Image by Lilu Nissinen-Turja

Over 50 and looking for a place to have fun in Helsinki? Well, here’s something for you – DISCO K-50! This is a disco for the over 50s generation organized once a month.

No youngster is going to cramp your style here with comments about ‘old geezers making fools of themselves’ as the entrance is strictly for the 50+ crowd only, and a photo ID is required! We open early, at 7 pm, the music starts early, at 7.30 pm, and we go home early, closing time is 1 am.

DJ Håkki is the soul of the K-50 sound, and his goal is to get everyone out on the dance floor to shake their groove thing!. It’s like Dave Berry said: “Nobody cares if you can’t dance well. Just get up and dance.” Håkki’s choice of music is very versatile, from 60s and 70s to this day. From modern disco to lovely strolls down the memory lane. From newest hits by Lady GaGa, Madonna and their likes, to more traditional disco classics like Daddy Cool and YMCA. Mixed with some good old fashioned rock & rolll. No pairs dancing, though.

Don’t wait for an invitation – come alone, with a partner or with a group of friends, and let the music move you!

Disco K-50 at Restaurant König, upstairs. DJ Håkki. Remember to bring your ID. Januray 21st, February 11th, March 10th, April 14th and May the 12th

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Disco K-50 | Bars, Festivals & events, Music | Entrance € 10
Mikonkatu 4 | South | +358985685750
Once a month 19:00 – 01:00

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Image by Lilu Nissinen-Turja

Lupolo is a nice, laid back gastropub in Punavuori, owned by the gourmet chef Patrick Lindström, which became an overnight hit as soon as it opened. The food is fabulous, everything made in their own kitchen, no half measures here.

Lupolo is open Mondays to Saturdays for lunch 11.30 – 14.00 and dinner from 17:00 onward. Saturdays they open at 17:00. You can also just pop in for a drink or a cup of coffee and sample the small but absolutely delicious appetizers. Or, just have some bread with something delicious on top of it. But be prepared, it might be difficult to get a table, so a table reservation is a good idea.

The service is as superb as ever, wines are well chosen and their coffee is excellent. Also, the beer selection has been upgraded so all the beer enthusiasts can feel more at home now. I have eaten in Lupolo several times, and they haven’t failed me yet!

The place doesn’t look like much from the outside and the interior is a mishmash of all sorts of things, but once you get to the food, all that becomes quite irrelevant. It’s not easy to describe the ‘genre’ of the food, maybe Finnish-French-Italian, occasionally with a twist of the orient, but always with a special Lupolo touch!

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Lupolo | Bars, Restaurants (Gastropub) | Main courses from € 12
Punavuorenkatu 3 | South | +358505544050
Tue – Thu 11:30 – 14:30 & 17:00 – 00:00, Fri 11:30 – 14:30 & 17:00 – 02:00, Sat 11:00 – 15:00 & 17:00 – 02:00

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Helsinki

Image by Lilu Nissinen-Turja

Until a few months ago the only gourmet pizza place for me was Trattoria Rivoletto, at Albertinkatu 38, a classic that never fails. The service at Rivoletto is very friendly and their delicious gourmet pizzas have kept their high quality for several years already. Everything else on their italian menu is great, too. They are very popular, so a table reservation is recommended.

But now I have found another place for my pizza craving, Carlito’s. I’ve never had anything else but pizza at Carlito’s, and I think that’s what most people eat here, even if they serve other Italian courses, too. But the pizzas are good, not your regular ham-cheese-pepperoni-pineapple ones but more like goat’s cheese, prosciutto, ruccola, mozzarella, truffle oil etc.

Where my all-time-favourite Rivoletto is small and intimate and a bit further from the immediate city center, Carlito’s is quite a big place, situated in the heart of the city, just two blocks from Stockmanns department store. Despite it’s size Carlito’s round tables for 5-6 people can be surprisingly cosy.

The personnel in Carlito’s is young, friendly and maybe a bit crazy, and I mean it in the best possible way. Last time I was here with my girlfriends the waiter suddenly asked us if we’d like to hear some poems. Of course we wanted, and after that Reijo, the waiter, recited us some lovely poetry. I’m fully aware that some people have complained about the service here, but I have always been treated extremely well.

