We were in town for a few days, heard about this place from a friend, and thought it was so good that we went there twice! The price point(€ 10 – 20 per dish) is pretty good for Helsinki, the atmosphere is relaxed, service friendly. And the food is top notch for the price. My wife had the salmon pasta both nights, because she thought it was so good. I had the satay the first night(surprisingly flavorful, with some heat, too), and the carbonara the second(appropriately decadent). All of this was on the cheap side of their menus(€ 10 – 12), so this place can work if you’re on more of a € 10 euro per meal budget. Another plus, it’s only a block-and-a-half walk from two tram stops, so it’s very easy to get to. Overall, it’s tough to beat this in terms of quality for the price.
Sam O.
Rating des Ortes: 3 Paris, France
Friendly staff and not so busy place on a week end night for a late night dinner in the design district. We went for the popular coriander chichen noodles wok served with a soya sauce and the beef burger. The noodles(10 €) were pretty decent specially when you squizze the piece of lime over the dish. About the burger(15.90 €): the bun was tired, the meat taste was flavor less as the cheese. The barbecue sauce that was served with the burger was a mix of mayo + ketchup à the potato wedges were really soggy and looked like they were re heated. 3 stars are for the late opening and affordable price for Helsinki, the welcoming staff and the noodles.
Meni M.
Rating des Ortes: 5 New York, NY
Super friendly staff. Casual atmosphere. Great food which has great value for money. I had the fisu fish and highly recommend it
Mac A.
Rating des Ortes: 4 Redmond, WA
The soup was really good, just the right amount of spice. My buddy had the pasta liked it too. Great place to eat on a Sunday evening.
Stephanie M.
Rating des Ortes: 4 New York, NY
Great! Really good value — huge dishes for around 10 euros. Cool atmosphere — they get a good amount of foot traffic, which is nice and the pace is pretty cool. The food — pretty darn good(especially for the price point). The lemon chicken pasta was really tasty and HUGE. The wok meals were also really enjoyable.
Olivier L.
Rating des Ortes: 4 Limoges
Un bon plan typiquement finlandais. Des plats abordables le soir(10euros) ce qui est à noter à Helsinki. Exemple: pâtes à la crème citron et wok au poulet et champignons coriandre. Les plats sont très copieux et goûteux. Le tout dans une ambiance décontractée avec très peu de touristes.
Brittany K.
Rating des Ortes: 4 Enfield, CT
Yummy food, affordable and a good atmosphere. Enjoyed eating here while exploring Helsinki, if I ever make it back I’ll be a return customer!
Anni T.
Rating des Ortes: 4 Helsinki, Finland
What a great place! I suggest choosing Café Bar 9, or Ysibaari as it’s often called, especially when hungry because the food is delicious and extremely reasonably priced! The atmosphere is nice, slightly hipsterish, and the service was good. The only really negative thing was that it was extremely hot inside. I don’t know if it was a one-time thing but we were melting and left as soon as we were done. Otherwise I would strongly recommend coming here!
Jan O. R.
Rating des Ortes: 5 Berlin, Germany
I discovered this place, yes, through Unilocal as I was staying at a hotel in the neighbourhood(Klaus K). I was looking for an informal and(this is Helsinki, right) affordable place to grab a quick dinner. And Café Bar 9 worked out just fine. I opted for the local«specialty» — Pollo Limoncello(€ 10) with a pint of local lager(€ 5,80 — yes, it’s Finland). The portion was sufficiently big, the beer was cold. And wow, did that pasta taste good. (I am actually writing this at Café Bar 9, having returned about a month later, opting for more of the same!) Do not expect a white table cloth and extensive waiter service — you order at the bar, grab your drink, sit down at an empty(no frills) table and wait for delicious food to appear. The crowd is mostly young and on the loud side of things, and I feel very much reminded of Berlin Mitte, but here, that’s part of the fun. Try it out, you’ll be fine.
Jari H.
Rating des Ortes: 4 Helsinki, Finland
Great food and big plates. Monte Rosso burger is big and juicy and salmon with mashed potatoes is top notch. You can taste the butter on mashed potatoes! Service is quick as lightning. At lunch times it can be quite hard to get a table.
Aaron B.
Rating des Ortes: 4 Seattle, WA
Great value, the food seemed to stick to the basics and it turned out well. I would recommend the chicken and noodle dish that they proudly note has been on their menu since 1996. Service was fast and friendly. If you are walking there, it’s right next to a hostel. At night I thought I may have been lost but it’s there!
Jutta S.
Rating des Ortes: 3 ROXBURY CROSSING, MA
If you just want to crab something good and fairly fast to eat but do not want to go to a fast-food restaurant, go to Bar 9. It’s one of the only places where you can during night time eat tasty food under 10 euros in Helsinki. Pollo Limonello is a classic, Kill Bill always works as well! The customer service could sometimes be more friendly though…
Ronda L.
Rating des Ortes: 4 Hong Kong
Nice food and reasonable price in Helsinki Design District. Like their big potion of steak and also wide range of beer!
Ansgar F.
Rating des Ortes: 4 Helsinki, Finland
Are you searching for a casual place with good beer and decently priced but delicious food? Then come to Café Bar 9. It’s located on Uudenmaankatu and the perfect place for a filling lunch or a casual dinner. Café Bar 9 offers a selection of sandwiches, burgers, pasta, wok, salads and soups for. Mains are around 10 — 18 € and the portions are always quite big. So don’t worry about having to leave hungry. One of their all time favorites that made this place favorite is their Pollo Limonello Pasta. But even if you are not hungry you can alsoways drop by just for a drink and watch people pass by outside on the street. Give it a try and enjoy!
Joseph L.
Rating des Ortes: 5 San Diego, CA
Great food(I had the Kill Bill, a yellow curry wok) for those experiencing a bit of culture shock from the US. they have a selection of burgers, pasta, Asian-style wok dishes, and more. Just make sure to order at the center of the bar before sitting down, or else you may be left alone at the table for quite some time.
Gabriel S.
Rating des Ortes: 4 Helsinki, Finland
Friendly, hip, and good quality food at a very good price. I was in a party of 9 and everyone liked their meal.
Olav P.
Rating des Ortes: 4 Oslo, Norway
Nice, casual place. Sandwiches, pasta, woks and salads on the menu. We had a salad and a wok, both were quite tasty.
Nea P.
Rating des Ortes: 3 Helsinki, Finland
Cool café. Their Pasta’s are okay.
Miriam W.
Rating des Ortes: 4 San Francisco, CA
I arrived at Café Bar 9 famished after a morning of meetings. I perused the menu’s sandwiches, soups, salads and stir-frys, excited by a great many of them. In the end I chose the Kill Bill, a coconut milk based yellow curry stir-fry with peanuts, vegetables, noodles and chicken. I spied on the dishes at neighboring tables and the bowls of noodles others were slurping looked as lovely as my Kill Bill tasted. Café Bar 9 was recommended to me as a ‘Helsinki institution’ with the caveat that it’s ‘nothing special.’ That may be true but this is a place I’d definitely frequent, especially now that I know their kitchen is open until 23:00!