Turku Restaurants

The building looked suspiciously like a hospital from the outside but there was a terrace out towards the sea with a marvelous view. Enjoyed the view just as much as the meal. Very neat and clean and the service was friendly. So, if you want something different and outside the city center... maybe this is it.

Favorite Dish: Had some soup and it was just delicious. The cost, 8 euros, is normal for lunch in this country. There was also a buffet lunch at 16 euros but the weather was too hot for me to have that kind of a heavy meal with starters and several main courses and desserts. It did look great though. I think you need to go at about noon the latest because they close the buffet at one o'clock.

Despite the fact that Torku (and Finland) is very expensive in food, try to find cheap solutions as: the restaurant in the train station is fair well and in reasonable prices. Furthermore, big markets have a huge variety of food and drinks, so go there, take whatever you like, and enjoy them in a park.

Café Fontana is a good place to rest your feet after touring the shopping streets of Turku. The café has an excellent selection of both sweet and salty pastries, cakes and buns. All normal special coffees are available.

The atmosphere of the place is nice, the crowd doesn't get too loud and there are some more secluded tables for intimate chats. The service is courteous, but it could be a little bit swifter. There were a constant queue for the whole time we were there. That may be because of the delicious pastries and decent prices.

Viikinkiravintola Harald transfer you back to the time when Vikings roamed the shores of Finland. The restaurant interior is made of unfinished wood and you sit on sturdy chairs next to very sturdy table.

The food is not from ages, as back then there were not much spices available and the food must have tasted sort of bland.

The descriptions of the food make you smile and sometimes also wonder what you are going to get. The portions are big and the taste is ok, nothing spectacular though.

The owner of Hesburger, a Finnish fast food restaurant chain that sells burgers and fries and sodas is a cost effective way to eat lunch in Finland.

Because Hesburger was so popular in Turku, the McDonald's that used to be in the center of the city actually shut down.

I ate at Hesburger while in Turku for lunch and enjoyed the quality of the fast food immensely. It is much better than McDonalds. I think I ate the rye burger, with fries and a drink.

I hear at the moment, in Turku, if you purchase their new special product, a pesto burger, you get to watch the 2nd Bridget Jones Diary movie at a discount (as of early December 2004) .

Though I must confess there's no comparison as I personally hate McDonalds.

Favorite Dish: The ryeburger was excellent. Like in any fast food chain, you can order a meal by one of 8-10 numbers.

Harald’s sword and shield servings satisfy your hunger. The staff in Viking outfits serve the tasty game, fish, and vegetarian meals in genuine earthernware. The warm, peaceful atmosphere is complemented by the Viking interior and music. Waiters and waitresses have to be blonde to get a job there ;-)

Favorite Dish: I'd rather say ... the only thing we both did NOT like there was smoked ice-cream. That was too much, even for me!

Another café we went to with Ana, our Finnish friend. I don’t remember the name unfortunately, but I do remember the taste of that strong expresso !! Great when it is so cold outside :-)
They have some typical cafés in Turku, located in an old pharmacy, or in an old bank, and even an old school, if I well remember, that they transformed into a bar. Great idea !! We’ve been to the Pankki (Bank), and I drank a fruit cider (strawberry flavoured I think... but yummy anyway !) I don’t have a picture of this original café but it is well worth a visit !(situated in Aurakatu 3)

We were invited by Bridget's friend Ana to have dinner at her apartment. Her mother had cooked a delicious dish for us. We were so warmly welcomed ! This is a good proof that, even if Finnish people are considered to be generally quite cold and distant, Ana and her family certainly are an exception to this rule !
I really need to say that the decoration was really simple and so tasteful that I must say we were quite admiring...
But this didn't stop our friend Alain to try one of his jokes... his first joke in Finnish : "Pulla pula"... which means something like "lack of Brioche" ;-) And it was not the case at all, as you can see on the picture ;-)
We all had a nice evening ! Thanks again, Ana ;-)