Rafla

Rafla divides opinions but for me, it’s one of my favourite lunch places. You can count on Rafla that you always find something tasty to eat… extra plus are smaller lunch wine glasses as well as healthy tyrnishots. and the service is always top level.

An old favorite in Uudenmaankatu is a fantastic local bistro-​like restaurant with a fresh menu and a nice small wine selection. I have been going for ages and I always seem to want to go back. Perfect for late afternoon browsing or a friendly dinner with lots of wine and chatting. Especially love their salad menu for the summer.

Rafla is a classic. It’s been around for some time already, which is a good sign considering how volatile the restaurant business in general is. They’re mostly known for their excellent salads and simple yet delicious food. Their inspiration seems to come from Scandinavia and France, but their style is fresh and modern. They use and value good quality ingredients, which is not common in other restaurants in the same price segment.
This place used to be excellent value for money, but seems like the prices have gone up a bit. Still it ranks well in this respect compared to the majority of restaurants in Helsinki.
The décor is rather simple, yet stylish. Service is good, but seldom surprises or stands out. Once, however, when we had to wait for our dessert for a tad too long they offered us sparkling wine without us even asking for it or any kind of compensation. It really doesn’t matter if everything doesn’t go perfectly if the personnel handles these situations with such professionalism.
The best thing is that Rafla is not for certain type of people only: I’ve celebrated my 30^th birthday there with my family, had casual lunches and dinners with friends and seen people celebrating there after a doctoral defense. I definitely think it’s a positive thing that all kinds of people feel welcome.
I’ve also very much enjoyed the evenings there when there have been artists performing in a casual way. Especially Supper Janne’s gig there was awesome!

Nice fresh salads on lunch time. Have to wait for dinner time to eat steak.

Helsinki has lots of really good restaurants. One of the best is definitely Rafla. It’s located on Uudenmaankatu and one of the most popular dinner places in Helsinki.
Rafla offers excellent food with a Scandinavian and French touch. The menu is not overloaded with millions of different dishes but you can be sure to be amazed by the taste no matter what you choose.
Should you take a starter you should seriously consider trying one of the absolute highlights though: the beef carpaccio with wasabi dressing. And keep some space for the dessert. It’s a shame to miss out on them.
Consider reserving a table beforehand at Rafla. Considering the quality of the food you get the prices at Rafla are really reasonable.
Prepare to be amazed and enjoy!