Top 5: MUST EAT Hämeenlinna!
Autumn brings more than just mushrooms this year: two high-quality restaurants were established in Hämeenlinna over the summer, and at least one more is due to open by the end of the year.
Hämeenlinna’s restaurant scene has experienced something of a revival in recent years against all odds, defying the challenges brought by the COVID-19 pandemic. The city is rapidly becoming one of the most attracting places to visit in Finland this autumn and winter for food enthusiasts!
Get in your car or hop on a train or a bus and visit these places and more:
Ravinteli Vintti
Ravinteli Vintti was opened in August in the atmospheric factory environment of the cultural centre Verkatehdas. The restaurant’s á la carte menu draws its inspiration from the best Nordic ingredients and the jewels of Japanese cuisine.
The chef of Hämeenlinna’s new fine dining restaurant is Miika Keskitalo, who gained experience in various locations from Michelin-awarded restaurants to cosy bistros before returning to Hämeenlinna.
“Welcome to Vintti to enjoy the creations of our passionate team! We offer pure fine dining in a welcoming environment without being too formal or stiff,” say the kitchen staff of Vintti.
Ravinteli Vintti
Ravinteli Vintti on Instagram
Ravinteli Vintti on Facebook
Miller’s BBQ
Restaurant Miller’s BBQ became a phenomenon amongst food enthusiasts on social media immediately after its opening.
And no wonder: the authentic delicious meals inspired by Texan barbeque culture are cooked in a smoker—unique in a Finnish and even Nordic context—for 24 hours before they are served in a relaxed manner with side dishes that complement the theme. (Try the bell pepper mac & cheese or the pea pesto potato salad, for example!) The complete barbeque experience is enjoyed inside the over 100-year-old atmospheric brick building or on a terrace overlooking a beautiful view of rapids.
This recipe cannot fail!
Miller’s BBQ
Miller’s BBQ on Instagram
Miller’s BBQ on Facebook
Uoma
Uoma combines a relaxed atmosphere, passion for good food and an intimate and cosy restaurant experience in the heart of the city! The ingredients are heavily based on Scandinavian cuisine, but there are flavours from all around the world as well. Uoma cooperates with local farms and producers and, in the spring, the restaurant serves wild food and uses ingredients from Finnish nature.
At Uoma, you can both enjoy a lunch from a weekly menu on a busy day and have a long dinner with several courses—and our wine recommendations.
It is no surprise that Uoma’s lunch is one of the most popular choices in the city and that the restaurant is repeatedly one of the top restaurants in national restaurant polls.
Uoma
Uoma on Instagram
Uoma on Facebook
Nordic Smokery
The story of Nordic Smokery began in the tumult of the restaurant industry—and the entire world—in 2020. Three friends from Hämeenlinna started discussing how to create something new and significant in these hard times. This is how the idea of Nordic Smokery was born.
Nordic Smokery by Lake Vanajavesi is a welcoming bistro with a weekly menu of snacks to go with Finnish distillates and beers from microbreweries.
The specialty of Nordic Smokery is the giant hand-made smoker that cooks meat and fish with the warmth of Finnish alder. The bistro also serves smoked fish and meat for take-away. Nordic Smokery Food Truck is travelling all around Finland, serving Premium Street Food made from Nordic ingredients.
“We have a shared passion to make Hämeenlinna an even more interesting place to visit for food enthusiasts, and we’d like to welcome all residents of the city and tourists as well!”
Nordic Smokery
Nordic Smokery on Instagram
Nordic Smokery on Facebook
Vanai Bistro & Bastu
Vanai Bistro & Bastu brings people, food and life back to Varikonniemi, Hämeenlinna, where the Finnish army and people have been fed from the 1920s. A hundred years later, the Mensa cannery’s garage-car wash will have an urban meeting place with a bistro, bar, terrace and sauna.
“Simple flavours, large meals and classic and experimental wines and beers. A relaxed bistro atmosphere in the warmth of candles and a fireplace. We love the sound of chatter, meetings with customers and glad hearts,” says Vanai’s chef Kaarina Tamminen, explaining her vision of the new restaurant.
Vanai
Vanai on Instagram
Vanai on Facebook
