Classic (fine dining) food that looked and tasted good. Wine pares were great and unique. Going through the whole menu took a little longer than expected but where else would you want to spend the evening.
Classic (fine dining) food that looked and tasted good. Wine pares were great and unique. Going through the whole menu took a little longer than expected but where else would you want to spend the evening.
First of all let’s start from the arrival. After calling the hotel and booking the table I was told everything was okay. However upon my arrival there was no restaurant nor space so I was seated in the bar area. I have to say that...after reading raving reviews of this place I was excited. But… The food overall is nothing like in the reviews, it’s not technically challenging. Yes, presentations are great and the flavours but did I receive any dish what would had been worth of a five star review? No. Don’t get me wrong, the food is tasty but unsurprising. There is clearly some ambition but no skills required for the fine dining restaurant. The food takes ages to arrive, I had sat in the restaurant for 2,5 hours and only had 3 courses of my 6 course menu. The lack of attention is a huge disappointment. No one is around and waiters can be seen chatting behind the bar about their last night but not attending tables for example asking “is everything okay”. Instead they left me between all courses alone to watch the empty bar. As a result of this and after my 2nd dish I had to get up and walk to the bar to ask where my food was - only to be told that there’s a queue in the kitchen. Should I had informed this BEFORE I ordered I would’ve been okay but keeping the guest not informed and leaving the guest waiting is just unacceptable. In my opinion the amuse bouche should be something to wet your appetite and at the same time get you excited about the kitchen. Now the “tomato and sour cream served on a rye crisp” was merely a joke. The caviar dish was perfect in the flavour profile however the chawanmushi could’ve benefited being served warm. The trout rillette was a complete joke. Shredded trout mixed with mayonnaise felt like a complete rip off. The yellow root dish had a good texture and interesting flavour profile. The pepper soup was served so hot that I had to wait quite a while before being able to eat it. And finally a comment - not only to Pöllöwaari but to all restaurants: PLEASE UP YOUR GAME WITH NON ALCOHOLIC options! I’m fed up with “non-alcoholic wine pairings” which are always some poorly mixed blends of fruit juices or then having those same non alcoholic wines like every restaurant has. I am sure there are options if you do your research! Anyway - a huge disappointment and I personally wouldn’t attend again. Anyone else going I would recommend asking if they have enough stuff for smooth service and if not I would go somewhere else.More
A business dinner with a surprise … nice restaurant with tasteful dishes. Perfect presentation and amazing place, chef was a bit weird but overall we live a positive experience.
Wonderful food, excellent service, very nice interior decoration. Pöllöwaari is the best Restaurant in Jyväskylä. Warm recommendation.
An excellent seven course surprise menu at a reasonable price. The exclusive wine packet treated to lovely wines. Compliments to the kitchen! The decor and lightning are in great need of updating. The waitress tried too much and got some wine introductions hilariously wrong. Will...certainly return when visiting Jyväskylä again.More
Eaten here a couple of times. Dishes are very well thought through, well presented and tasty. Fresh and high quality. Recommend.
A magnificent surprise menu with 6 courses and exclusive wines matched with the dishes. Highly recommend this experience, the only weakness was really slow service, it took almost 4 hours to finish the whole menu.
Ravintola Pöllöwaari has been nominated as the best restaurant inm Jyväskylä & Central Finland for years - and still for a very good reason. Atmosphere is somewhat old fashioned, but yet cozy. The service was smooth and friendly. The menu is not very vast but...instead well thought. The amuse bouche served the purpose well and the starter (beef tartar was truly delicious. The main course (pike pearch) was cooked at perfection and the wine pairing was perfect. The dessert was also mouth watering. Also my vegan colleague was over the moon about the menu she got. All in all, very strong recommendation.More
Visit Pöllöwaari Hotel if you like a relaxing athmosphere, good food and wine, lovely rooms, good beds (and pillows), sauna, and all round service. Buffer breakfast is outstanding! Superb value for money.
The excellence of the service and the quality of food makes the experience of dining fine Art. Never get disappointed here. This restaurant cannot be compared to the other ones nearby, itt is unique.
Very nice and well thought dinner with “non-standard” portions and great wine recommendations. Children got half portions with changes when needed which was nice.
This restaurant is absolutely top notch! High-quality Finnish ingredients and well thought food and wine pairing. Wine list includes some unique and excellent findings. You can choose from carefully planned menus (6-course surprise tasting menu costs 79€) or just go for a la carte dishes....The marbled beef was cooked perfectly medium rare as chefs recommended, and it completely melted in my mouth. There aren't so many places where steaks are cooked to perfection and chefs will recommend how each type of beef should be cooked, this is one of them. Professional, heart-warming and personal service too! Worth every single penny! Definitely will come again 😍More
A very lovely place in terms of interior, music and atmosphere. For the price the startes and dessert vere good but the main (meat) could have been better I think. However that beeing said everything else on the plate was super good except the meat...itself. A special mention must be given to the bread as that was amazing especially the dark one.More
Family dinner on a Saturday evening. Classy place with friendly & professsional staff. Our neighbouring table experienced a small error by the waiter but that must have been an exception. Starters were good but the main courses were even better - perhaps the best pike...perch we’ve ever had. And the desserts were very tasty. Pollowaari is also suitable for children. Our kids enjoyed smaller portions of the pike perch, for half price. Prices are a bit on the high side - there clearly is less competition in Jyväskylä compared to Helsinki (meaning high-quality restaurants). However, quality at Pollowaari was so good that we definitely got value for the money.More
One of us had been here before, and insisted that we eat dinner at this restaurant when we stayed in Jyväskylä. Now we all know why: Absolutely great food and matching wines 🤗! Special thanks for the excellent service and professional attention of the gluten-free...guest. User-friendly table reservation through web-pages highly recommend as well!More