Life & societyCuisine

The taste of Finnish nature: Where forest meets fine dining

Fancy getting a taste of Finnish nature? Head to one of these restaurants!

Nolla, Helsinki: This zero waste restaurant offers a menu that is led by local and organic products throughout the year. The food showcases the season’s best Finnish ingredients while combining the founder trio’s Southern European roots and traditions to the cooking.

Photo: Riikka Kantinkoski
A green dressing is poured over a delicate dish topped with herbs.

Vår, Porvoo: The collective operating the restaurant cherishes traditions but also strives to present their playful version of modern Finnish cuisine. They use fresh local ingredients, with wild fish, vegetables and the finest Finnish dairy products as the basis of the menu.Photo: Vår, Porvoo

An overhead view of colourful vegetables laid on a white background.

Grön, Helsinki: Despite their urban location, Grön owns a farm that supplies their vegetables and greens. Photo: Grön, Helsinki

A restaurant interior with brick walls, wooden tables and a a painting depicting a pike on the back wall.

Nokka, Helsinki: The chef and owner Ari Ruoho harvests, hunts and fishes to secure the best ingredients. One of their specialties is rockweed, a native seaweed. Photo: Nokka, Helsinki

Three artfully plated dishes sit on a black wood table with a candle and antler centrepiece.

Aanaar, Inari: The kitchen creates dishes unique to Lapland, using everything from lichen and the traditional Sami herbal plant Angelica, to reindeer and Lake Inari’s fish.Photo: Aanaar, Inari

Three artfully presented small dishes are arranged on a table.

Kaskis, Turku: In the forests and archipelago around the southwestern Finnish city of Turku, you might bump into chefs Erik Mansikka and Simo Raisio foraging for ingredients. The menu always features wild herbs in some form.Photo: Kaskis, Turku

A woman smiles holding giant rhubarb stalks outside a barn beneath a green leafy canopy.

Niinipuu, Okkola holiday resort: The restaurant is situated in an old barn on an island in Finland’s biggest lake, Lake Saimaa. The menu prominently features local fish.Photo: Niinipuu, Okkola

A plated main dish with bread and white wine set on a restaurant table.

Skörd, Helsinki: All ingredients and beverages come from Finnish producers. Skörd’s menu features wild herbs and berries picked by hand, as well as game, fish and ecologically farmed lamb.Photo: Skörd, Helsinki

By Lotta Heikkeri, ThisisFINLAND Magazine

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