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Food tours in Helsinki: what to eat and which tour to book
Finnish food is simple and seasonal: dark rye bread, salmon and small lake fish, berries and mushrooms from the forest, reindeer from Lapland, and a lot of coffee, which Finns drink more of per head than anyone in the world. Helsinki's everyday eating is the weekday lunch buffet (lounas), Karelian rice pies with egg butter, salmon soup and cardamom-scented cinnamon buns. The harbour Market Square and the market halls are the places to see and taste it, and in summer the city moves outside to terrace cafés, island restaurants and fried vendace eaten by the water. Prices are high but lunch is good value.
Use this page to know what to order and where. The tours shown here are real GetYourGuide listings, with prices as seen when we checked; prices and schedules change, so confirm on the booking page before you pay.
What to eat in Helsinki
| Dish | What it is | Where to eat it | Typical price* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Karelian pie karjalanpiirakka | Thin rye crust folded around rice or barley porridge, baked and eaten warm with munavoi (butter mashed with chopped boiled egg). | Bakeries, market halls, cafés and every supermarket; best warm from a market-hall counter. | about €1.50–3 each |
| Salmon soup lohikeitto | Creamy soup of salmon, potatoes, leek and plenty of dill, served with rye bread and butter. | Soup counters in the Old Market Hall and Hakaniemi Market Hall, and lunch restaurants. | roughly €13–18 a bowl |
| Fried vendace paistetut muikut | Small lake fish rolled in rye flour and fried whole, eaten bones and all with garlic mayonnaise, mash or lemon. A summer favourite. | Market-stall food tents at Kauppatori (Market Square) and summer terrace cafés. | roughly €14–20 a plate |
| Cinnamon bun korvapuusti | 'Slapped ear' bun of cardamom-flavoured dough rolled with cinnamon and sugar and topped with pearl sugar. The standard companion to coffee. | Cafés and bakeries everywhere, including the historic cafés on Esplanadi and in the market halls. | about €3.50–5 |
| Sautéed reindeer poronkäristys | Thin shavings of reindeer meat cooked in butter and stock, served with mashed potato, lingonberries and pickled cucumber. Originally from Lapland. | Traditional Finnish restaurants in the centre; also some market-hall lunch counters. | roughly €25–35 a main |
| Rye bread ruisleipä | Dense, sour, fibre-rich rye bread, often flat and round with a hole in the middle. Eaten at almost every meal. | Bakeries, market halls and supermarkets; served free with lunch buffets. | about €3–6 a loaf |
| Meat pie lihapiirakka | Deep-fried doughnut-style pastry filled with minced meat and rice, often split and filled with sausage, egg, mustard and pickles at grill kiosks. The classic late-night snack. | Grill kiosks (grilli) and market cafés. | roughly €4–8 |
| Salty liquorice salmiakki | Black liquorice flavoured with ammonium chloride, salty and sharp. Finns love it; visitors usually try it once. Also found in ice cream and liqueur. | Any supermarket or kiosk sweets aisle. | about €2–4 a bag |
Where to eat: markets and neighbourhoods
Market Square (Kauppatori)
Harbour-front square with stalls selling berries, vegetables, fish and crafts, plus tented cafés serving fried vendace, salmon and coffee. Touristy, but genuinely used in summer.
Old Market Hall (Vanha kauppahalli)
Indoor market hall next to Market Square, in use since 1889 and renovated in 2012–14: fish, meat, cheese and bakery counters plus soup and lunch bars.
Hakaniemi Market Hall and square
The locals' market hall, reopened in April 2023 after a long renovation, with food stalls downstairs and crafts upstairs, and an outdoor produce market on the square.
Hietalahti Market Hall
Smaller market hall at the west end of the centre with lunch counters and international food stalls, next to a summer flea market.
Kallio
Former working-class district north of the centre with cheap lunch places, bars, cafés and international restaurants; also home to Teurastamo, a former abattoir turned food and events venue.
