One of my personal favorites in Kallio is the tiny Bar Molotow on the end of Vaasankatu, one of the busiest bar streets in the hippy district of Helsinki. If you arrive from the direction of Sörnäinen (metro), you will find many veggie-friendly street food joints and places like the rough & rugged Pub Heinähattu and the more trendy Solmu Pub and Kustaa Vaasa on the way. They are all good options, but I would still go a bit further first!

Bar Molotow is a cozy Kallio living room that always has people who mostly focus on socializing in their own groups. This bar is just perfect for that! But just like Kallio today, Bar Molotow’s atmosphere is usually very international and cosmopolitan, which is nice and keeps the place alive. It’s not against the etiquette to talk to strangers here, either!

A nice selection of craft beers and drinks always welcomes me in Bar Molotow. The elegant interior is a cool combination of retro style and indie rock spirit, which makes everything very comfortable, even though the lighting is quite dark. On warm summer days, you can also enjoy your drinks under the sun outside on the terrace.

A word of caution: on Friday and Saturday evenings, Bar Molotow is usually very packed, so it can be impossible to find any seats unless you are ready for a long wait! But of course we know already about all the good alternatives on Vaasankatu to save the evening.