Helsinki Dining Guide
 

Brothers and Sisters in RAR!,

This is the first in an ongoing thread related to dining in Helsinki.

As my career takes me to Finland on a regular basis, I have suffered through the pain of many poor choices in dining. I hope this list helps you avoid my mistakes. :) Not being included on the list means nothing, as I forget a lot of places and, frankly, I don't want to limit the possibility that you might have a horrific meal.

Thai: Villa Thai Restaurant, Bulevardi 28

First, Thai food. The best I've discovered so far is Villa Thai Restaurant at Bulevardi 28. It's off the 6 tram on the way toward the SAS Radisson Seaside, about halfway between the hotel and the Esplanade. The food was remarkably spicy by Nordic standards (I did, however, ask for it that way) and they managed to have the proper condiments and spices (normally, I've found a real lack of proper basil in European cuisine). Not open on Sundays.

http://www.villathai.com

Indian: Namaskaar, Bulevardi 6 A

Indian is right down the street at Namaskaar. I suggest the Thalis, which come in meat and meatless varieties. It's also off the #6 tram, right down the street from Villa Thai, though closer to the Esplanade.

http://www.namaskaar.fi

Russian: Saslik, Neitsytpolku 12

Across from the Russian Embassy, Saslik is a frequent destination on my travels. I highly suggest the bear, combined with a decent selection of ice cold vodka. The restaurant is rather cramped, so it makes escaping the Russian folk singers a bit difficult.

Note that this restaurant company has other branches serving Finnish and other cuisines, some of which I've eaten at, and seem to be equally as good.

http://www.asrestaurants.com/saslik/index.asp?lang=en

French: Michelle, Mikonkatu 4

Though I can't say I've tried all the French places in Helsinki, I can recommend this place as a reliable and tasty destination. The escargot are delightfully buttered and garlic'ed and the cuts of meat have been quite good. Dessert is worth it.

Again, note that this restaurant company has other branches serving Finnish and other cuisines, some of which I've eaten at, and seem to be equally as good.

http://www.ravintolaopas.net/michell...yId=30&lang=en

Irish: Molly Malone's, Kaisaniemenkatu 1C

I don't recommend the food, but the Guinness is generally fresh and the live music makes it for a good late night out.

http://www.mollymalones.fi/mollymalones_perus_en.html

Italian: Sasso, Market Square

Tasty Northern Italian cuisine, located off the market square at the end of the Esplanade. Good place for Martinis.

http://www.palacekamp.fi/etusivu.asp?rest=sasso&lang=fi

Finnish: G.W. Sundman's, Eteläranta 16

Excellent, High-End Finnish cuisine. The Krog downstairs is the same kitchen, but dining is al fresco and only in summer. Eat Rudolph, his friends and your favorite salted fish here.

http://www.royalravintolat.com/sundmans/index_eng.asp

Japanese/Sushi: Nori, Eteläranta 1

Next door is a good sushi place. Reasonably priced by Helsinki standards and very close to the fish market. Closed on Sundays.

Japanese/Sushi: Ichiban, Mikonkatu 8, 2nd floor

Another highly regarded sushi restaurant.

http://www.ichiban.fi/

Tex/Mex: Cantina West, Kasarmikatu 23

Though I always hesitate to recommend any European-based [Tex]Mexican, this is about as good as it gets in Helsinki.

http://www.ravintolaopas.net/cantina...Id=158&lang=en

International: Eatz, Mikonkatu 15

Got a group and can't decide what to eat or, alternately, crave low-maintenance comfort food? Try Eatz in the city center, across from the train station. Stay away from the American and Mexican cuisines, but the sushi (conveyor belt-style, though you can usually convince them to make off the menu) and Thai food aren't too bad, but not as good as the dedicated places listed above. It has a lively Australian themed bar upstairs and, frankly, we all know how the Aussies party.

http://www.ravintolaopas.net/eatz/ (Finnish only!)

That's it for the start. I will amend it as I remember/discover new places. Alternately, post your own suggestions or dispute mine.

Timothy

Have you tried the Santa Fe run by my good friend Henry? ( Also the proprietor of nearby Grande Grill and Dick Tracy's ) Henry has lived in the US for years and I don't know any other non-American person with as much love for stateside food than he has ( and it shows ; ). We've had long disputes about the right onions for burgers and equally important stuff when I've visited him in Helsinki.

