Restaurant Day

Restaurant Day is a food carnival when anyone can open a restaurant for a day. The first Restaurant Day was organized on 21st May 2011 in Helsinki, Finland and now this event has spread all over the world. Now it is arranged 4 times a year and of course summer time pop-up cafees and restaurants are more in the outside and in colder periods in the basements and other inside locations.

 
Event seems to become more and more popular each time and there are vast number of participants with various different concepts. It was even chosen as The Best Cultural Act in Helsinki 2011.

Ravintolapäivä Aug 2012

Ravintolapäivä Aug 2012

I have been away from Helsinki quite a few times when it has been Restaurant Day, but the first Ravintolapäivä I visited was August 2011. We went around Töölö pop-up places as my friend's kids though it was so exciting to buy waffles from the window of somebody's home (Vohveliruutu). And they were right, it was great fun!

Restaurant Day Aug 2011 (photo from VisitFinland.com)

Got to admire how people have come up with amazingly creative conceps and fun ideas like to Royal Cake Cafe (Kakkupalatsi), which had delicious biscuits with fun royal names such as "Victoria's Secreat", "William's Wild Cookies" etc. 

Ravintolapäivä August 2011

Around last November's Restaurant Day there was a big discussion around alcohol being served without a licence in the events. Unnecessary fuss since nobody is professionally selling alcohol and it would be nice to be able to buy a beer with your meal. We visited Creole kitchen (Jatsia ja Jambalayaa) in Katajanokka and also the police visited the place checking that there was no alcohol served... Well, the food and athmosphere in the basement was great as well as mudcake and water.

Ravintolapäivä Nov 2011

It is always nice to participate events like this (from the customer side I mean). I sincerely hope that Ravintolapäivä manages to keep it nice spirit and soul so thatit does not become commercial.

Restaurant Day on Vimeo