Welcome to Savoy. Overlooking the Esplanade Park in the heart of Helsinki, Savoy has served guests for more than 85 years. Today, the restaurant is headed by Chef Patron Helena Puolakka. Her ambition is to create experiences that respect the history of Savoy but feel inspiring and relevant in the 2020’s. Savoy’s food is Finnish-French and strictly based on seasonal ingredients. Our wine cellar is one of the largest in the country.
the crayfish season
The crayfish season is here and continues until the end of September. Caught in Kainuu, the crayfish are available in three different sizes and by pre-order only. We kindly ask you to place your order seven days ahead of the reservation by email savoy@savoyhelsinki.fi.
The Savoy interior was designed by architects Aino and Alvar Aalto who brought their human-centred and functional touch to every detail in the restaurant. Opening in June 1937, the interior was rich in various species of wood and lush planting, and the use of fabrics was vivid. The atmospheric dining hall was framed by terraces on three sides. The interior showed the Aaltos’ preference for welcoming and comfortable furniture and their sensitivity towards high-quality natural materials. In the early 2020’s, the restaurant was re-designed by Ilse Crawford and Studioilse and renovated in cooperation with Artek, Helsinki City Museum and the Alvar Aalto Foundation. Over more than eighty years of operations, changes and refurbishments had impacted the original Aalto design. The purpose of the renovation was to restore the interior closer to its original charm and beauty while refreshing it to today.
Food at Savoy is based on classic French cooking techniques and seasonal ingredients. Game, fish, foraged wild mushrooms and berries are central in the Finnish food tradition and regularly featured on the menus. Along with the dishes reflecting time, we keep revisiting the Savoy classics such as vorschmack, Marshal Mannerheim’s favourite pike perch, pan-fried Baltic herring, and classic crêpes elevated with vanilla chantilly and wild strawberries.
In the summertime, we grow our own herbs, leaves and flowers in our terrace garden, and keep bees on our rooftop. The project, which started fifteen years ago, is a dialogue between our kitchen team and the gardener Hans van der Ende. Every growing season is different and teaches us something new. The honey produced by the bees is collected in autumn for use in the coming year.
THE seasons of savoy
Printed in a limited edition of 2000 copies, our book ‘The Seasons of Savoy’ covers Savoy’s food seasons month by month, as well as history, design and interviews with many of the talented people connected to our operation.