Are you familiar with the restaurant owned by three young French gents about 30 kms west of Helsinki? I think it's called something along the lines of "The Three Musketeers". Had a dinner there last summer and it was quite nice despite of long waits between courses.

Edited: Well, actually it's called Arsene Flipo and also has a homepage: http://www.arseneflipo.fi/fr/

And one particularly enjoyable development: The Kamp Hotel whose culinary offerings were on the verge of dreadful ( and way overpriced considering the quality ) has finally outsourced the restaurants to local professionals. The Kamp Cafe ( upscale French bistro ), Kamp Club ( think caviar, oysters and champers ) and Yume ( Japanese Kaiseki ) all seem fairly promising. The Japanese chef of Yume is the longtime personal cook of the Japanese Ambassador so he should know what he´s doing.

OMG! :eek: Could there finally be a halfway decent Japanese restaurant in Helsinki? Any idea how stratospheric the prices will be?

Now if somebody would only open a Korean place and a Vietnamese joint...

Amen. I'll explore the Vietnamese angle on my next trip (I'm a total ho' for Pho), but I have to admit that I've not developed a taste for Korean, so y'all are on your own there.

Timothy

Well, I´ve thought of Kabuki as a fairly decent place despite of the somewhat dusty interior. As for Yume I´d expect prices be par with London as they are importing a lot of costly stuff like fresh tuna and premium sake.

I think there is at least one Korean place open but haven´t been there. Anyway, most Korean restaurants I´ve eaten at in Europe are not allowed to use at-table charcoal grills because of fire safety and ventilation regulations. Takes away a lot of the fun and taste.

A pho joint would get a warm welcome also from this corner. ^

I've always been really unimpressed with Kabuki... the appearance I actually kinda like, it's like a homey shokudo back in Japan, but the food just isn't that good and the prices are crazy. :(

Koto is run by Koreans, but it's a Japanese restaurant and even their yakiniku (which should be bulgogi in disguise) is pretty bad.

I believe it is about 70 euros for the kaiseki dinner set at Yume. Menu is available here.

There is a Korean place in Kruununhaka, on Mariankatu. They make some decent dishes. I kinda liked their kimchi jigae last time.

I posted a few restaurant recommendations in an earlier thread:
http://flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=551754
(the original thread includes links to the restaurants' homepages)

What comes to the restaurants mentioned by the OP, I have to say I only like Villa Thai and Ichiban out of them. Well, Sundmans is great too, but if you are going for that high price level, there are better options.

Maybe I should also correct my earlier recommendations... I had a dinner at Nokka very recently and was quite dissappointed with their food and indifferent service this time.

One interesting note about Demo, the restaurant mentioned by ORD Finn. I believe one of their cooks is always on rotation at FINDS ( http://www.finds.com.hk/ ), a Scandinavian restaurant in Hong Kong. While I haven`t eaten at either place, reviews have been consistently good at both locations.

Any current recs for the seasonal island restaurants?

I'm dining at one on Monday and will update then.

On to steak, where Helsinki is lacking behind many other cities in Europe, not to even mention the US. Would be room for any enterprising American chef to try his/her luck.

I think the consensus is that the spartan and diner type Grill Toro in the Tapiola suburb offers the best steaks around. The Johan Ludwig at the SAS Radisson Royal hotel and the classic Lehtovaara with their signature Couer de fillet provencale for two come close second.

Grill Toro
Louhentie 16, 02130 Espoo
Tel (09) 460 427
http://www.grillitoro.fi/

Johan Ludvig
Radisson SAS Royal Hotel,
Runeberginkatu 2, 00100 Helsinki
Tel: 020 1234 800 Fax 020 1234 646

Lehtovaara
Mechelininkatu 39, 00250 Helsinki
Tel: (09) 440 833 Fax (09) 454 0954

It's been years since we've been to Helsinki. We keep saying we'll go back, and this Helsinki culinary thread certainly whets our appetite.

I recall then that the Torni hotel had a small but very delightful restaurant ( we enjoy a salmon soup starter which still resides in our memories if not our stomachs to this day ). Has anyone been to the Torni recently? I also recall a summer beer garden outside the Torni ( O Malleys? ).

Back then, I was just learning Finnish and was not at all confident in the language. Yet my first "real " conversation in Finnish takes place in a Chinese restaurant where they spoke only Mandarin, Finnish, or a little German. Forced to operate in Finnish, I manage to get things done and I remember the irony of the moment when the first time I really use Finnish, it is not with a Finn, but with a Chinese waiter who has his own Sino-Finnish accent. I also recall that it was a very good meal, but also expensive ( $65 USD back in the days before the Euro is circulating).

