Is this restaurant good for local cuisine?

Yes

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Details

About

Story of Finnish flavours in the heart of Helsinki Let us take you on a taste journey through pure Finnish nature! Saaga is a Finnish word meaning story. Saaga offers a story of Finnish flavours, a journey through the country’s rich culinary heritage, blending traditional ingredients with modern influences. Finnish cuisine reflects the country’s connection to nature and its seasons. Berries, mushrooms, fish, and game meat are staples, often prepared with simple yet flavourful techniques. Finnish cuisine of Saaga celebrates purity and freshness, offering a taste of the pristine landscapes which defines this Nordic nation. At Saaga you will enjoy fresh gifts of nature gathered straight from the waters, fields, fells and forests. In Finland you can find superfood right on your doorstep. We will bring these healthy flavonoids and wild super food to our guests in our menu and beverages. Saaga has around 120 seats in two different floors.

CUISINES

European, Scandinavian

Special Diets

Gluten free options

Meals

Dinner, After-hours

FEATURES

Reservations, Seating, Highchairs Available, Serves Alcohol, Wine and Beer, Accepts American Express, Accepts Mastercard, Accepts Visa, Free Wifi, Accepts Credit Cards, Table Service

Top 3 reasons to eat here

Sponsored by: Restaurant Saaga

1. Excellent Finnish food

"The traditionally Finnish food is amazing and we would highly recommend"

betha720

2. Best local food and service

"I absolutely loved my dinner at Saaga. I ordered the sautéed reindeer and bear"

willemb89

3. Finnish cuisine, pure & fresh

"Food and service was top notch. Highly recommend the sautéed reindeer... delicio"

BChamp73

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4.0

392 reviews

Excellent

192

Very good

129

Average

47

Poor

15

Terrible

9

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Yes

No

betha720

61 contributions

Favourite Review

Excellent meal and service. Not to be missed.

Mar 2024 • couples

Excellent meal and stellar service. We went this evening while visiting Helsinki. My husband got the reindeer and I got the vegetarian shepherds pie. Not made with the fake meat…all plant based and exceptional. The tiramisu was the best we’ve ever had. Our server was so attentive and Knowles le. He was a pleasure to talk to. The traditionally Finnish food is amazing and we would highly recommend this restaurant.

Written 15 March 2024

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Fahad A. Al-Thenayyan

Riyadh336 contributions

Average Food, nice theme

Feb 2020 • couples

We wanted to try traditional Lappish cuisine while in Finland so we visited Saaga, they accepted a reservation a few hours before our time. The food was average with the exception of the creme brûlée, but you get to try reindeer and traditional starters served from a buffet table that looks like a Lappish Canoe (it may be a real Canoe).. the issue was we paid about 50-60 Euros a person for a set meal of buffet starters, reindeer main dish and a small desert.. which was a bit pricey and the food did not taste that good but it was traditional. The ambiance was nice and the staff were friendly but it took time to get the food served and we felt things could have gone faster and the staff could have paid more attention when we called (but they were few and the restaurant somewhat busy). I’m not sure I’d recommend coming unless you just want to try traditional food in a traditional setting. Note: They can improve by checking in on guests early on during the meal, review their pricing and provide some options for starters (and improve the taste of dishes). Best regards,, Fahad A.

Written 16 February 2020

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Wilbur Blair

186 contributions

Lovely food and great service

Nov 2021 • none

We went back in Nov 2021. First week of their Christmas buffet and it was a real treat. It was pretty quiet though we had just missed a couple of large work groups who were in so it was perfect to get to the buffet and taste everything. Everything was very tasty, from smoked reindeer neck to rainbow trout, sautéed reindeer and Baltic herring. The desserts where really good and I must have went back about 4 times for more (Lappish squeaky cheese is something of a revelation). The staff were very friendly (we noticed this a lot in Helsinki) and actually gave us some good bar recommendations for after. All in all a great place and we look forward to going in summer. Do not miss out if you are in Helsinki in November or December though!

Written 25 April 2022

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Explorer

434 contributions

Lovely Lappi Restaurant

Aug 2023 • couples

Great Lappi experience. Tasty and good value meal. We had the fish buffet and dessert for €34 each. This meant we could go as many times as we wanted to the buffet which had an excellent selection of fish & salads with hot new potatoes and flat breads. This was a great way to try various specialities such as pickled herring and smoke salmon fin. We had spruce ice cream For dessert - delicious. The staff were friendly and the restaurant was quite busy with lots of people choosing main courses such as reindeer & shepherd’s pie. There was also Bear meat on the menu. The decor was cosy with Lappi artwork.

Written 3 August 2023

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

DeoDivvi

Florence18 contributions

A special visit

Nov 2023 • couples

We started with two buffets and tasted a lot of different entrees, mainly fish based. Then we ordered the artic chat, the reindeer and the best dish of all: the bear! Everything was special, really recommended, especially the special meats. We managed to spend almost 100€ each, but we clearly exaggerated, there are defenitely options for paying less and still enjoy it properly. Totally recommended.

Written 7 November 2023

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

heviago

Sainte-Savine113 contributions

Very original

Aug 2023 • couples

Pretty Lappish-inspired decoration, made of wood and rein horns, traditional music From the menu we chose an all-you-can-eat buffet of varied fish and salads for €34, very good! Friendly welcome.

