Guide winter 2022 / 2023

Restaurants and cafés

The best part of a holiday is getting to know the local food and café culture – tasting local delicacies and specialities you won’t find elsewhere.

Delicious sourdough pizzas are made in the rural landscape of Sääskjärvi in Iitti, in an old village school. RESTAURANT REHTORI’S pizzas are baked in an Italian wood-fired oven from dough that has been allowed to rise for 36 hours. www.pizzeriarehtori.com

RESTAURANT TAIVAANRANTA in Lahti serves authentic and honest food made from local ingredients with a touch of the Teerenpeli Brewery & Distillery spirit. A special feature is the popular Saturday lunch. www.taivaanranta.com

The fondues and raclettes of the FRENCH VILLAGE SHOP in Vääksy are winter food at its best. Only the best French and Swiss cheeses are used, and the dishes are prepared according to traditional recipes. www.ranskalainenkauppa.fi

WINE CAFE OLAVI is a cosy wine café in the centre of Lahti. In the café, you can taste coffee from the local roastery Kahiwa. The speciality is the bread Olavin Flätti, which will satisfy even the biggest appetite. There’s always a seasonal Flätti, using seasonal ingredients. www.winecafeolavi.com

RESTAURANT ROUX’S menu always features the best ingredients of the season. The restaurant also has a good selection of wines. On Sundays from January to March, the restaurant serves a heavenly blini brunch. www.roux.fi

MALSKIN BISTRO is located in the former brewery building of Mallasjuoma in Lahti. Malskin Bistro serves lunch, brunch and dinner. www.malskinbistro.fi

BISTRO POPOT offers food delights with a relaxed approach and good wines. Popot’s cuisine combines classics and trends from Finland and around the world. The focus is on authentic ingredients and local produce. KOKKA BISTRO & BAR is a relaxed dining restaurant at the Lahti Passenger Harbour. The menu includes items such as meat that is aircured in its own Dry Ager cabinet, dishes to share with friends and artisan pizzas. A wide range of beverages caters to both beer and wine lovers. www.bistrokokka.fi, www.bistropopot.fi

The heady smell of pastries wafting out of KAHVILA KARIRANTA at the Lahti Passenger Harbour invites you to enjoy a leisurely cup of coffee in an idyllic setting. Here, you will find the largest croissants and cinnamon buns in the city. www.kariranta.fi

CAFÉ OSKARI is located in the last and only wooden building dating back to the township of Lahti. There are homemade delicacies from savoury to sweet, an extensive selection of organic coffees, vegan soup lunches and a hearty breakfast. www.kahvilaoskari.fi

Voted Finland’s best street food kitchen last summer, KUSMIKU in Heinola is fighting wastage by reducing the number of potatoes in its portions, among other things. You can get more potatoes free of charge if you’re still hungry. The buns for the burgers are made in the nearby Pekan Leipä bakery. www.kusmiku.fi

LINTAN KAMMARI in Sysmä is an idyllic café and interior decoration store in an old dairy building. www.lintankammari.fi

TIP!

A trip of tastes! Local cuisine is famed for its fish, game, berries. and mushrooms. Check out the local flavour at www.visitlahti.fi/eat-and-drink