Barry

The last time I ate at the main restaurant at Torni must have been in the 80'ies so cannot be of help regarding that. But both O'Malleys and the rooftop Atelje bar are still going strong as far as I know. O'Malleys offers a decent all day cooked breakfast, fish & chips and a few other pub standards so you don't have to go hungry there. There is an American Bar within the hotel as well, but I personally prefer the Hotel Palace for martinis & co.

Another traditional Brit style pub with a good drink selection ( including Real Ale ) is the nearby Angleterre, but I wouldn't encourage to try the prefabricated food. For rugby and cricket TV coverage, the Angleterre might be the premier spot in town. The Old Skipper's on the southern tip of Helsinki is another place to spend a nice "pub" evening with reasonably good food and drink ( and occasional live music ).

Lets' continue with fish and seafood. Now this is one category where Helsinki truly shines:

Finnish fish:

Havis as successor to the legendary Havis Amanda ( "Daughter of the Baltic" ) and included in the splendid recs by ORD Finn.

Messenius
Messeniuksenkatu 7
Tel: (09) 241 4950
http://www.messenius.fi

This fine neighbourhood place outside the city centre is famed for the "catch of the day", often caught by the fishing enthusiast owners themselves. Also fairly good steaks for the carnivores amongst us.

Finnish fish and seafood:

Rivoli
Albertinkatu 38, 00180 Helsinki
Tel (09) 643 455 Fax (09) 647 780
E-mail: [email protected]

Traditional fine dining restaurant quite close to the Sas Royal and Scandic Simonkentta hotels. Specialities include oysters, shellfish and mussels in season ( this was the first place to import them at all ) and Zander in a onion and cream sauce trad style.

Carelia
Mannerheimintie 56, 00260 Helsinki
Tel (09) 270 90 976 Fax (09) 270 90 977

Finnish-Italian with a strong fish and seafood emphasis. Oysters and other seafood in Winter, local fish in the Summer season.

Fried herring with potato mash:

"Working class" fare similar to fish & chips in Britain and a mainstay in several Helsinki restaurants. Good versions can be found f.ex at Salve, Sea Horse, Elite, Kosmos and their luxury cousin at Savoy.

Crayfish:

From end of July until early September it's worthwhile to ask for crayfish menus and prices at many of the better restaurants in Helsinki. It's not cheap, you don't get full from the crayfish alone and there are many rituals involved but it should be tried at least once. Or try to sneak onto a corporate crayfish party guestlist, places are extremely coveted at some.

I second that choice. Chez Dominique is as good as or better than most two-star places around Europe. It is pricey, but worth it. Of the other Michelin-starred places, Sundmans is good, but I find George overpriced and their quality not that great.

Demo, recommended earlier, is a reliable choice and quite reasonable compared to CD.

Serata (in the corner of Bulevardi and Albertinkatu, near Villa Thai) has some good Italian food at pretty reasonable prices.

The French place out in the country mentioned earlier is called Arsené Flipo. It certainly is a curiosity, but the food is IMHO pretty mediocre -- you can find better in just about any neighborhood bistro in Paris.

If you are looking for simple, traditional and well-prepared fish, try Salve or Konstan Möljä, near Hietalahdentori. Especially their lunches are a good deal around 8 euros. No gourmet and no frills, but good fish.

For a traditional Finnish buffer lunch with a great view almost all the way to Tallinn (on a clear day), try Haikaranpesä (The Stork's Nest) in the Haukilahti water tower, about 15 minutes west of the city.

Cheers,
T.

And I'll third it -- one of the best meals I've had anywhere.

At the opposite end of the specturm is Ravintola VPK, which has the ambience and food of a 1950s school cafeteria. Their motto translates roughly as "Traditional food without useless trendy quackery", so if you want sausage and mashed potatoes -- and, of course, pea soup on Thursdays -- this is the place to go. Open for lunch only, fixed price 8,20e. Note that they're closed all July and will reopen in August.

Today's stop are ethnic restaurants - Helsinki style ;) :

Russian:

Bellevue
Rahapajankatu 3
00160 Helsinki
Tel (09) 179 560

The oldest Russian restaurant in Helsinki founded by emigrants from the Rodina in the turbulent year of 1917. Fitting location in the shadow of the Orthodox Uspensky Cathedral and a professional kitchen dishing out Russian trad favorites with a French twist.

