I had read about this place months before actually going to Helsinki so when time started running out on our trip I was horrified at the thought of missing this place so we jumped in a taxi from the city centre. I’m not sure how close it is by foot but was well worth the 15 euro taxi ride. It’s an old school hut that looked very festive in the snow which was lovely and the sea was frozen solid(I thought it was a lake!). I’ve seen pictures from the summer and it looks completely different! Inside its tiny but cosy with wooden benches and ornament and trinkets or the walls and hanging from the ceiling. Considering how cold it was outside I’m amazed at how warm and snug it was. The first thing that hits you upon opening the door is the sweet smell of cinnamon buns drifting out the oven and homely vibe just washes over you, so nice! If you order sausages… the fun part is… You cook them your self on an open fire outside where there are benches and seats covered in fur. We ordered 3 coffees, 3 cinnamon buns and 2 sausages which came the grand total of 11 euros which is a total bargain compared to everything else in Finland. I think it’s a place you’d go for a snack or coffee rather than a full meal, might be different in summer when full bbqs happen. I loved seeing the children playing in the snow with their grandparents tending to the sausages. It’s the kinda place that makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside. A truly unique place. If you are in Helsinki in the winter you can’t miss this winter wonderland. And also looks ace in summer. Win win.
Adam Z.
Place rating: 4 Düsseldorf, Germany
Great little café! They only serve drip coffee, that’s my biggest beef. The coffee was good however. They are known for their cinnamon rolls, which they bake continuously throughout the day. They are tasty and worth a try. There is an expansive outdoor seating area, which must be great in the summertime.(We were here in October) Buy a sausage/hot dog and take it outside and roast it on the open flame fire pit! If you are near the Sibeliuksen puisto, definitely go across the street for a visit. It is a tiny café, so if it is busy, there may be a wait to get inside to order.
Luqi G.
Place rating: 4 Vantaa, Finland
Best coffee & view place I’ve ever been in Helsinki. Reallllly great view!!! I like the sunset! While the barbecue smoke kind of annoyed me but it’s ok. I truly recommend this place for a relaxing weekend afternoon. Small chats with friends or being empty alone.
Anaïs L.
Place rating: 4 Helsinki, Finlande
Le café Regatta est une petite maison tout ce qu’il y a de plus pittoresque. Situé un peu en dehors du centre à 20 minutes de bus, posez-vous au bord de l’eau, et asseyez vous à l’une des nombreuses tables de sa terrasse, c’est le meilleur moyen de profiter du superbe cadre qu’il offre ! J’ai pu tester leur roulé à la cannelle qui est très bon, et qui coûte dans les trois euros. Le choix en sandwichs/viennoiseries n’est pas énorme mais les prix restent abordables. Né comptez pas rester à l’intérieur, déjà il y a dix places assises à tout casser et puis vous allez passer à côté de tout ce qui fait le charme de l’endroit ! En hiver on vous prêtera une couverture pour profiter de l’extérieur même par des températures négatives !(et pas seulement ici, la couverture est partout en terrasse à Helsinki !) Un endroit tout à fait atypique dans la capitale en somme !
Alias H.
Place rating: 4 London, United Kingdom
One of the only places to stop and get some coffee and a tasty cinnamon bun(laced with cardamom???) in the area on the way to visit the Sibelius monument(across the street a bit). Good view of the water and SUP attempts. You order inside and then take your order outside on the dock. No hovering staff so you can take your time. Prices seemed on par with other cafes in Helsinki which was nice because given the location, they have a monopoly on cafes and could have charged a lot more.
Olivier L.
Place rating: 5 Limoges
Incontournable tout simplement si vous visitez Helsinki. Il y a toujours du monde dans ce petit chalet. On se croirait au cœur de la Finlande. La plupart des places sont à l’extérieur avec une vue magnifique sur la baie. En plus il y un feu de bois où vous pouvez faire griller des saucisses. Les prix sont très raisonnables et le café est très bon. Vous trouverez facilement c’est à proximité du monument Sibélius.
T L.
Place rating: 5 New York, NY
ATMOSPHERE! Grab a cup of coffee and a Karelian piirakka(with egg butter of course) and just sit, enjoy, read a book. Tourists and local construction workers mingled the last time I was there. DIY sausage roasting. Looking forward to going again this summer! If I were a local I would be there every day for a cup.
Rich N.
Place rating: 5 Seattle, WA
Cute place on the water a must stop for a coffee and snack. Great outdoor seating and with an outside fire. I even saw people roasting their own hot dogs!
Ana A.
Place rating: 5 New York, NY
Oh, how I wish there was someplace like Regatta in NYC! Great outdoor seating with blankets available by the door during cooler weather. Friendly staff and delicious coffee. Also, who doesn’t love a fresh, warm pulla to go with that cup of coffee?! Indoor seating is tight, so either prepare to wait for a spot inside, or make use of the blankets and enjoy the view and fresh air. It’s close to the Sibelius Monument, so be sure to head here either before or after checking out the park and monument.
Rasmus V.
Place rating: 5 Helsinki, Finland
A lovely little picturesque outdoor café. Dress warm, most of the time the seabreeze is chilling, but dressed right you can enjoy a coffee or two(you get paid back 5 sents for a refill!) by the water.
Sari M.
Place rating: 5 London, United Kingdom
You can get that authentic Finnish mökki-feeling here all year round, every day of the year! Try the Karelian pies with egg butter for a taste of countryside. If you only have one day in Helsinki, Regatta is a must.
Jutta T.
Place rating: 5 Helsinki, Finland
Cutest little café in Helsinki! The café itself is tiny and there are only a few seats inside, but the real charm of the place is being able to sit right by the sea enjoying the breeze and view. In winter time you can also take a different route and walk on ice to get here. Most often there is a long line to the cashier, but you can almost always find a table to sit at. I would especially recommend taking a coffee or hot chocolate with a freshly baked bun or blueberry pie. And they’ll even pay you a few cents if you refill on coffee. Remember that they only take cash.
