Photo Savoy / Anton Sucksdorff

Restaurant Savoy

Eteläesplanadi 14, 00130 Helsinki

Restaurant Savoy has been at the very top of Helsinki’s restaurant scene since the 1930’s. Field marshal Mannerheim (or “Marski”) was among its most well-known regulars, and many his favorite dishes can still be found on the menu, eg. the vorschmack and filled-to-the-rim favourite shot, or pan fried pike perch.

Today, the restaurant is headed by Chef Patron Helena Puolakka. Her ambition is to create experiences that respect the history of Savoy but feel inspiring and relevant in the 2020’s. Savoy’s food is Finnish-French and strictly based on seasonal ingredients. Alongside ambitious cooking, the restaurant has one of the largest wine cellars in the country.

The Savoy interior was designed by architects Aino and Alvar Aalto who brought their human-centred and functional touch to every detail in the restaurant. Opening in June 1937, the interior was rich in various species of wood and lush planting, and the use of fabrics was vivid. The atmospheric dining hall was framed by terraces on three sides. The interior showed the Aaltos’ preference for welcoming and comfortable furniture and their sensitivity towards high-quality natural materials.

In the early 2020’s, the restaurant was re-designed by Ilse Crawford and Studioilse and renovated in cooperation with Artek, Helsinki City Museum and the Alvar Aalto Foundation. Over more than eighty years of operations, changes and refurbishments had impacted the original Aalto design. The purpose of the renovation was to restore the interior closer to its original charm and beauty while refreshing it to today.