Galleria Hariton
Kasarmikatu 44
00130 Helsinki
Tel (09) 622 1717

Interestingly enough the owner is an Orthodox monk ( leading a double life as respected Chef ) who has built a small monastery west of Helsinki. The kitchen is well aware of seasonal food and the Byzantine church calendar so be prepared for some pleasant surprises.

Wellamo
Vyokatu 9
00160 Helsinki
Tel (09) 663 139

Not strictly Russian, but a longtime favorite of both bohemians and the Orthodox community from nearby Uspensky Cathedral. Apart from the wonderful Russian dishes also lighter mediterranean fare is available.

Swedish/Scandinavian:

G18
Yrjonkatu 18
00120 Helsinki
Tel (09) 4281 2500

Newish restaurant in a museum setting offering Swedish home cooking and mediterranean dishes.

Karljohan
Yrjonkatu 21
00100 Helsinki
Tel 09-612 1121

Very nice restaurant opposite the Hotel Torni with Swedish and Finnish traditional cooking and keeping high standards. It's worthwhile to try the Scandinavian mushy pea soup ( and pancake dessert ) at Thursday lunches.

Stroget
Radisson SAS Royal Hotel,
Runeberginkatu 2
00100 Helsinki
Tel 020 1234 800

The inhouse restaurant at the SAS Royal has Scandinavian starters and some Danish and Swedish style sandwiches on the "international" menu.

I had a very pleasant dinner two years ago at La Petite Maison. Is it still open ?

Yes, it is still offering some of the best French cooking in Helsinki.
http://www.lapetitemaisonfinland.com/maison.htm

I was staying at Hotel Kamp about 2 weeks ago. Yume was an excellent Japanese restaurant, and prices were as bad as I thought even if it's inside the hotel. Service was excellent and interesting modern decoration. If you aren't sure what to have, the staff will gladly recommend you something, and something to drink with the food.

I didn't eat anything at the K Club was I got there at about 1am. At that time, it was a good modern bar, which is a good contrast with the more traditional hotel.

Funny thing though - the waitress at Yume popped up the next night serving at the ground floor bar. Must be an effort having to remember various dishes and the like for different nights.

I also went to a restaurant called Mecca, which serves modern Finnish food (mostly seafood). I'd the 'hot rock plate' where they give you a small fire and a pre-heated hot plate and you cook your own. It was very enjoyable.

While chatting with the waitress at Mecca, she noted that with the various places opening at Hotel Kamp, a few waitresses have gone over there to work. The pay is better and you work for Hotel Kamp's reputation.

Nice to hear a first hand account of the new Kamp restaurants. I do hope they will keep those high standards and improve. The Kamp eateries and Mecca are operated by the same company so the staff flow is natural.

Regarding Mecca, I haven´t been there but heard some things from my friend in the Helsinki restaurant business: They started ambitiously with an attempt to bring some NYC Meatpacking District flair into Helsinki but have recently had to adapt to local circumstances.

First they did away with lunches due to low attendance and more recently discontinued their consulting agreement with one of the most profilic chefs in town ( former Nokka, now Hotel Klaus K ) So signs point to profile change or closure...

Mecca is quite a nice place for sipping cocktails while lounging on the comfortable couches upstairs. They also (used to) have good DJs playing grooves there.

What comes to the food... The place started with a big buzz and a menu by Hans Välimäki (the chef and owner of Chez Dominique), but I have to say that even in the beginning I was not impressed by the food. And the place has definitely gone downhill. Well, in my opinion, doing fusion of Asian and Mediterranean cuisine (or whatever was their original idea) is very difficult and Mecca didn't even do a very good attempt. I think over the years I have had about half a dozen dinners at Mecca. The food was mediocore at its best. Portions were always tiny. But service was most of the time friendly, if somewhat slow usually (a very typical problem in Helsinki).

I haven't tried any of the new restaurants at the Kämp yet. I hope Palace restaurants do a good job there. I have to say I haven't liked their latest restaurants much at all. Sasso is quite terrible in my experience -- both food and service wise. Well, it is hard to like an upscale restaurant which causes food poisoning to your dinner companion (luckily I had meat instead of fish that time). Fishmarket in the basement of the same building is fine, but I find Havis much better in the same segment.

Sorry about complaining so much... I think I had one too many beers last night and I can feel it today :p

Mecca was a fusion of Japanese and American, wasn't it? Of course the menu probably has gone through a few adjustments since then.