Food tours in Helsinki compared
Every tour below is a real listing on GetYourGuide or Viator, checked on 2 Oct 2026. Prices move with season and group size, so treat them as a guide and confirm on the booking page.
| Tour | Length | Price* | Group | Best for | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Helsinki: Cook a traditional & delicious Finnish home meal | 3 hours | from €850 per group | private | Travellers who want to cook the dishes again at home; easiest option for dietary needs, since you control the ingredients. | Check dates |
| CITY Tour with Food Tasting in Helsinki | 3 hours | from €169 per person | — | First-timers who want a broad tasting of the classics with a local guide. | Check dates |
| Helsinki: Authentic Food Tour with 8+ Local Delicacies | 3 hours | from €105 per person | — | First-timers who want a broad tasting of the classics with a local guide. | Check dates |
| FOOD Tour with Rooftop Bar Visit in Helsinki | 3 hours | from €159 per person | — | First-timers who want a broad tasting of the classics with a local guide. | Check dates |
| Helsinki City Tour - Finnish Food Tasting & Coffee Culture | 2.5 hours | from €98 per person | max 10 | First-timers who want a broad tasting of the classics with a local guide. | Check dates |
| Helsinki: Food Walking Tour with Tastings | 2 hours | from €175 per person | max 2 | First-timers who want a broad tasting of the classics with a local guide. | Check dates |
Helsinki: Cook a traditional & delicious Finnish home meal
On GetYourGuide · run by Wild Impact Oy
- Length
- 3 hours
- Price
- from €850 per group
- Rating
- 5.0 ★ from 14 reviews (on 3 Oct 2026)
- Group size
- private
- Suits
- Travellers who want to cook the dishes again at home; easiest option for dietary needs, since you control the ingredients.
CITY Tour with Food Tasting in Helsinki
On GetYourGuide · run by LOVEtoTravel.fi
- Length
- 3 hours
- Price
- from €169 per person
- Rating
- 4.9 ★ from 63 reviews (on 3 Oct 2026)
- Suits
- First-timers who want a broad tasting of the classics with a local guide.
- Starts
- Aleksanterinkatu 26, 00170 Helsinki, Finland
Helsinki: Authentic Food Tour with 8+ Local Delicacies
On GetYourGuide · run by Secret Food Tours
- Length
- 3 hours
- Price
- from €105 per person
- Rating
- 4.9 ★ from 42 reviews (on 3 Oct 2026)
- Suits
- First-timers who want a broad tasting of the classics with a local guide.
FOOD Tour with Rooftop Bar Visit in Helsinki
On GetYourGuide · run by LOVEtoTravel.fi
- Length
- 3 hours
- Price
- from €159 per person
- Rating
- 4.9 ★ from 29 reviews (on 3 Oct 2026)
- Included
- Local cheese Fish delicacies Smoked reindeer meat Traditional rye bread Local pastry Artisan chocolate Non-alcoholic drink Rooftop bar visit Local guide Taxes and fees Lunch Alcoholic beverages Tips
- Suits
- First-timers who want a broad tasting of the classics with a local guide.
- Starts
- The guide will wait for you in the lobby of Robert's Coffee Jugend with the official city guide badge
Helsinki City Tour - Finnish Food Tasting & Coffee Culture
On GetYourGuide · run by HookedByNorth
- Length
- 2.5 hours
- Price
- from €98 per person
- Rating
- 5.0 ★ from 8 reviews (on 3 Oct 2026)
- Group size
- max 10
- Included
- Walking tour of Helsinki See the Helsinki Cathedral See the Uspenski Cathedral Visit to Oodi, Helsinki’s modern library Visit to Old Market Hall Sample local treats: Sample of local Finnish chocolates Traditional Finn…
- Suits
- First-timers who want a broad tasting of the classics with a local guide.
- Starts
- Töölönlahdenkatu 4, 00100 Helsinki, Finlandia
Helsinki: Food Walking Tour with Tastings
On GetYourGuide · run by Easy Travel OY
- Length
- 2 hours
- Price
- from €175 per person
- Rating
- 5.0 ★ from 3 reviews (on 3 Oct 2026)
- Group size
- max 2
- Included
- Food tasting Local guide Lunch from 10 €/person Gratuities
- Suits
- First-timers who want a broad tasting of the classics with a local guide.
- Starts
- Outside the main entrance
Some links on this page are partner links. If you book through them TonyPlan earns a small commission — the price you pay is exactly the same.
Street food, sit-down or a cooking class?
Street food
Street food in Helsinki means grill kiosks for sausages and meat pies, market-tent food at Kauppatori in summer, and food trucks and pop-up events. Restaurant Day (Ravintolapäivä), when anyone can open a pop-up, started here and still takes place on some dates. In winter almost everything moves indoors.
