Helsinki Bar Guide
30+ bars across Helsinkis neighbourhoods, curated by editors who live here.
Helsinki drinks more than most northern cities and does it better than its reputation suggests. The Finnish bar scene used to be dominated by beer halls and karaoke. In the last decade it has built out a serious cocktail scene, a microbrewery wave, and a wine bar layer that reflects the citys quietly cosmopolitan tastes.
Three neighbourhoods cluster the action. Punavuori, just south of the centre, has the new wave cocktail rooms and natural wine bars. Kallio in the east is the cool, young, dive-bar centre, with rents that still let small bars survive. The central CBD around Esplanadi has the heritage spots and the hotel cocktail bars.
Helsinki is expensive — a cocktail will run you 14 to 18 euros. Most bars run a happy hour from 4pm to 6pm with select drinks at half price. Plan your evening around it. Finnish bartenders are knowledgeable and unhurried. Tipping is optional and 10 percent is generous.
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Pubs in Helsinki
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Tiki Bars in Helsinki
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Whiskey Bars in Helsinki
Single-malt selections
Wine Bars in Helsinki
Curated bottle lists
Cocktail Bars in Helsinki
World-class cocktail rooms
Rooftop Bars in Helsinki
Skyline drinks
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Romantic spots
After Work in Helsinki
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Live Music in Helsinki
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Craft Beer in Helsinki
Microbreweries and taprooms
Hidden Gems in Helsinki
Unmarked doors
Top Picks This Week
A21 Cocktail Lounge
The senior Helsinki cocktail bar. Three world ranked bartenders behind the counter. The seasonal menu rotates four times a year and is one of the most thoughtful in the Nordics.
Liberty or Death
Speakeasy themed cocktail bar with a serious back bar. Whisky and bourbon heavy. Reserve. Open Tuesday to Saturday from 6pm.
Trillby and Chadwick
Detective agency themed cocktail bar. You ring a doorbell. Inside is a small dimly lit room with classical cocktails done well. Reserve.
Bryggeri Helsinki
Microbrewery in the centre with twelve house taps and a kitchen doing modern Finnish food. The Sahti, a traditional Finnish farm beer, is worth ordering.
Mattolaituri
Summer only seafront bar. From May to September the wooden deck over the Baltic is one of the best Helsinki places to drink. Closed in winter.
Sori Taproom
Brewery taproom for one of Finlands most respected craft breweries. Twelve house taps, a small bar food menu, and a young engaged crowd.
Neighbourhood Guide
Punavuori
The new wave bar district. Cocktail rooms, natural wine, design forward, mid thirties crowd. Walk between bars in fifteen minutes.
Kallio
Young, scruffy, cheaper, and creative. The bars here are dive bars, microbreweries, and small cocktail rooms run by twenty-something owners. The Helsinki Brooklyn.
Kruununhaka
Old town with quiet streets and a few unmarked doors. Liberty or Death is the headliner. Skews older and more discreet.
Esplanadi
Central park district. The heritage hotel bars and the bigger restaurants. Touristy but reliable. Bryggeri is the standout.
Eira
Seafront residential. Mattolaituri is the summer institution. Quieter and harder to reach without local knowledge.
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