After attending the PING conference in Helsinki, the conference’s organizers were nice enough to send all of us food obsessed types to Turku. There, in cooperation with Visit Turku, we enjoyed authentic Finnish food in a few of the best Turku restaurants.
I honestly had no idea what to expect from Finnish food. Some of my friends had warned me that Finland doesn’t have much in the way of a food culture, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that not true!
From my experience, Finnish cuisine seems to make heavy use of what is in season at that moment. Since I visited in the summer, we were treated to many meals of fish and fresh vegetables. Overall, it felt healthier than many other cuisines I often have.
In this post, I’ll share my favorite Turku restaurants from our visit!
5 Must Try Turku Restaurants
Kakolan Ruusu
Graniittilinnankatu 2 // +358 44 2230201
Easily the coolest dining experience we had in Turku, this restaurant is situated inside a former prison! Now repurposed into a restaurant that comes off trendy without trying too hard, I loved how they made such good use of the space.
The small but well thought out menu is made with seasonal ingredients from local producers. Dishes here are served family style and meant to be shared.
You can dine off their a la carte menu, but if you want to try the best of everything on the menu, I recommend you do as we did and indulge in Kakola’s feast — a 5-course family style dinner.


Grill It! Marina
Linnankatu 32 (Inside the Radisson Blu Hotel) // +358 20 1234710
Situated on the bank of the river Aura, which winds through town, Grill It’s menu focuses on grilled dishes (obviously) of fish and meat. But they also serve vegetarian options, such as tofu/veggie skewers and falafel burgers.
The restaurant features a daily rotating lunch menu, but we all went a la carte and were treated to some of the best grilled fish of our entire stay.
During my next visit, I plan to try a steak, as they looked great as well.
E. Ekblom
Läntinen Rantakatu 3 // +358 2 5369445


NOOA
Läntinen Rantakatu 57 // +358 40 0908877


SMÖR
Läntinen Rantakatu 3 // +358 2 5369444
Another contemporary riverside restaurant, SMÖR is so serious about keeping their menu fresh and seasonal that they revamp the entire menu every eight weeks.
This means you’ll always find what is fresh and in season, all prepared in modern Nordic fashion. (Sometimes called New Nordic, which I have to admit was my favorite term I learned on the trip!)
SMÖR also had some of the best service we experienced at any of the Turku restaurants we visited.
And now for a bonus: I know these last two aren’t technically restaurants, but they’re both so great they must be mentioned.
CafeArt
Läntinen Rantakatu 5 // +358 40 1583383
CafeArt is the undisputed best place in Turku for coffee. We had a few coffee snobs on our trip, and they raved about this place, alongside every local that we asked about where to find the best cup of coffee.
The cafe has won many awards, their beans are the best available, and their roasting techniques have been perfected. Seriously, if you like coffee, just go. And once you fall in love with their beans, you’ll be happy to know they even sell them to go, so you can (try to) make the same coffee at home.
I also found their selection of baked goods quite impressive.
Kakola Brewing Company
Graniittilinnankatu 2 // +358 44 3380767
This brand new craft brewing company produces some unique and delicious brews. We were fortunate enough to tour Kakola and be treated to a tasting afterwards.
Along with their signature labels, they also plan to brew seasonal and specialty beers. If you can’t make it up to visit them (but they’re located near Kakolan Ruusu, so you should plan combined visit) you can find their beers in select restaurants and stores around town.
I recommend you try to tour the facilities and meet the enthusiastic owners — we enjoyed learning about the process and tasting the variety of beers they produce.
Which of these Turku restaurants would you most like to try? Let me know in the comments section below!
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Practical Information: I would like to thank Visit Turku for hosting me during my time with them. All opinions however remain my own, as always.
Saru
Monday 23rd of July 2018
Iām astonished that you were not guided to eat at Mami in Turku. Truly the best.
Nathan
Monday 23rd of July 2018
Now I have a reason to go back!