Turku Restaurants and Dining

(Turku, Finland Proper, Finland)

The Finnish food served at many of the restaurants in Turku is distinctly seasonal, with heavy and rather fatty stews often served during the colder winters, and much lighter dishes made with fresh vegetables and regional produce in the summer months, often served at outside tables around the central market place. Particularly popular when dining out in Turku are the summer favourites of salmon with new potatoes and dill, wild mushrooms and woodland berries, and summer barbecues with Turun Sinappi sausages, which were once produced in the city for many years.

Restaurants and eateries in Turku may often favour Finnish fare, but a large number now also offer far more international flavours, serving dishes such as pasta and pizzas. Of course, if you are prepared to travel to Helsinki, then you will discover literally hundreds of different dining options, with the highest concentration of restaurants in the whole of Finland.

Where to Eat

Beneath the Hansa Shopping Centre on the Aurakatu is one of the oldest of all the restaurants in Turku, the Foija. Serving authentic Finnish fare at its very best, this brick-vaulted dining venues dates back some 150 years and soon becomes full as the evening progresses. Many further restaurants can be found along the Aurakatu, and also close by, on stretches such as the Eerikinkatu, the Humallstonkatu, the Kristinegatan and the Trädgärdsgatan.

For dining out with a difference, check out Turku's extremely popular Svarte Rudolf restaurant, which actually floats on the River Aura, off the Leirikatu, and is famed for its delicious seafood dishes. For a taste of Italy, you will have to go a long way to beat the highly affordable Pizzeria Dennis on the Linnankatu, or nearby at Sergio's, along the riverside Läntinen Rantakatu.