Written 16 August 2023

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Marco T

Florence1927 contributions

Approved, with honors to the schnapps

Jul 2024 • couples

If you think you can eat well for little in Finland, there was a mistake at the start: the destination was wrong. Consequently, if you want to save money you have to put aside the demands for quality, but if you want to go at least medium level you have to widen the purse strings. Since my wallet is not that of Scrooge de' Scrooge and emulate, for now I have refrained from attending the various places that ask 100-150 euros for an evening menu and I have fallen back on a more affordable band. Saaga is one of them, and I will tell you how much I spent last night: about 138 euros for two, Tanto? Little? I would say right, although my partner would disagree because her meatballs, she says, were not much. I, however, can not complain: my excursion between traditional dishes, mostly of Lapland origin - reindeer stew or poronkaristys, served as a must with puree and pulukka sauce, less sweet redcurrant-like, a pie of oats with leipajuusto, a particular type of cheese to cook and lakka, a berry fruit similar to raspberry but of a ringing orange color -, with the addition of a Finnish-Lapland variant of Irish coffee, was quality. And, above all, it was a magnificent surprise the glass of "homemade schnapps" tried at the end: intense, slightly sweet, unique. To try. It made the final bill more plausible.

Automatically translated

Written 13 July 2024

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Odd Egil S

Oslo10 contributions

A little to saami interieur?

Apr 2022 • none

The decor is a bit too much, you might feel it as a tourist trap. The personel was very nice. We had arctic charr and sauteed reindeer; both tasted good. The "squeased cheese" as desert disappointed us a bit, but the cloudberries were good. Prices are a little high.

Written 23 April 2022

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Sarah

Washington DC11 contributions

Delicious way to try a taste of Lapland

Oct 2022 • none

I only had two days in Finland so I was very fortunate to have come across this restaurant. They have a great selection of Finnish cuisine, so you should be all set no matter what you want to try. I had the seafood buffet which was wonderful and varied - included things like honeyed beets, smoked trout, a forest mushroom salad, graved salmon with lingonberries, potato salad, etc. A friend ordered the reindeer so I got to try a bite of that. I want to come back!

Written 18 October 2022

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Stalevar

Espoo771 contributions

Nordic restaurant with typical atmosphere

Nov 2022 • none

outside is worser then inside - not sure why they are not doing design better. But inside its very typical for Nordics, Finnish style. Wooden interiors with a lot of wild animal horns and other surroundings. Menu is like buffet, mostly focused on delicious seafood and fish. Tasty and quite interesting. Main course with meat (like deer) is also great. Wine selection is good as well. Located perfectly on the Bulevardi street in the middle of the city near nice Sinebryhoff park and factory. If you want to try typical local food with high level of cuisine - that is recommended. We enjoyed that in the group with partners and colleagues at supper.

Written 23 December 2022

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Domenico M

Padua95 contributions

An exquisite cross-section of Lapland

Sept 2023 • family

An experience full of curiosity and originality that of Italians who come across a very tasty sample of Lapland in Helsinki... the ice buffet available on a Lappish "boat" is excellent, with delicious smoked salmon as well as delicate pike-perch and tasty herring. The "shepherd's" dishes, the reindeer stew and the bear tasting, were magnificent, never eaten before, to our greatest satisfaction. The desserts are included in the buffet and offer flavors that are new to us, even if one is called "tiramisu"... Decor on the theme, with very appreciable Lappish objects and photos. Very kind staff. Convenient location. Prices are not indifferent but adequate (43 per person with beers, which in Finland are a real luxury everywhere). Highly recommended!

Written 8 September 2023

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

BC

Atlanta146 contributions

Top notch Lappi experience!

Mar 2023 • couples

Easy 5 stars! We visited Saaga for dinner on a cold and rainy night in Helsinki. We were warmly greeted by the staff upon arrival. We found the restaurant to be decorated with a vintage Lappi theme, which really set the vibe for the night. Food and service was top notch. Highly recommend the sautéed reindeer... delicious! They also have a fish buffet served out of a boat. How cool is that?! We'll definitely visit again next time we're in town!

Written 27 May 2023

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Lkkhelif

Minnesota54 contributions

Great Lappish Spot in the City!

Sept 2024 • couples

We had amazing service here and loved our food! I chose this over Lapland Ravintola because they have nice selection of small bites to add on to your meal. If you are truly looking to check some boxes off of sampling some foods you might only be able to get in Finland— this is the place. I was particularly seeking out the simmered bear meat and tar schnapps. Quite excellent! Other than that the set menus are the way to go, and we really enjoyed all our food. Lovely stop for a traveler looking for some Lappish food in Helsinki!

Written 19 September 2024

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Eleonore W

67 contributions

Saaga. The story that they invite you to join.

Aug 2024 • solo

This restaurant celebrates Finnish food with a modern twist. The meals are fresh and tasty, and the atmosphere is as the name suggests. I had the Elk meatballs and blueberry pie. Both were delicious. I highly recommend this place if your looking for something less run of the mill.

Written 13 August 2024

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Robyn H

Melbourne66 contributions

A disappointing 'Finnish dinner in Helsinki' (tour)

May 2024 • solo

We had dinner in this restaurant as part of an Insight Vacations 'Northern Capitals' tour. Reindeer was the 'specialty'. It was disappointing. Ground meat surrounded by mash potato with some side vegetables. Only one drink. The dessert (strudel) was not very exciting. We paid 82.00 euro/head, which is not cheap. I would suggest since the reviews below (6 years ago), the value for money and range has changed. We had a much more satisfying and generous lunch at Bosgard Organic Farm!

Written 16 June 2024

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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