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Carlito’s | Restaurants (Italian) | Pizza from € 13
Kluuvikatu 4 | South | +358913456749
Mon – Fri 11:30 – 13:30 & 17:00 – 23:00, Sat 13:00 – 23:00

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Helsinki

Image by Lilu Nissinen-Turja

Eeva Kanervas antique bookshop is the mother of all the eccentric little shops in the Punavuori district. Here you can find the book you have been looking for for ages or an old birthday card that’s just right for a good friend. Or perhaps you’d like to remember someone with a magazine or newspaper from the year they were born? Not to talk about all the funny, pretty, astonishing bric-a-brac that people bring here to be sold in an atmosphere worthy of their beloved stuff. On a lucky day you could even find here a valuable old print or a painting if you look closely enough.

The place is strictly cash only, as Eeva doesn’t really believe in credit cards. Or in the Internet and other modern foolishness either, for that matter. But what she believes in is people, books and art. She has always a friendly word for everybody, knows everybody by name and family history and even the neighbourhood dogs know that this is the place to come to, if you need a pat on the head or perhaps even some little treat if you’re really lucky.

Eeva also sells flowers (!) in her book shop during winter time, in the summer she takes her flower operation to the Fredan tori. Fresh, beautiful flowers, straight from Finnish farmers!

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Antikvariaatti Kanerva | Shopping | Postcard € 0.10
Albertinkatu 12 | South
Mon – Fri 12:00 – 18:00 (sometimes also on Sat)

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Image by Lilu Nissinen-Turja

Crustum is a German Bakery, Shop and a Cafe at Pursimiehenkatu in Punavuori district, which found their happy clientèle quickly, and not only amongst the homesick Germans. Now there is also a mini-Crustum at Topeliuksenkatu 3 in Töölö. The Mini-Crustum is mainly a bakery shop, but there are two tables and place for 6 people, too.

At Crustom you can buy delicious German specialties such as brötchens, bretzels, wonderful fresh pastries, cakes, muffins, handmade chocolate etc., and you even get newly baked bread on a Sunday, which is not so usual in Finland. No wonder they were welcomed with open arms.

The shop and café open early, 07:00. during weekdays, 08:00 on Saturdays and Sundays. Crustum’s buffet breakfast which is served 09:00 – 15:00 has become very popular, and especially on the weekends you might even have to wait for your table for a while. At lunchtime they serve a soup that varies daily and a quiche with a salad. Remember to try their home made chocolates, they are just to die for!

The café is light and spacious, nothing like the dark, old pawn shop that used to be here. In the afternoons the café has become popular for quick meetings over a cup of coffee and some small treat and they also have free WLAN access. Maybe that’s why you can spot a lot of creative people here with their laptops working and sipping their lattes. The service is very friendly and at least Finnish, Swedish, German and English is spoken.

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Crustum | Coffee & tea | Soup,bread & tea € 7
Pursimiehenkatu 7 | South | +358104235752
Tue – Fri 07:00 – 18:00, Sat – Sun 08:00 – 18:00

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Image by Restaurant Kuurna

Kuurna is a tiny little gourmet restaurant that, in my opinion, should have had it’s Michelin star long ago. But to be honest, I hope they will never get it, as it’s just perfect the way it is! I have had some of my best dinners here, thanks to the two young chefs, Heikki Purhonen and Antto Melasniemi who are both very creative, ambitious and innovative. And they haven’t failed me yet.

The place reminds me of some small, romantic place in Paris, quite bohemian but in an elegant way. The main thing here, however, is food, which is just fabulous. Uncomplicated, prepared from the best ingredients with love. The menu is quite limited, you can choose from three starters, three main courses and three desserts. In my book this means that they really concentrate on each and every thing they serve.

The menu changes weekly, sometimes new things are also added daily. They bake their own bread, and it’s gooood! They also know their wines very well, and I like to let them recommend me what to drink. No misses there either!

Be sure to book in advance, because the space is so limited and the place is quite popular. You can make your reservation for either between 18:00 and 20:00 or from 20:00 onwards. Service is extremely friendly but sometimes understandably a bit rushed. For the quality of the food, I think this place gives really good value for your money.

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Kuurna | Restaurants (Gourmet) | Three courses € 37.00
Meritullinkatu 6 | South | +35809670849
Tue – Fri 18:00 – 22:30, Sat 16:00 – 23:00

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Helsinki

Image by Lilu Nissinen-Turja

The normal procedure in Finland after a night out is to find the closest ‘snägäri’ (hot dog kiosk) and buy something really greasy to crown your inebriation. I used to do that. A lot. But with time that has somehow lost its attraction and waiting in line with other drunk people doesn’t really appeal to me anymore.

And then Delish came to my rescue! Delish is a deli and convenience store in Iso Roba in the Punavuori district and it’s open 24 hours, 7 days a week. The shop is nice and airy and clean, the service is young and very friendly, and you don’t have to stand in a line outside in the cold or rain. Even if it’s a small shop they have certainly most of the food stuff I could imagine myself needing in the middle of the night.