My bad, of course the consultant at Mecca was the Chez Dominique chef and not the guy from Nokka.

It´s odd but I think the only chefs who are able to do proper fusion are nearly all of Asian origin or then exceptional "Westerners" who did their apprenticeship in Japan or elsewhere in the region. A Japanese cook in the fusion business will most likely have complemented his apprenticeship at home by a several years stint in France or the US whilst his Scandinavian colleague has maybe taken a few cooking classes in Bangkok.

Having written that, the Finnish guy running Nori Sushi and Raku Ya has also claimed all sorts of things regarding his time in Japan. My one and only experience at his establishments, going with a Japanese friend, ended in a grave disappointment for both of us...

Very true. The Japanese take all kinds of food very seriously. Some people claim that the best French restaurants are in Japan nowadays.

I remember vaguely reading an interview of Hans Välimäki in which he commented Asian cuisines. He said he likes Japanese cuisine, but finds Indian cooking a horrible mess of flavors (he probably used stronger words, which is his style). Of Chinese cooking he said that he doesn't know it. Anyway, he is brilliant with what he does at CD, but I guess he would have to spend 'a bit' more time in Japan to do decent Japanese or fusion cooking.

Yeah, I have similar experiences with his places. I expected a lot more from Raku Ya after all of his bragging.

Hopefully one of my business contacts will treat me at Yume soon :) I want to try it (more specifically their kaiseki dinner set) but the prices are too high for my own pocket.

It seems like CD is moving to a new location, Rikhardinkatu 4, and hence is closed until September 2006.

Not sure if these three have already been mentioned;

Kuurna, on Meritullinkatu 6, very small, closed until beginning of august (kind of proves the quality as they don't need tourists ;-)

La Petite Maison, on Huvilakatu 28, small as well, very french

Savoy, Eteläesplanadi 14, since 1930, nice view on top of the city, especially during summer time and winter with the christmas lights. This is the really finnish place (ingredients in food, athmosphere (plenty of original Aalto), friend and knowledged staff) to visit without any hints of tourist place.

Kuurna, in fact, is so small that their kitchen has problems with even medium-sized parties. Eight of us ate there some time ago and the kitchen simply could not cope with it (or they were otherwise having a bad day). Dishes arrived helter-skelter, meat was overdone on many occasions, etc. Furthermore, the atmosphere was downright greasy as the ventilation could not cope with grease from the kitchen (they have an open kitchen). Based on that one experience, I would not go back there, as there are many better options in Helsinki.

Cheers,
T.

I'm spending a whopping 19 hours in Helsinki tomorrow and on Friday so will try to check out the current crayfish and summer restaurant scene. ;)

Only private dining this time, but will update on late summer options in the next few days. Thursday´s night snack included juniper marinated whitefish, mustard and dill herring, new potatos and greek and zucchini & pea salads. Alsatian Riesling and Stolichnaja Vodka to accompany. Friday lunch was a trad salmon and whitefish soup, black bread and a glass of milk. :)

Sadly the seafood bar at the airport looks like a goner. :td:

Will probably write about the summer restaurants and crayfish during the weekend. For now just a OT post on the Japanese hit movie "Kamome Shokudo" ( The Seagull Eatery ) ( http://www.kamome-movie.com/english.html ) set in southern Helsinki. It´s a story of a middle aged Japanese lady opening a Nihon "shokudo" in Helsinki and her struggles and discoveries while trying to survive in a foreign environment.

The movie takes place in the premises of an actual restaurant, the Kahvila Suomi ( Cafe Finland ). It´s a basic but good lunch place for everyone near the massive shipyards, so you´ll be sharing tables with both blue collar workers and Japanese cinephile travellers.

Kahvila Suomi
Pursimiehenkatu 12, 00150 Helsinki
Tel (09) 657 422

Open mon—fri 7:00—18:00

We are in the midst of the 2006 crayfish season in all of Scandinavia ( and in China as I have had the pleasure to experience ;) ) and those little creatures of the sea will be in the spotlight for another month to come.

But remember, price wise they are near the foie gras and caviar league. One crayfish would be around four euros at the fishmonger and double that or more in Helsinki restaurants. So if you have ten crayfish as a starter, the bill per head will be closer to 100 euros from those alone. Add an entree and dessert plus wine and the total might be at 200 euros per head.

Ok, on to the summer venues for crayfish parties and nice al fresco dinners until mid September.

