Turku, Finland is not really a town a lot of people might be aware of, but it’s my home so I make the most of it on daily basis. The food scene has really picked up in the past couple of years and as a city, we’re eager to compete with Helsinki, although there’s a lot less people and restaurants. I try to do my part by keeping Google maps updated with what’s going on in town as I do try to visit all the new restaurants as soon as possible.
The big rise came with the opening of Kaskis, the first of the new wave of fine dining in Turku. It’s still the big name that gets dropped in all the magazines Finland-wide as the leader of Turku culinary scene. Definitely worth the time and the money if you happen to get a reservation.
With the rise of Kaskis the new places that pop up, have to be up to date and on spot, and the old rulers need to pick it up. Mami has stayed up to par all these years, being the og of the culinary world in Turku. Smör has the same aura of old school fine dining in town. Newcomers like Roster, Nooa and Kuori have upped the game even further, with the latter serving easily the best veggie options in town.
If your budget isn’t up for a full long menu, you might want to try an excellent single dish from Blanko, Gustavo or Nerå. All of them mix mediterranean flavours with the restaurants own touches, and are definitely worth a try.
But on top of the fine dining scene there’s also a bunch of cheaper options with nice everyday food to go for. Try the lunch at the fish mongers of Herkkunuotta in the market hall for a very special setting, or go for the truly traditional Finnish experience at Tähtibaari (the food isn’t all that brilliant, but you go there for the atmosphere that is straight from a Kaurismäki movie) or the modernised version of the Finnish lunch fare at Komppeli.
And to top it all of, the ethnic food scene has finally started to blossom. Maneraat has been the stable of thai cooking in Turku fo year, but you might also want to try Huong Viet or Pho Ngon for authentic vietnamese food. Karu cooks excellent Japanese izakaya food with korean influences and Mex-Mex serves a mean Mexican lunch. And if you want to get a treat really cheap, go for the banh mi at Saigon Sandwich Bakery. It’s the best thing in town that you can get for under 6 euros. Freshly made baguettes filled with the best possible ingredients, altough the customer service might be a bit quirky at times.
So that’s the short version of my home town. Feel free to ask for more info if you come visiting!