Eating well in Finland - 4 restaurants around Turku

Can you eat well in Finland? What do you think of when you hear "Finnish food"? I guess I used to think of Karelian pies, carrot box or maybe some bland everyday meat and potato dish. But now I know that Finnish cuisine has more to offer than that.

We present the four best restaurant experiences during our trip to southern Finland. What are your experiences with Finnish food and do you have any favourite restaurants in our eastern neighbour?

Table of contents

Hjalmar's restaurant & pub in Korpo

We never actually visited Hjalmar's restaurant & pub in Korpo, but we got to taste their food when we visited Hotel Nestor in Turku archipelago. For lunch we got to taste a really good whitefish cooked in packages with cheese and mushrooms, and served with baked root vegetables, salad and archipelago bread. Not complicated in any way, but sooo good!

Sik i paket från Hjalmar's restaurant & pub i Korpo — Whitefish in packages from Hjalmar's restaurant & pub in Korpo

Restaurant Köpmans in Nagu

We didn't actually visit the Köpmans restaurant in Nagu either, but we were served food from their restaurant when we spent an evening in a cottage in the neighbourhood of Nagu. Here we got a super good 4-course menu with fish soup, pancake with roach mousse, pike burger and lamb burger with summer salad and finally a pancake with rhubarb and white chocolate.

Äta gott i Finland: Pannkaka med rökt mörtmousse, kallrökt lax, inlagd gurka, marinerad rödlök — Pancake with smoked roach mousse, cold smoked salmon, pickled cucumber and marinated red onion

Gäddburgare och lammburgare med hembakad skärgådslimpa, ouzosås, fetaost, inlagd gurka och havtornssenapssås vid sidan om: sommarsallad med husets havtornsvinegrette eller potatissallad med senap — Pike burger and lamb burger on homemade archipelago loaf with ouzo sauce, feta cheese, pickled cucumber and summer salad with sea buckthorn vinaigrette.

Restaurant Kaskis in Turku

By far the most luxurious restaurant we visited during our stay in Finland was Kaskis in Turku. If you want to eat well in Finland, don't miss a visit here! The restaurant has been ranked as one of the best in the country and has been labelled "Masterclass" in the White Guide Nordic, which lists the best restaurants in the Nordic region.

We tried the 6-course menu available at the restaurant, and it was an exciting experience among creative dishes! Perhaps most surprising was starter number 2: a tiny and delicious kebab in bread. When was the last time you had a kebab in a fine dining restaurant? The first main course consisted of fish with Asian flavours and the second main course consisted of delicious reindeer fillet.

Äta gott i Finland: Förrätt med bland annat rökt lax, syltad lök och avokadokräm — Starter including smoked salmon, pickled onions and avocado cream

Renfilé med potatispuré och grönkål — Reindeer fillet with potato purée and kale - if you want to eat well in Finland

Restaurant Haltia in Espoo

Finally, we want to mention the Haltia restaurant in the Haltia Nature Centre in Espoo. We ate one of their group menus, and it was awesome! We were served four dishes: gravlax on archipelago loaf, fried chanterelles, pheasant breast with nettle and parsnip puree, and apple pie with rose petal ice cream.

If you come to Haltia in a small group or haven't ordered in advance, you'll have to stick to their regular menu, which hopefully isn't bad either.

Äta gott i Finland: Fasanbröst med nässel- och palsternackspuré — Pheasant breast with rowanberry sauce, nettle and parsnip purée and roasted root vegetables

More tips for Finland

Finland has a lot to offer, ranging from beautiful cities like Helsinki and Turku, to beautiful nature and historical sites such as Turku Castle. Below you will find all our articles on Finland.

26 January 2016 7:55 am

Finland

exotic food, fish & shellfish, restaurants

Helena

Administrator

20 Comments

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anita wag agrimanaki says:

I love your food pictures and food experiences (in all posts, not just this one). The roach mousse...was it good? The ouzo sauce sounded really Greek-inspired.

26 January 2016 - 8:27

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Lennart says:

I have visited Havis Amanda in Helsinki many times, favourite turbot!