But what’s best about Delish is that they have real food, ready made to take away. Focaccias, great pastas, and their meat balls are absolutely delicious, maybe best in the city, served with a creamy sauce and mashed potatoes. Eat it on the spot, standing up, no chairs here, or take it with you!

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Delish | Snacks | 8 meatballs & potatoes € 5.90
Iso Roobertinkatu 2 | South | +358503212779
24 hours daily

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Image by Lilu Nissinen-Turja

The Punavuori district is an Eldorado for all us music lovers who still want to buy our music as real records, CD:s, vinyls, new, second hand etc. In Viiskulma (Five Corners) there is a cluster of 5-7 record shops within just a few meters from each other. Each shop has its own distinct profile, and what’s nice about them is, that they don’t consider each other as rivals but colleagues. If one of them doesn’t have the record you’re looking for, they tell you which one of the others might have it. So if you find one of these shops, you know you don’t have to walk far to find the rest of them.

Popparienkeli at Fredrikinkatu 12 specializes in rock, pop, heavy, soul, funk, punk, you name it. Both new and used CD:s.

On the other side of the street is one of the oldest record shops in Helsinki, Digelius Music with world music and jazz, even classical. Both new and used CD:s and vinyls.

And just around the corner from here you’ll find Eronen with a nice selection of somewhat hotter sounds like Jamaican, Cuban, African, salsa, soul, reggae etc.

You might also want to visit Lifesaver Shop and browse their selection of soul, jazz, funk, house, disco, hip hop, electro…

And – if you are looking for a good record player, visit A.H. Records, just two steps from Popparienkeli. They also have a nice selection of old records in vinyl.

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Viiskulma | Shopping | Used CD’s from € 1.00
Fredrikinkatu 12 | South | +3589661638
Mon – Fri 10:00 – 18:00, Sat 10:00 – 16:00

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Helsinki

Image by Lilu Nissinen-Turja

Kynsilaukka (‘garlic’ in English) is a cosy, some might say a bit shabby, restaurant that specializes in everything with garlic. When you sit down, you can start by nibbling on marinated garlic cloves and everything on the menu has garlic in it. You can even finish your dinner with garlic ice cream.

Kynsilaukka has been in Punavuori on the same spot, in the corner of Fredikinkatu and Uudenmaankatu since 1987. The best thing about Kynsilaukka is, that it’s always open, 365 days a year. When most of the other restaurants close for Christmas Eve or Midsummer, which can come as a surprise for a tourist, this is the one place that you can always rely on to be open!

Kynsilaukka is not a gourmet restaurant, but most of their dishes, like for example the lamb casserole, are actually quite good and reliable. To finish the meal they bring you a shot of garlic and herb digestive. The service is usually very friendly, but sometimes a bit slow.

If you are feeling very adventurous try the garlic ice cream or their garlic beer. Personally, I think that’s taking it a bit too far, but I know people who strongly disagree with me. And after this dinner you at least won’t have to worry about vampires for a while!

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Restaurant Kynsilaukka | Restaurants (Garlic) | Lamb casserole (big) € 20.50
Fredrikinkatu 22 | South | +3589651939
Mon – Fri 11:00 – 00:00, Sat – Sun 13:00 – 00:00

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Helsinki

Image by Lilu Nissinen-Turja

Do you sing in the shower? How about in the restroom? Well, we Finns do, and maybe that’s why karaoke bars are extremely popular here.

One of the more exotic ones is the Karaoke Bar Restroom. It’s an old public lavatory turned into one of the most popular karaoke bars in town. A tiny place between Tehtaankatu and Sepänkatu with oversized and pompous paintings with large gold frames on the wall.

This a place where the suits rub elbows with the local janitors, where the Lady Gagas meet suave older Frank Sinatras. The place hosts lots of bachelor and hen parties and many a celebrity has a habit of visiting The Restroom, one of the best known of them being perhaps Kimi Räikkönen, the Finnish F1 champion with his chums.

Newcomers always get a warm welcome and the atmosphere is very relaxed and supportive. Everybody draws a lot of applause, no matter whether they sing like a nightingale or a crow. And that, my friends, I can tell you from experience!

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Karaoke Bar Restroom | Bars, Music | Jallu € 5
Tehtaankatu 23 A | South | +3589672743
Mon – Thu 15:00 – 02:00, Fri 15:00 – 03:00, Sat 14:00 – 03:00, Sun 14:00 – 02:00

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Helsinki