The Elegant:

NJK
Valkosaari, 00140 Helsinki
Tel (09) 639 261 Fax (09) 692 5010

This island yacht club restaurant is as old money as it gets in Helsinki. No surprises on the menu but French inspired Finnish haute cuisine from local ingredients. Wine list is predominantly French but Australian and Kiwi availability is also fairly good.

Kulosaaren Casino
Hopeasalmenpolku 1, 00570 Helsinki
Tel (09) 687 7060 Fax (09) 680 393 99

A traditional venue on the prosperous residential island of Kulosaari in the eastern suburbs. The menu is a little more varied although similar to NJK and as an additional plus you can take a cab instead of a boat back to your residence for the night. ;)

The Romantic:

Both of these restaurants are part of the Suomenlinna historical sea fortress.

Sarkanlinna
Sarkansaari, 00130 Helsinki
Tel (09) 1345 6756 Fax (09) 1345 6757

Very romantic historical setting and an ambitious fine dining menu. Fairly good French wines and Bollinger to accompany and strong on dessert wines as well. Unfortunately there is no hotel on the island so guests have to return to the mainland at some point...

Walhalla
Suomenlinna A10, 00190 Helsinki
Tel / Fax (09) 668 552

The menu is a mixture of Finnish classics and mediterranean fare while the wine list is bit more more modest than at other similar establishments in Helsinki. But for location and atmosphere this place is almost unbeatable. There is also a cheaper Pizzeria in the same fortress yard with their signature Russian influenced dishes.

The Youthful:

Boathouse HSS
Liuskasaari, 00140 Helsinki
Tel (09) 622 7 1070 Fax (09) 6227 1075

Another traditional yacht club bastion that has embraced new influences lately. Both Asian and mediterranean touches are clearly visible in the modern menu. The wine list also reflects this with grapes from around the world. Btw, this restaurant is barely a stone´s throw away from Saari, a next door yacht club based eatery.

Cafe Carusel
Merisatamaranta 10
00150 Helsinki
Tel (09) 622 4522 Fax (09) 622 5101

Not an island restaurant nor affiliated with a yacht club but next to one and with much of the same clientele. This is a modern and airy cafe and restaurant with a largish terrace for long summer nights. One wouldn´t come here just for the food but more for the buzz and people watching.

How big are these "crayfish"? The crayfish we have here in Florida are small things - like small shrimp - maybe 2 inches long - head to tail - and you need to eat about 30 of them to make for a decent meal. I presume you're talking about a sea creature that's slightly larger :) . Robyn

The Scandinavian crayfish are caught in rivers and lakes and would normally measure about 10-12cm ( 4-5 inches ).

Preparing them trad style involves boiling the crayfish with a lot of dill, some 40g/litre of (sea) salt and a little sugar. Afterwards the creatures are left to cool but the dill should be removed from the pan. Wait for up to 12 hours, garnish again with dill and serve as an appetizer with toast and butter.

The purpose of the crayfish experience is not to eat a "decent meal" (I think you get more calories from toast and dill than from the actual crab meat), but to drink large quantities of chilled vodka. ;)

These are my best experiences this year:
Sasso: modern Italian
Demo: easy feeling, owned by the two chefs and maitre'd.
Chez Dominique: one of the best in Northern Europe, two michelin stars, is moving to larger location this fall
Savoy: top business class

Ok, then, do you know of any place where you'd recommend the food (or at least not have a poor opinion of the food!) that's open past midnight on a Monday night, preferably with something either vegetarian (dairy/eggs ok) or seafood on the menu? (Several of the places you mentioned are open that late other nights, but seem to close by midnight on Monday.)

There's a good chance I won't make anything other than the last flight from LHR next Monday, in which case depending on what they serve me in economy on the flight, I may want to eat at HEL once I land (but what concessions at the airport would be open past my 11 pm arrival?) or in Helsinki after I get to my hotel (Scandic Simonkentta) which will presumably be past midnight. (This will be my first visit to Helsinki. I had planned on arriving earlier in the evening, but with LHR being what it is right now, I don't have high hopes of making my original connection.)

If I may chime in, Manala ( Pizza, Grill, some veg stuff ) mentioned in an earlier post by ORD Finn and Storyville ( Southern style American ) offer decent food until 3 am on Mondays. Both places are in a central location close to the main railway station. Manala has a younger crowd and a take away option while Storyville is a Jazz themed haunt frequented by politicians and middle aged business people.