2 Best Restaurants in Toolo, Helsinki

If you like finding the true character of a city and enjoy local color, try looking in simple, friendly restaurants like this one, whose name means "moon." The menu combines Finnish specialties such as perch, salmon, and reindeer with imaginative international fare. It's especially convenient for nights at the opera, as it's close to the Opera House, and the delightful covered terrace is open year-round. Diners can choose from an à la carte list or go for one of two fixed-price four-course house menus.

There's the flavor of Hyannis Port and the Kennedys in this lovely restaurant—stunning views of yachts and mansions and other islands in the Baltic Sea abound. A great starter is the assortment of archipelago appetizers, with roast lamb and alder-smoked salmon fillet for the main course. A full vegetarian menu is available. Set menus and à la carte options are on offer. A meal here requires a ferry ride to Sirpalesaari (€6 added to the bill for the ferry trip there and back), but the trip from the Ursininlaituri jetty only takes a few minutes, and it's well worth the short voyage. Given its location, the maritime theme here is obvious enough, but it's not overwhelming or tacky. Like other island restaurants in Helsinki, Saari is a popular venue for the traditional late-summer, often vodka-fueled crayfish party.