I have also eaten the best liver stew of my life in Helsinki, but I don't remember the name of the restaurant.

Finnish cuisine is also exciting!

26 January 2016 - 8:54

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Jennifer - Swedish globetrotter in Helsinki says:

Exciting restaurants you got to visit! I didn't go to many restaurants when I lived in Turku actually, as I was a student then 😉.
But I remember liking Tårget!

There are lots of exciting restaurants in Helsinki! I have visited Pastor and it's great except for the rather poor service.

By the way, I love Finland's range of rye bread (even the burgers at their fast food outlets are sold with rye bread as well).

Things I think are less good: Valio's milk, the semlor (which I wrote about last year at this time): http://jennifersandstrom.se/2015/01/27/finland-gor-semlor-fel/ and got some criticism for it, woopsie) and their range of sweets (hehe, but maybe it's just as well).

26 January 2016 - 9:33

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Role o Carina says:

Wow, what a wonderful Gourmé trip you are on!
Now I became insanely hungry 🙂 .

Have fun and enjoy....

26 January 2016 - 10:02

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Ditte says:

Such delicious and inspiring food pictures and what wonderful restaurants you visited. We were now, up here at 11,000 metres, inspired and are planning a trip to the Åland archipelago this summer. We know the Åland archipelago and we have visited it many times and we have also visited the Turku archipelago a bit, but that was a long time ago. Turku and Helsinki have more often received quick visits.
In Helsinki I have a favourite travel restaurant and it is "Havis Amanda" and also the market hall there offers nice food visits.

I didn't think much of Finnish food either, nor of Estonian food, but a lot has happened.

26 January 2016 - 10:32

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Ama de casa says:

My experience of Finnish food is virtually non-existent. I haven't spent much time in Finland at all.
What a lot of good food! Though the roach mousse sounded like it would crackle with bones... There are a lot of bones in that fish... 😉.

26 January 2016 - 10:48

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Alexandra says:

For me, fish soup is very Finnish. My grandmother and grandfather are from Finland (high up in the Tornado Valley) and fish soup was what they almost always ate. And smoked sieve. I think of Finnish food as hearty and robust hehe.... Which it may also be up in northern Finland where I have mostly been.

26 January 2016 - 10:21

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BP says:

My God, soooo good! Oh what wonderful pictures! I have never eaten roach, I don't even know what the fish looks like.
In Finland I ate bear for the first time. Incredibly good. Don't remember the name of the restaurant though.

26 January 2016 - 14:09

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Annika says:

WHAT fun that you were also so much in Swedish Finland. I am also there in the summers, but in Ostrobothnia!
LOVE Finnish bread! Almost the best in the world. You can't get boring bread in Finland.
Like carrot and swede box at Christmas. Memma at Easter (long time since I ate it now).
Otherwise I don't know? I think you eat like at home in Sve, more or less.
Like the ham in Finland, and their medwurst, like their soft drinks (Hartwall especially), bread, fried doughnuts (pigs they are called). Sweden has better sweets and cheese, I think.
Great to read about your experiences in Finland!

26 January 2016 - 16:25

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Mr Steve says:

I have no particular experience of Finnish cuisine, but it seems that Finland has also created a high quality cuisine.

I would have loved to taste that whitefish dish.
Roach mousse, innovative to the max.

26 January 2016 - 17:24

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Mr Lars Permelin says:

Those portions look really tasty, it's probably possible to be full and satisfied even in Finland.

26 January 2016 - 18:55

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Comment by post author

admin says:

Anita, how nice to hear that you like our food pictures! 🙂 The steaks were a bit Greek-inspired for sure and yes, the roach mousse was good!

Lennart, how nice that you have a favourite restaurant in Helsinki! Turbot sounds good! You (I) don't eat liver very often, but it can be good if it is well prepared.

Jennifer, fun with restaurant tips in Helsinki! We barely had time to visit any restaurants there, but maybe another time! Agree that the bread is super good. What they called "archipelago bread" was yummy yummy. And haha, I understand that you may have stepped on a sore toe when it comes to the buns 😉.

