Restaurant in Helsinki, Finland
Helsinki's strongest wine program. Book it.
Salutorget holds back-to-back Star Wine List awards (2024 and 2026), making it Helsinki's most credentialed wine destination on the Esplanade. Booking is easy, the central location works for most itineraries, and the wine program rewards repeat visits. Confirm pricing and hours directly before you go.
Salutorget earns a confident recommendation for anyone who takes wine seriously in Helsinki. With back-to-back Star Wine List awards in 2024 and 2026, it is one of the few venues in Finland with a verifiably strong wine program, and that credential alone separates it from the broader Helsinki dining field. If wine is a secondary concern for you, the case is less clear-cut given the limited data available on pricing and cuisine style. But for a wine-led meal on the Esplanade, this is where to start.
Salutorget sits at Pohjoisesplanadi 15, on Helsinki's central Esplanade, one of the city's most recognisable addresses. The location puts you within walking distance of the Market Square and the waterfront, which means it works well as a standalone dinner destination or as part of a broader evening in the city centre. First-timers should expect a setting shaped by that address: the Esplanade corridor draws a polished crowd, and venues here tend to run formal in tone rather than casual.
Spatially, the Esplanade position suggests a dining room built for occasion dining rather than a quick drop-in. Without confirmed seating data, it is worth contacting the venue directly to understand table configuration before you arrive, especially if you are visiting as a larger group or have a specific seating preference. Booking is rated easy, so you are unlikely to be shut out on short notice, but calling ahead remains the sensible approach for any visit where the details matter.
The Star Wine List recognition is the clearest signal of what Salutorget does well. That award programme evaluates wine list depth, range, and value, which means the list here has been vetted by people who assess wine programs professionally. For a first visit, lean into that strength: let the wine list guide the meal rather than treating it as an afterthought.
The multi-visit case for Salutorget rests almost entirely on the wine program. Star Wine List awarded the venue in both 2024 and 2026, which suggests consistency rather than a one-cycle spike in quality. A list strong enough to earn that recognition twice is almost certainly deep enough to reward repeat exploration across different producers, regions, or styles.
On a second visit, use the wine list as your anchor and work outward. If your first visit leaned toward familiar producers, a return trip is the moment to ask for something less obvious from the list. Venues with this level of wine recognition typically employ staff who can guide that kind of conversation, so engage them. A third visit, if the occasion arises, is where you test the edges of the list: lower-profile appellations, older vintages if available, or bottles that require a longer conversation with the sommelier.
Helsinki has a compact fine-dining circuit, and Salutorget's Esplanade address makes it a natural pairing with an evening that starts or ends elsewhere. Combine it with a visit to Olo or Palace on separate nights to build a fuller picture of what the city's leading end looks like. For a broader view of what Helsinki offers, see our full Helsinki restaurants guide.
Finland's wine scene is small by European standards, which makes a double Star Wine List venue stand out more than it might in Paris or Copenhagen. The award reflects a list that can hold its own against international benchmarks, not just a strong effort by local standards. For visitors arriving from cities with dense wine bar cultures, Salutorget is the kind of address worth prioritising. For travellers exploring the wider Finnish dining circuit, venues like Kaskis in Turku or VÅR in Porvoo offer strong regional alternatives worth combining with a Helsinki trip.
Address: Pohjoisesplanadi 15, 00170 Helsinki. Booking difficulty is rated easy, so advance planning of more than a few days is unlikely to be necessary for most nights. Pricing and hours are not confirmed in our database — check directly with the venue before visiting. For dining context across Helsinki's broader offering, see our guides to Helsinki bars, Helsinki hotels, and Helsinki experiences. If you are planning a longer Finland itinerary, Kajo in Tampere and Pöllöwaari in Jyväskylä are worth adding to your list.
Quick reference: Pohjoisesplanadi 15, Helsinki. Booking: easy. Awards: Star Wine List 2024, 2026. Pricing and hours: confirm directly with venue.
Lead with the wine list. Salutorget has earned Star Wine List recognition twice (2024 and 2026), which is the clearest signal of what the venue does well. First-timers on the Esplanade should expect a polished setting suited to occasion dining rather than a casual drop-in. Pricing and cuisine details are not confirmed in our database, so contact the venue ahead of your visit to avoid surprises. Booking is rated easy, so you can plan closer to your travel dates without stress.
