delicious sandwiches and salads. Or try their baked potatoes and maybe a fresh smoothie as a dessert.

For more information on their menu and to find out where your closest Picnic is visit their website.

The Mediterranean Krog Madame

After the well know Ravintola Martta closed a while ago the new Krog Madame opened in the same location. Former café Martta was turned into a bar and also the restaurant part got a complete make-over. The now called bistro specializes in the Mediterranean kitchen and also has daily changing lunch offers. For 9.70€ the lunch includes a large salad buffet and table service which is quite uncommon (especially during lunch time). You can choose from four different dishes (meat, fish, vegetarian or soup).

Every night from Wednesday to Sunday from 17:00 till 02:00 it’s time for karaoke and cocktails at Krog Madame. Should you prefer it a bit more quiet in the evening then visit the bar & café area.

Salad at the theater

The Swedish Theater is one of the most prominent buildings in Helsinki. Situated between Mannerheimintie and Esplanadi the beautiful white building is easy to spot from everywhere. On the Esplanadi side it hosts Ravintola Teatteri which amongst other things offers amazing salads in their Wine & Deli area.

Those salads are probably among the best and popular ones in the center. Especially around lunch time you can have long queues here. So try to come a bit earlier or later to get your salad.

You can choose from a salad bar and pick two or more toppings. The basic salad already has lettuce, tomatoes and a piece of watermelon. Take e.g. the mango flavored chicken breast with some feta. And pick your favorite sauce as a dressing. You can also go with a traditional Caesar Salad with either chicken or shrimps.

Salads start from 9,70€ and Wine & Deli is open Mondays through Fridays from 9:00 to 22:00 and Saturdays from 11:00 to 22:00.

Best falafel in town

If you want to try real good falafel there is no way around Fafa’s. Their diner in Iso Robertinkatu is already well known and always crowded. Recently they opened a second place in Kallio on Vilhovuorenkatu. This one is pretty small but also offers the same amazing food. And it’s as fresh as it gets since here they also bake the bread that is used in both diners.

To make the waiting easier they always serve a small snack of olives and roasted bread. But keep some hunger left for the main dish. It’s great! Go e.g. with the Falafel & Halloumi. Of course you can also get your pita with kebab meat.

Enjoy!