Zetor, Helsinki

I only go here when have visitors in Helsinki and when I want to take them to see a local, untypical Finnish place. I have been here many times but unfortuantely the menu and quality have dropped, they do not have anymore Kalakukko and even my favourite rye beer is not available anymore.

Zetor restaurant was recommended to us as a good place if you wanted to try Reindeer.

With only one night in Helsiki well it had to be done.

The atmosphere is very cool. Similar to german I'd say in character. The menu are designed as if they are newspapers

Favorite Dish: I went the Reindeer. I'd have to say it was only OK. Nothing flash. Not a generous helping.

Other meals on the menu seemed to be a it more substantial. Perhaps I'm just a bit harse due to being used to western style big portions.

Rudolph was great. Sorry kids it's not my fault Santa's christmas presents may be late. Blame the chef. He cooked it for me.

A bar with tractors?! Different, we thought! And then there was the gold-panning paraphernalia on the walls of the restaurant - I confess, I couldn't resist stroking the reindeer skin next to our table repeatedly!
The menu is traditional Finnish food, updated for every season, and there's a pretty wide choice, including locally caught fish. Selected dishes are even organic. The pea and ham soup, apparently a staple of the army diet, comes in a tin canteen! There's also plenty of the lovely rye bread to go around, and even a home-made rye beer.
The waiters are attentive without hovering, although when it gets busy you may have to wait a little while between courses - this is no bad thing, if you're going for all three, you need a while to let the main settle before attempting one of their delicious desserts!

Favorite Dish: Reindeer with oven cheese - beautifully cooked meat, and the baked cheese goes with it and the potatoes surpisingly well. A real treat.

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Zetor is a Czech tractor factory, situated in Brno. Production commenced at the remnants of the metal foundry Zbrojovka in 1946. Since then more than a million tractors have been produced and sold world wide.

The Helsinki "branch" has never produced nor sold a single tractor. It is a pub / restaurant designed to make cowboys, dairymaids, peasants and tractor lovers feel at home. Design is said to be based on ideas of members of the band / frequent guests Leningrad Cowboys. This was the location of my second VT meeting, and the first one on the januar 2006 road trip. We had a great time! Being urbane did not prevent me from enjoying the ambience, and the company of the road trip gang and the local VTers made it even better :-)

I don't have any pictures of myself "driving" the in situ tractors, but there is one on Brad's Helsinki page and in the meeting gallery.

Opening hours:
Sunday - Monday: 3 pm - 1 am
Tuesday: 3 pm - 3 am
Wednesday - Friday: 3 pm - 4 am
Saturday: 11 am - 4 am

The kitchen, which prepares delicious finnish meals, is open until 30 minutes before closing time.

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zetor restaurant is owned by a member of the finnish band "lenningrad cowboys" and is a rather odd but very nice place to spend an evening.
the restaurant is dominated by old soviet zetor tractors that are all over the place between the tables where you are eating.

one of the many odd things about the place is that the menu is posted on tetrapak cartons.
i thought that was a cool way to present the food.

If you want to get a culture shock and a glimpse of the idyllic mental image of old times Finnish countryside, go to restaurant Zetor. The restaurant is famous for its traditional Finnish meals, very funky decor, and really odd menus -- you have to be careful to understand what you are ordering in reality. Fortunately, the waiters are glad to help.

The decoration is worth of a few mentions. The place looks sort of a old Finnish barn and there are several real tractors (Zetors) used as tables. The walls are covered with Finnish countryside memorabilia that probably does not open to you unless you have a native Finn explaining the nuances.

As a sidenote, the food is also good.

Zetor is located on a prime spot in Helsinki center, between the railway station and Stockmann department store.

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We visited Zetor on New Years Eve; it wqs busy and the atmosphere was very festive. There is of course the restaurant area, along with the bar and a good sized area for dancing. I have to admit that it did appear to have a mature clientele, but all the same it was good fun.

Interesting design concept, but mind your head for low flying tractor parts and buckets.

Favorite Dish: Steak, chips and salad

Zetor was mentioned in every guide book that I had on Helsinki, so we decided to give it a try. The restaurant is large, but the seatin area was quite small...the remainder of the place was used as a bar. The restaurant is tractor themed and, as such, the restaurant has a rather rustic feel. The menu has something for everyone on it...and it is also a quite interesting read. Each food item has a story describing it.
I are a Karelian stew with potatoes and it was excellent. Very much like American pot raost and potatoes. My father had green pea soup, which was a meal in its own right.
Prices were what you might expect in Finland. Higher than you might expect, but I felt the food was worth it.