"Helena Puolakka cooks Finnish-French above the Esplanade in Aalto's 1937 room; book the window table for closing a deal."
Restaurant Savoy opened above the Esplanade on 3 June 1937, in a room Aino and Alvar Aalto designed down to the brass and the Artek furniture. Nearly ninety years later it is still one of Helsinki's defining tables, now run by chef patron Helena Puolakka. The cooking is Finnish-French and strictly seasonal, anchored by dishes the room has served for decades: vorschmack, the minced-meat hash that was Marshal Mannerheim's favourite, and pan-fried pike-perch. Mains run around 50 euros.
The Kitchen
Helena Puolakka leads the kitchen as chef patron, having cooked in London at the level of Skylon and Aurelia before returning to Finland to take over a national institution. Her brief is narrow and hard: keep Savoy recognisably itself while making it worth a serious diner's evening in the 2020s. The food is Finnish-French, strictly seasonal, and the wine cellar is among the largest in the country. The room still serves its historic signatures, including vorschmack, the minced beef-and-herring hash Marshal Mannerheim ate here, and Mannerheim's pike-perch, alongside Puolakka's own plates such as a vorschmack reworked with oven-baked potato, beetroot, pickles and sour cream. Her tasting menus, the Grande and a vegetarian Grande, run five courses with pairings from the head sommelier. A la carte mains sit around 50 euros, with the full menu and wine well above. Savoy is listed in the 2025 Michelin Guide Finland, and the address has not moved since 1937: the top floor at Etelaesplanadi 14, over the park.
The Room
Savoy is a single long room on the top floor, and the Aaltos' 1937 design is the point: pale wood, the curved Savoy vase on every table, a wall of windows over the Esplanade trees. In summer the rooftop terrace opens and the city spreads out below. Sound is low and grown-up, the kind of room where a quiet conversation stays quiet. Lighting is soft and natural by day, warm by night. Tables are well spaced, the dress smart, and the service formal without being stiff. It seats around ninety across the room and terrace.
Best for Closing a Deal in Helsinki
Book Savoy to close a deal because the room carries the weight for you. The address and the Aalto design tell a guest you took the meeting seriously before a word is spoken. Tables sit far enough apart to talk terms without the next party listening. And the formal, unhurried service lets a lunch or dinner run as long as the conversation needs, with the cellar there when you want to mark the moment. Ask for a window table over the Esplanade, take the a la carte rather than the tasting if time is short, and let the sommelier choose. More picks in our Helsinki dining guide.
Not for
Not for a casual or budget night out: Savoy is a formal, expensive institution with prices to match the address, better suited to an occasion than a weekday bite.
Frequently Asked
Is Savoy worth it?
Yes, for the setting and the sense of occasion as much as the food. Savoy has run above the Esplanade since 1937 in a room the Aaltos designed, and chef patron Helena Puolakka cooks a confident Finnish-French menu with one of Finland's biggest cellars behind it. It is expensive, and you are partly paying for the history and the view. For a serious lunch or dinner in our Helsinki dining guide, few rooms compete.
How hard is it to book Savoy?
Not especially hard, but the best tables go early. Savoy takes reservations online and by phone, and the window seats over the Esplanade and the summer terrace are the ones that fill first, so book a week or two ahead for those. Lunch is generally easier than dinner. Weekends and the warmer months are busiest. For a window or terrace table on a specific night, reserve as far ahead as you can.
What is the dress code at Savoy?
Smart. Savoy is a formal, historic dining room, so jackets for men and equivalent smart dress are the norm at dinner, even if a tie is not strictly required. Business attire fits the room perfectly, which is part of why it works for a work lunch. Daytime is a touch more relaxed than evening. Casual or sporty clothing feels out of step with the setting and the prices.
What is the average meal price at Savoy?
Plan on roughly 90 to 150 euros a head for a full a la carte dinner before wine, with mains around 50 euros. The five-course Grande menu and its vegetarian version sit higher, and the head sommelier's pairings, drawn from one of Finland's largest cellars, add to that. Lunch is the more affordable way in. With wine, a celebratory dinner for two can run well past 300 euros.
What should I order at Savoy?
Order the vorschmack, the dish the room is famous for and Marshal Mannerheim's favourite, in Helena Puolakka's version with oven-baked potato, beetroot, pickles and sour cream. Mannerheim's pike-perch is the other historic plate to try. If you would rather hand over the choice, take the five-course Grande menu with the sommelier's wine pairing. Save room for the classic crepes, which the kitchen still does properly.