Boulevard Social

Talking about Beef Tartare, what these guys have done is extraordinary. Striped celery mayo on top of first class beef, crowned with yolk. The experience is a bit chewy at first but then grows on you like love addiction. Beware, tartare fans, this could get you hooked.

Boulevard Social is situated next to my old time favorite, Gaijing. Regardless of the fact that the menu is not very vegetarian friendly I adore the décor, wine list, drinks, terrace, service and absolutely everything about the establishment. My meat loving friends have saluted the foie pâté and the lamb is also very good. I prefer the social plate with things to share.
When Social was first open I welcomed it as a small slice of NYC in Helsinki. Much needed. Social reminds me of Pastis in Meatpacking so much that actually going there now makes me miss New York even more.

If you are looking for good food in Helsinki, Boulevard Social is your place. I fully recommend the tasting menus, which are just excellent value for the money.
I’d give ⁵⁄₅ but the only minus was the tight spacing of tables in the restaurant. There was not much privacy and at the time we visited, it was quite noisy as well. But I guess the part of the name, «Social», means other people :)
The service was just great. In one of the dishes we found a cherry seed and mentioned this to the waiter. The kitchen immediately sent us a complimentary extra dish and additional dessert also came along. This is what i’d call service!
On weekend, a prebooking is mandatory. I don’t think you’ll get a table for the prime time with just few days of notice thou.

Love this place! Love the food. Love the atmosphere. Love the experience.
Three of us (coming with small to medium-​sized appetites, for shame) shared 3 dishes (plus drinks) and were comfortably full. The menu is definitely meat-​heavy, but the few vegetarian options (not to be skipped over!) are worth trying. The Halloumi & Pears dish? Awesome. And portions vary in size. The honey pork belly dish was quite substantial (and substantially Delicious). Compare to the truffle & cauliflower scallops, which we could have ordered seconds (and thirds, it was that good).
To get the most out of your experience, 1) Arrive Very Hungry, 2) Come as a group of 4 or more, and 3) Make a reservation. This place was surprisingly packed on a Tuesday night.

Boulevard Social is sophisticated and has a warmth to it. The food is very interesting and delicious. Staff is amazing! Boulevard Social is the latest addition to a group of restaurants owned by the same guys (also Farang and Gaijin). You can’t go wrong with any of the three. Best of Helsinki!

Loved the atmosphere and the food, especially their lamb tartar. Great idea with the sharing of the dishes (same as in Farang and Gaijin which are part of the group).

Great ambiance and vibe, and the food was delicious. First time in Helsinki, and a colleague highly recommended dinner here. I was dining alone, and the crowd made me initially hesitant, but the staff was fantastic and I ended up having more courses than I originally thought I would. Nice wine list, the appetizers were great, and I will definitely be back.

We stumbled upon this place and everything was a 10. Decoration, service, and mostly food was excellent. We felt lucky to find it. Drinks were made with care and looked delicious although we had wine (just watched the bartender). We ordered fig and cheese, pasa negra fried balls of cheese goodness, and a really good hummus lamb and honey chicken. Great people watching. Just the place you want to stumble on in a city like Helsinki. We went to Atelier Bar a block away afterwards — 14^th floor hotel bar — another best kept secret.

Boulevard Social is the latest opening (the third in total) from the owners of Gaijin and Farang. This time they are however looking towards Greece, Lebanon, Tunisia, Morocco and other Mediterranean countries for inspiration. They have however kept the successful focus on great cocktails.
The place is pretty recently opened and perhaps they are still trying to find their ways. When I was there the place was packed with guests but also a lot of staff — actually the waiting staff almost seemed a bit confused as there were too many of them so sometimes they were in each others way. We had some pretty long waiting times for the drinks (just got the cocktails we ordered when sitting down as the first food arrived) but the food was coming almost too fast.
The quality of the food was in general high but the dish specifically recommended by the waiter (the Moroccan Popcorn Chicken) was a disappointment that lacked flavor. The Pork Belly, the Pita Lamb Kebab and the Tagine Meatballs were however all very good.
The décor of the place appears to be Bistro inspired and while there is nothing wrong with it I would say that it looks rather ‘cheap’ and it does not at all fit with the food and the atmosphere so this latest addition is not at all as good as Gaijin (next door) or Farang. Will probably try it again though to see if they improve over time.