Ravintola Manala — Restaurant in Helsinki sub-region

BUYER BEWARE Three things describe Manala: Decent food, rude service and hidden fees.

We live right around the block, so we used to come here every so often. The last time was, well, literally the last time for us, as we encountered service that I can only describe as unacceptable for the venue / price.

Decent food: We'll start with the good things. The food is quite decent for a local restaurant. The reindeer pizza is to die for when it's not over-salted, and the wine recommendations have always been on point.

Rude service: During our last visit, we had to return a burger, due to it being cold. The waiter had a rather strange reaction to this - something between being offended and disapproving. When the newly-made burger arrived, the waiter took a moment to quite directly educate us about the fact that cold ingredients sometimes have a cooling effect on the food. While raising a valid point, this was not our first time I'm ordering a burger. If fact, I believe to be in possession of a basic skillset of evaluating burger temperatures on a rough Gaussian scale. Possible misunderstandings aside, this is not the first time we've had an against-the-grain experience with the service staff of Manala. At the risk of sounding crass, it seems that the older the staff member is, the lower the quality of service, so try to pick a table with younger staff.

Hidden fees: This relies heavily on interpretation, but coming from the world of commerce, it puts me off personally. In Finnish, there's a concept called "Hyvä Kauppatapa" - the etiquette of good dealmaking. This restaurant does not quite follow it. Upon entry, our waiter jollifully asked if we'd like a glass of Glögi. We happily agreed. Later, upon reviewing the menu, we realized it was just about the most expensive cocktail in the restaurant. Oh well, it was worth it, even if a sold with underhanded tactics.

We were then asked if we'd like still or sparkling water. We opted for sparkling, and received a 0.5l bottle of Italian alp mountain goodness (5€, we later noticed in the bill). The still option would have been a nice big jug of cool tap water. What annoys me is that, again, this wasn't specified at the moment of ordering.

Lastly, upon reviewing the bill, we noticed that both burgers came with extra cups of mayo (2.5€ + 2.5€), which normally would have been included in the portion. After reviewing the menu, I noticed that this was indeed stated in the text, and I only had managed not to pay attention.

All in all, we ended up paying +30€ for added stuff, out of which +10€ was tiny bill-fattening things.

Caveat emptor when visiting Manala. It's all perfectly fine and legal, but I personally don't believe that a honourable restaurant should resort if smoke-and-mirrors -pricing tactics. But that's...

A traditional artist-favourite restaurant offering both Finnish specialities (fish dishes, sautéed reindeer, Skagen toast, wild mushrooms) and pizza and international classics. A special mention goes to the restaurant’s signature dish – escargots in a blue cheese sauce – which our whole family sampled enthusiastically, soaking up the delicious sauce with bread. The menu had something for everyone, the children’s meals were tasty, and the prices of the kids' menu were reasonable considering the portion sizes. We also enjoyed the atmosphere, which was pleasantly free of intrusive background music.

For international guests, a dedicated Finnish Specialities section on the menu would be helpful. Desserts leaned toward alcohol-based options. We missed the classic Finnish dessert köyhät ritarit – French toast served with marmalade and whipped cream – which used to be one of the restaurant’s...

If you want to see how Helsinki people end their working day or even their weekdays, the ambience is here to see and feel: light dinner or light drink should fulfill it. On certain days, musicians are playing in this cafe and the cafe itself (also the restaurant) can be very crowded. The service was not very excellent. I came on Friday evening and had to wait for circa 30 minutes (since ordering until having the food served) due to super-high load of people coming to eat and drink and enjoy the music at the same time; but the waitress was very helpful and very kindly while serving. Can be reached by walking 2-3 minutes from 9A bus stop nearby Museokatu.

Absolutely...