Kuurna — Where Helsinki's Wine Scene Was Born

Antto Melasniemi and Heikki Purhonen opened Kuurna in 2005 — the restaurant that ignited Helsinki's wine scene before anyone called it a scene. Twenty seats in a quiet corner of Kruununhaka, a set menu that changes every three weeks, and a wine list of 'classic and natural wines from ecologically sustainable producers.' This was pre-natural wine movement: Kuurna was doing small-producer, biodynamic wines when Helsinki barely knew what that meant. Michelin Guide listed. Star Wine List awarded. And still, after 20 years, the most effortlessly cool wine dinner in the city.

What to do there

4 things to do

1. 1 Walk into Klaava — the Wine Bar That Shouldn't Exist Wine · Free

   Where: Klaava wine bar, Meritullinkatu 6, Kruununhaka — next door to Kuurna, same building. Walk from Senate Square (5 minutes south along Unioninkatu, then left on Meritullinkatu). Open Mon–Wed 16:00–22:00, Thu 16:00–23:00, Fri–Sat 16:00–00:00.

   What: In mid-2025, chef Tom Hansen and Laura Styyra — who also run Kuurna next door — opened Klaava as a no-reservation walk-in wine bar on the same street. The wine list moves between classic European producers and low-intervention naturals, guided by the same ingredient-first logic as the 20-seat restaurant that started Helsinki's entire bistro scene. A 20-seat legend opened a wine bar next door. That doesn't happen unless you have something to say.

   How: No reservation, no phone call — just push the door open. Order a glass and ask whoever's pouring what's exciting from the cellar right now. They'll open something. Small plates follow the same seasonal logic as Kuurna: whatever is arriving from Kuurnan Kasvispuoti (their own vegetable shop at Hakaniemi Market Hall). You can browse the list by curiosity — classic Burgundy side by side with Georgian amber or Loire natural. The atmosphere stays calm and unhurried even when full.

   Backup: If Klaava is unexpectedly closed (check Instagram @restaurantkuurna for notices), walk 500m to Katajanokka's harbour and return for the Kuurna dinner reservation. The neighbourhood stroll itself — past Helsinki's oldest stone house (1757, just off Meritullinkatu) — is worth the time.

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2. 2 Find the Dish That Has Never Left the Menu in 20 Years History · Price: moderate

   Where: Your table inside Kuurna, Meritullinkatu 6 — 20 seats, candlelit, dark interior. Book online at kuurna.fi (up to 6 people) or email info@kuurna.fi for larger groups. Book at least 2–3 weeks ahead for weekends. Mon–Fri from 18:00, Saturday from 16:00 (two sittings: 16:00 and 20:30).

   What: The menu at Kuurna changes every three weeks, driven entirely by what's in season, what the market delivers, what Tom Hansen wants to cook. The blackboard changes daily. But one dish has never rotated since 2005: the steak tartare. When Antto Melasniemi and Heikki Purhonen opened a former Chinese restaurant in Helsinki's most staid historic neighbourhood — in 2005, when Helsinki didn't really have bistros — and the thing that survived every ownership change, every menu revolution, every 20-year drift of culinary fashion, was a steak tartare. That's not a menu item. That's a foundation stone.

   How: Order the tartare regardless of what else arrives. The 2-course menu is €46, the 3-course is €54 — choose 3 courses. Ask your server which course the tartare falls in and build around it. The closely spaced tables mean you'll be close enough to see what your neighbours ordered; if the blackboard special appeals, ask about it before ordering. The kitchen champions Finnish meats, Nordic fish, and ingredients from their own Hakaniemi greengrocer.

   Backup: If you have dietary restrictions that rule out tartare, ask about the day's fish dish — Kuurna works exclusively with Finnish seafood and Nordic fish, and whatever lands on the board will have a provenance story your server can tell.

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3. 3 Taste the Best Short Wine List in Finland — and Ask Why Every Pour Is Chosen Wine · Price: moderate

   Where: At your Kuurna table, when Laura Styyra or her team presents the wine options with the menu.

   What: At Star Wine List of the Year Finland 2025, Kuurna won Best Short List — beating every larger restaurant in the country with a list that fits a 20-seat bistro. The wines by the glass are not interchangeable options: each glass is the result of Laura Styyra testing pairings dish-by-dish until the match is right. She runs front of house with a published philosophy that happy staff = great dining — and it shows in the knowledge at the table. The wine pairing for the 3-course menu is €43. That is 300 hours of tasting decisions for €43.

   How: Add the wine pairing (€43) rather than ordering by the bottle — the pairings are where the curation is. When each glass arrives, ask one question: "What made you choose this for this dish?" You will get a real answer, not a scripted one. The bottle list focuses on small growers from classic regions; the by-the-glass selection leans toward the natural and sustainable. If something on the list is unfamiliar — a Finnish-labelled import, a Georgian skin-contact, a Loire curiosity — that unfamiliarity is a signal, not a warning.

   Backup: If you prefer to choose your own bottle, ask what's currently coming from the cellar. Kuurna stores wines for future use — meaning there are bottles open that aren't on the standard list. The cellar picks are the hidden menu.

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4. 4 Visit the Vegetable Shop That Feeds the Restaurant Before Your Reservation Adventure · Free · Optional

   Where: Kuurnan Kasvispuoti, Hakaniemi Market Hall, Hämeentie 1, 00530 Helsinki — 1.8km north of Kuurna, easily walkable or one tram stop (tram 9 from Senaatintori). Open during market hall hours (Mon–Sat, typically 08:00–18:00). Go before your evening reservation.

   What: In 2023, Tom Hansen and Laura Styyra opened their own organic and biodynamic vegetable shop inside Helsinki's 1914 market hall (freshly renovated in 2023). This is where Kuurna's kitchen sources its produce — the same crates of Finnish and organic vegetables that will be turned into dishes on the rotating 3-week menu tonight. When you walk into Kuurna at 18:00 you'll recognise what you saw at the market. That's not a coincidence. That's a food philosophy made physical.

   How: Walk through the market hall and find Kuurnan Kasvispuoti. You don't need to buy anything — but if you do, you're buying from the same supply chain as the restaurant. Look at what's on the counter: root vegetables in winter, berries and courgettes in summer, Finnish apples in autumn. Make a mental note. That evening, when something appears in your starter or main, you can ask the server: "Is this from the Hakaniemi shop?" They'll know exactly what you mean.

   Backup: If you don't have time before dinner, Hakaniemi Market Hall is a worthwhile morning stop on a separate day. Alternatively, follow @restaurantkuurna on Instagram — they regularly post what's arriving from the shop and what it becomes on the plate.

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