Tuomas R.
Place rating: 4 Helsinki, Finland
Regatta is a quaint little seaside gem located in a secluded seaside spot in the heart of Helsinki. Their base of operations is a quaint little wooden shack with seating on a rustic but cosy terrace overlooking the sea. The place is packed particularly on weekends, but their inexpensive treats and unlimited coffee make it more than worth your while. The #1 outdoor café in town
Cyrielle D.
Place rating: 5 Paris, France
What a lovely place. The most peaceful place in Helsinki probably. And it’s cheap ! You can have unlimited coffee. The view is just amazing. It’s really calm and relax. You can cook your own sausage. Really funny. And the pastry just delicious. Everything is homemade. yummi :)
Veera W.
Place rating: 5 Etelä-Haaga, Helsinki, Finland
Finnish old school vibe cannot get any stronger than this– it has purely built on it! An original red wooden cabin with just enough what you need; sausages by the fire and cinnamon buns in the sun by the sea. This place makes me bare the longing for a summer cottage!
Jasmiina L.
Place rating: 4 Helsinki, Finland
I love this little seaside café… The karjalanpiirakka(rice pastry in rye crust + egg butter on top) and freshly made korvapuusti(cinnamon buns) taste amazing, especially when the sun is shining! The open fire outside the cute red wooden house lets you enjoy the sunshine even when it’s cold in the winter! You’ll easily forget that you’re still in a capital city! The only reason why I’m giving ‘only’ 4 stars is that even when there’s a huge queue, one needs to stand in line to get a coffee refill… so if you’re planning to get coffee for free by getting the 5 cent refund for refill, your day will be ruined because you’ll have to queue 41 times total(crazy: 40 cups of coffee are cheaper than 1 single cup: p). Just in case you’re wondering: I’m not planning to do this ;)
Anssi V.
Place rating: 5 IL, IL
Definitely the cutest, coziest and charming little café in town. A coffe cup is 2e. For every refill youll get 5 cents back. Why? Because its memorable. If I were to take a person to only café in Helsinki, this would be it
Kirsti T.
Place rating: 4 Helsinki, Finland
This place is charming! The location is superb — right by the sea, with a nice outdoor seating area. The café itself is a cosy little wooden cottage, with an intriguing interior: anywhere you look at you can see interesting things like old photos, age-old items like coffee pots, skates and so forth. I love the fact that it’s not too modern or trendy, but not boring or too traditional either. A perfect getaway for the city people! As I mentioned the location is superb! It’s nice that they have a fireplace in the yard where you can, for instance, grill sausages. In the winter you can try out a carousel sledge on the ice and in the summer you can rent out SUP’s. The place is hugely popular on weekends, especially if the weather is nice, so be prepared to queue. A fun little curiosity is, that you don’t need to pay for the second cup of coffee but you will receive 10 cents(or 5?) back instead. The only minus is the relatively poor selection of coffees and food, but in the end you go there for the overall experience and not for the best cup of coffee in town.
Essi S.
Place rating: 5 London, United Kingdom
I love coming here all year long. In the summer it’s great to hang out by the sea and just enjoy the beautiful view and have a cold beer in the terrace. In the winter you can grill a sausage on the open grill and have a hot coco or a coffee. It’s just wonderful. I recommend Regatta for out towner’s as well — it’s definitely worth the visit. Tip: it’s basically always crowded, so get ready to wait(but it’s worth the wait).
Nea P.
Place rating: 5 Helsinki, Finland
Ahhh the staff and the location! Right by the sea. Regatta is loved by tourists and locals alike. No wonder since the karjalanpiirakat and korvapuustit are so yummy!
Julie M.
Place rating: 4 Davis, CA
I stumbled on this place on my walk through the park. I read the reviews and thought this would be great. Far exceeded my expectations. The coffee is good but the café is something you just have to experience.
Ansgar F.
Place rating: 5 Helsinki, Finland
What could be better on such a beautiful Sunday than sitting in a café at the beach, sipping from your coffee cup and having delicious Finnish pastry while you enjoy the sunshine? The definitely best, coziest and unique place for that is Café Regatta between the Sibelius monument and the old rowing stadium. The traditional red wooden cottage next to the water is easy to find. The simple wooden interior gives a cozy atmosphere right away. At the counter you get homemade Finnish pulla(pastry) and drinks. The prices are reasonable. You have to pay in cash though since they don’t have a card reader there. If the sun shines you should definitely sit outside on the gorgeous terrace. You can take a seat at one of the small tables or sit down next to the bond fire they light every day. Here they even invite you to grill your own sausages and meat! Regatta is really worth a visit!
DieKad
Place rating: 5 Wiesbaden, Hessen
Wunderschönes platz in helsinki! genau am meer(in der nähe ist sogar ein kleiner feinsandiger strand[5min.gehzeit]) und ist urgemütlich. wenn die sonne scheint sitzt man toll und kann die etwas nervigen spatzen füttern-sollte es aber besser lassen, wenn man seine ruhe haben will:) die zimtstückchen aus hefe(pulla genannt) sind der kanller und meiner meinung nach die besten in helsinki. toll ist auch, dass hier(wie wohl überall in helsinki) das stille wasser(tap water-es gibt näml.auch teures in flaschen) nichts kostet und man, wenn man sich einen kaffee geholt hat, so oft neuen bekommt, wie man will(lustig: pro zusätzlich getrunkene tasse gibt es 5cent zurück:):) zudem kann man sich dort ein würstchen kaufen und am stock über einer offenen feuerstelle brutzeln! love it:)