Rolle and Carina, now we've come home again, but we got a lot of good food in Finland (and a lot of grilled sausages too, haha) 🙂 ).

Alexandra, we got fish soup more than once during the week so it feels right then! Sik, pike and perch we also got, such fish that you (I) do not eat very often otherwise.

Ditte, but what fun if we inspired you to the Turku archipelago! In fact, we've almost been inspired to go there again ourselves, but at a different time of year and perhaps on a longer trip. Funny by the way that you recommend the same restaurant as Lennart. Next time we visit Helsinki, we will definitely make a visit there!

Ama de casa, we have not been so much in Finland actually, just a few short trips a long time ago. And the roach mousse was soft and nice 🙂.

BP, Björn was very special! I have never eaten it. The roach mousse was good, but before that I have probably only heard that roach should be a bony little fish 😉.

Annika, I agree that the bread was super tasty. I loved what they called archipelago bread! Really nice that you tell about your experiences from Finland and the food in Finland!!!

Steve, the whitefish was great! When I ate it, I thought that I have to have mushrooms with fish more often, soooo good!

Lars Permelin, obviously it went very well! 🙂

26 January 2016 - 22:42

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Ulla & Torgny says:

A bit surprising.......you never hear that Finland is included anywhere, in terms of food, cookery books or any other awards. Of course, there is good food there too....maybe it should be recognised more....nice reports..........

26 January 2016 - 23:06

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Comment by post author

admin says:

Ulla & Torgny, I can agree, have not heard much about the food in Finland. But there is at least really good food in some places! 🙂

27 January 2016 - 7:25

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Veera Bianca says:

THAT REINDEER <3

27 January 2016 - 21:22

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Maria says:

Nice that Finland delivered in terms of food too! 🙂 Usually people like to highlight all the CONSTITIOUS things that many Finns wouldn't even eat themselves, like blood sausage, blood porridge, kalakukko (fish in bread) etc. ....! A lot of soups are traditionally part of Finnish cuisine, but I don't think many young people cook soups nowadays, so we'll see if it's something that disappears gradually, or if it gets a new boost after a while! I never really cook anything typically Finnish myself, but cook more international dishes.

27 January 2016 - 21:34

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Comment by post author

admin says:

Veera Bianca, the reindeer of the year! 🙂

Maria, haha, yes, sometimes it can be fun to highlight "strange" dishes, but you might as well do that in Sweden in that case! I guess a lot of everyday food is similar in Sweden and Finland, and today a lot has to be done quickly and you get a lot of inspiration from other cultures as well. We ourselves like soups and cook a lot actually, such as fish soup, goulash and various vegetable soups 🙂.

28 January 2016 - 9:52

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Steel city anna says:

I think of dark bread... These were exciting dishes! Looks delicious.

31 January 2016 - 1:46

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Caroline King says:

Wow. Everything looks really good! haven't thought that Finnish food could be like that at all 🙂 .

02 February 2016 - 11:47

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Aaa says:

There are probably very different foods in different parts of Finland! The archipelago food is unique. Bread is good all over the country and you can get it fresh every day. Sausages are better than Swedish ones. So are many pastries. Liquorice is the best in the world. I wonder what I would miss from Sweden if I moved back to Finland, I'm sure it's a lot!

15 February 2016 - 20:02

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Eating well in Finland - 4 restaurants around Turku

Hjalmar's restaurant & pub in Korpo

Restaurant Köpmans in Nagu

Restaurant Kaskis in Turku

Restaurant Haltia in Espoo

More tips for Finland

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20 Comments

anita wag agrimanaki says:

Lennart says:

Jennifer - Swedish globetrotter in Helsinki says:

Role o Carina says:

Ditte says:

Ama de casa says:

Alexandra says:

BP says:

Annika says:

Mr Steve says:

Mr Lars Permelin says:

admin says:

Ulla & Torgny says:

admin says:

Veera Bianca says:

Maria says:

admin says:

Steel city anna says:

Caroline King says:

Aaa says:

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