Booking difficulty is rated easy, meaning a few days' notice should be sufficient for most visits. For a special occasion or a specific table preference, booking a week out is sensible. The Star Wine List recognition may draw a wine-focused crowd on certain nights, so if your visit coincides with a local event or public holiday, err on the side of booking sooner. Walk-ins are more feasible here than at harder-to-book Helsinki venues like Grön.
The Esplanade address and occasion-dining positioning suggest the venue can handle groups, but seat count and private dining options are not confirmed in our database. Contact Salutorget directly before bringing a group of six or more. If flexibility matters, Olo or Palace are alternatives with well-documented group-dining infrastructure.
Given the Star Wine List pedigree, bar seating is likely — venues with wine programs at this level typically offer counter or bar dining as a way to engage with the list more casually. That said, bar seating availability is not confirmed in our data. Call ahead if eating at the bar is important to your plan. A wine-focused bar format would make Salutorget a reasonable solo option on Helsinki's Esplanade.
Yes, with the caveat that you should confirm pricing in advance. The Esplanade address, double Star Wine List recognition, and apparent occasion-dining tone all point to a venue that suits a celebratory meal. For a special occasion where wine is central to the evening, it is one of Helsinki's clearer choices. If you want a tasting-menu format for a milestone dinner, Finnjävel Salonki or Grön offer more structured experiences with confirmed menus.
No dietary information is confirmed in our database. Contact the venue directly before visiting if you have specific requirements. This is standard advice for any Helsinki restaurant operating at this level , most will accommodate with advance notice, but assumptions without confirmation are a risk.
For wine focus specifically, Salutorget is the strongest verified option in Helsinki based on award data. For food-forward tasting menus, Grön (New Nordic, €€€€) and Olo (Scandinavian, €€€€) are the closest alternatives at a similar price tier. For something more affordable, Gaijin (Middle Eastern/Asian, €€€) offers a different style of cooking at a lower spend. If you want creative cooking at a lower price point, Nolla (Fusion, €€) is worth considering. See our full Helsinki restaurants guide for a broader view.
The combination of easy booking and a wine-led format makes Salutorget a reasonable solo choice in Helsinki. Venues with strong wine lists tend to reward solo diners who want to engage with the staff about what they are drinking. Bar or counter seating, if available, would strengthen that case. Confirm seating options when you book. For solo dining with a guaranteed counter format, The ROOM by Kozeen Shiwan is an alternative worth comparing.
Booking difficulty at Salutorget is rated easy, which suggests the venue can handle groups without the frantic lead times you'd need at Olo or Palace. That said, group bookings at wine-focused restaurants tend to work best when the table agrees on a shared format, so coordinating wine preferences in advance is worth doing. check the venue's official channels via their address at Pohjoisesplanadi 15 to discuss specific group requirements.
Booking difficulty is rated easy, so a few days' notice should be sufficient for most visits. During peak Helsinki dining periods, such as summer Esplanade season or major city events, adding a few extra days of lead time is sensible. You're unlikely to need the weeks-out planning that Helsinki's hardest tables like Olo demand.
Bar seating details are not confirmed in available venue data, but given Salutorget's wine program credentials, two Star Wine List awards in 2024 and 2026, it is reasonable to expect a bar or counter area where the wine list is accessible without a full dining reservation. Confirm directly before arriving if bar eating is your preferred format.
For Nordic tasting menus, Olo and Grön are the credentialed alternatives. Palace offers a rooftop fine-dining format with strong wine service. Nolla focuses on zero-waste cooking and draws a different crowd. Gaijin is the right call if you want Asian-influenced food rather than a European wine-forward experience. Salutorget is the clearest choice specifically when the wine list is the priority.
Yes. The Esplanade address is one of Helsinki's most recognisable, and back-to-back Star Wine List recognition in 2024 and 2026 gives the wine program a verifiable credential that holds up on a meaningful night. If wine matters to the occasion, Salutorget has a stronger wine case than most Helsinki alternatives. For occasions where the food tasting menu is the centrepiece, Olo or Grön may be the better fit.
Specific dietary accommodation policies are not documented in available venue data. For a venue with a serious wine program at a central Helsinki address, the expectation is that the kitchen can work with common restrictions, but confirm requirements when booking rather than assuming.
The wine list is the main reason to come. Salutorget holds Star Wine List awards for both 2024 and 2026, which is the clearest public credential for wine quality in Helsinki. The address, Pohjoisesplanadi 15, puts you on the central Esplanade, easy to reach and easy to combine with an evening in the area. Booking is rated easy, so you do not need to plan far ahead.
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