Bistro Gina — Restaurant in Helsinki sub-region

We have arrived in almost empty restaurant around 15:00 on Saturday, but the waitress was hesitant if there will be a table for us. That probably means that it gets fuller by the evening with people who reserved the tables. The interior looks awesome, the design is on point and the atmosphere is very stylish. The waitress was attentive but a bit too pushy for us to have a bit of everything from the menu, plus the wines, deserts, etc. We came by just to eat quickly some quality Italian food (as “bistro” in the name suggests fast service, shorter visits, etc.). We ordered two pastas of the day and a bruschetta to share, plus alcohol free drinks. We were given options to choose still or sparkling water for the table. The restaurant pasta portions are small and not filling. Also very salty. Bruschetta wasn’t warm, and focaccia was soggy under the paprika and tomato. The serving was looking good with one pasta finished on the pan in front of us on the movable stove/table. But what’s the point if the flavor is mediocre and portion is small, especially considering the price?! Mocktail that we ordered turned to be 14€! What price tag is that for alcohol free drink? 💔 Also charging for STILL WATER IS SERIOUSLY A CRIME IN FINLAND. 😐 No bread or anything else was served with the food. This was a late lunch on the next day after our wedding. I’m very disappointed with overall experience since I didn’t get chill Italian vibe and burst of flavors in this very stylish and soulless place. I do not recommend this restaurant...

Disappointing evening. Firstly the seating is so cramped you are basically eating your food with people you have never met before. The tables are so close to each other, not even the waiters can fit between them. Its completley impossible to have a private conversation without others eaves dropping. Starters were fried calamari and Salumi. The Calamari were fine but very small portion. The salumi was pretty tasteless, so were the olives and capris that came with them. The main courses were better, 1 being sole fish. The portion of fish was very small along with the small helping of spaghetti, yes I know Italian dining is eating courses of small portions, but 44e euros for a small piece of fish and a small helping of spaghetti??? The other meal was Parmigiana di pollo which was fine and a decent portion. The 2 glasses of wine with the meal were good , but again quite over priced for one of their cheaper glasses. The other main complaint came when paying by card. The card reader asked if we would like to make a tip of 5 or 10%. Being that this retaurant in my opinion is over priced for whats on offer the key was pressed to reject the offer, then when adding the pin number we noticed that the pin number was actually going to be given as a tip! When it was brought to the waitresses attention she just shrugged and gave a smile. Over all, in my opinion, the high price tag does not reflect in the quality of the food, and I dont think I would...

Restaurant design and look is beautiful, clean and atmospheric. Good music with perfect volume.

The food was the main attraction though. It was absolutely delicious.

We had the deep fried zucchini flowers as a shared starter. Then the linguine alle vongole and cacio e pepe deluxe version for mains. Dessert was tiramisu and ganache. Ganache was good but not perfect. Everything else we had was beyond delicious. Special mention for the deluxe cacio e pepe and tiramisu. Absolutely sensational food!

The one and only minus came with the bill. The restaurant charges 1 euro per person for tap water. Finland has the most clean and practically free tap water for drinking. When you already pay good money for the food an other drinks, the tap water should be complimentary. These are the small details that decide if the experience was the best we ever had in Helsinki or not. Small compliments and appreciations towards the paying customer make a big difference in the end.

All together the atmosphere and food...