Skiffer

Hop on the ferry or take your own boat to this cool terrace for some drinks and pizza during the summer months. The pizzas have interesting and fun combinations, my favorite is the one with strawberries. They’ve got djs playing until late and a great atmosphere.

After a few months of Unilocal-​silence, I finally visited a place today that inspired me to write a review. Skiffer! The new watering-​hole and Pizza haven for the Helsinki It-​crowd, I hear.
It is a boat ride away on a small island (more of a rock) in front of the Helsinki South harbor. Definitely a weather dependent place, so check the forecast before you head out. I like the concept: Great terrace, good pizza, and a lovely red cottage that serves the refreshments. The view is to the harbor of Helsinki, where one can view sailing boats and people having summer fun by the sea. It has all the ingredients to be charming, which I suspect it was a few years ago, but it just has become way too trendy.
About the pizza: We ordered three pizzas to share: Strawberry and goats-​cheese, Mozzarella and tomato, and ham and pineapple. The pizzas looked delicious and came quite fast. Perhaps even too fast as one got the feeling that we should eat quickly to make room for the crowd waiting for a table. The crust was nice and thin, crispy but not burned. Especially the strawberry and goats-​cheese was excellent, it would have been even better with a bit of sunshine. The two other pizzas were good quality, but lacked any creativity. The mozzarella and tomato had some nice features, like some grilled wild garlic, but it was a bit of a mush. Overall I would say that the food was good and OK for the price (13 – 16 €).
What can I say about the drinks, not much as I was not the one ordering, so I did not get a peak at the menu. I did see some nice specialty beers on the tables next to us, so their selection extends beyond a normal archipelago cafes.
The service was friendly, but hurried. As mentioned before, one got the feeling that we should be getting our things and going as soon as we were ready with our food and drinks. It did not feel that comfortable just sitting there. There was also a DJ playing some club music and that to me was a bit out of place. It was not too loud though and did not disturb talking or enjoying the environment in any way.
I think it is just not my place or it was not my night, so someone else would enjoy it perhaps more. Or I might enjoy it more after a few drinks. Definitely worth visiting and trying out the pizza! Just note that it can be quite full, especially on a sunny day as there are not that many of those in Finland to begin with =).

This is definately one of the places you have to visit during summer. Skiffer on Liuskaluoto is originally just a gas station for boats. They expanded their service though and opened a bar. Here you don’t just get drinks but can also order pizza or liuska, how they call it.
And believe me, their pizza is amazing. One of the best if not even the best in Helsinki. Check out their menu on their website.
But even though the food is great the best thing about Skiffer is its location. Liuskaluota is an island next to Uunisaari. During the summer you just get there by boat. A small ferry takes you there for 5 € (return ticket). From the terrace you have a great view over Kaivopuisto and Eira and can watch the boats entering and leaving the harbor. On a warm and sunny summer day it is so nice that you don’t even want to leave anymore. And luckily they are open till 22.00 on the weekend. That means that you can stay there till the sun goes down.
This place is a must! Enjoy it!