Sit-down meals
The best value is the weekday lunch (lounas), usually Monday to Friday roughly 10:30–14:00, often a buffet with salad, bread, a main and coffee. Dinner is early, from about 17:00–18:00, and noticeably more expensive. Alcohol is costly, and stronger drinks are sold in shops only at the state Alko stores.
Cooking classes
Cooking classes in Helsinki are fewer than in southern Europe and often focus on Nordic ingredients, Karelian pies or baking cinnamon buns. Some food experiences combine a market-hall visit with tastings or a sauna and dinner. Check what is actually cooked and eaten.
How much to budget for food
| Style | Per person, per day* |
|---|---|
| Budget (street food, markets) | €30–45 (bakery breakfast, lunch buffet, supermarket or kiosk dinner) |
| Mid-range (one sit-down meal a day) | €60–90 (lunch buffet and restaurant dinner with one drink) |
| Splurge (tasting menus, wine) | €150+ (Nordic tasting menu with wine) |
Vegetarian, halal and gluten-free
Vegetarian & vegan: Easy. Lunch buffets almost always have a vegetarian option, and menus commonly mark vegetarian (V) and vegan (VE) dishes. Oat milk and plant-based products are standard in cafés.
Halal: Halal-certified restaurants exist, mainly kebab, pizza, Middle Eastern, Somali and South Asian places, especially in the centre, Kallio and eastern districts. Menus commonly use pork in sausages and pies; ask, and watch for gelatine in sweets.
Gluten-free: Very good. Coeliac disease is common in Finland and menus routinely mark gluten-free (G) and lactose-free (L) dishes. Rye bread itself contains gluten, but gluten-free bread is easy to get. Karelian pies and buns contain gluten unless marked.
Food scams and tourist traps to avoid
- Market Square food tents charging high prices for small plates of salmon or vendace aimed at cruise passengers. Check the price board before ordering; for a better-value sit-down lunch, use the market halls or a lounas buffet.
- Seagulls snatching food out of your hand on Market Square and the harbour; this is common and can cause injuries. Eat under the tents or indoors, and don't hold food out in the open on the waterfront.
- Ordering drinks without looking at prices; a glass of wine or a cocktail can cost €12–18. Check the list first. Tap water is excellent and free in restaurants.
Top tours & activities in Helsinki
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Staying near the markets saves time and taxi money — most food tours start in the old centre.
Common questions
Do I need to tip in Helsinki?
No. Service is included and staff are paid properly, so tipping is not expected. Rounding up the bill or leaving a little for very good service at a restaurant or bar is a nice gesture. Card payment is accepted almost everywhere, including market stalls, so you hardly need cash. A small tip for a good food-tour guide is welcome but optional.
What is lounas and why is it good value?
Lounas is the weekday lunch, usually served Monday to Friday roughly 10:30–14:00. Many restaurants offer a set menu or buffet with salad, bread, a hot main, and often coffee and dessert, for roughly €12–16. The same restaurants can charge twice as much for dinner, so lunch is the best time to eat out on a budget.
When are the market halls open?
The Old Market Hall and Hakaniemi Market Hall are open Monday to Saturday, with shorter hours on Saturday; Sunday opening varies by season and stall. Market Square (Kauppatori) runs Monday to Saturday all year and also on Sundays in summer. Hours change seasonally, so check current hours on the City of Helsinki or market hall websites before going.
What should I try at Market Square?
In summer, fried vendace (muikku) with garlic mayonnaise, a salmon plate or salmon soup, and fresh berries such as strawberries, blueberries and cloudberries sold by the litre. Have a coffee and a cinnamon bun at one of the tented cafés. Watch out for seagulls, which grab food from your hands.
Is Finnish food expensive?
Eating out is expensive compared with southern Europe, especially dinner and alcohol. A casual dinner main is often €20–30 and a beer €8–10. To save money, eat your main meal at lunch, buy Karelian pies and bread from market halls or supermarkets, and drink tap water, which is excellent.
How much should I budget for food per day?
A budget day is roughly €30–45: a bakery breakfast, a lunch buffet and a cheap dinner from a kiosk or supermarket. With a lunch buffet and a restaurant dinner with one drink, expect about €60–90. A Nordic tasting menu with wine pairing is €150 or more per person.
* Prices are approximate, gathered on 2 Oct 2026 from menus, markets and the booking pages linked above. They change with season and exchange rates.