Stefan's Steakhouse — Restaurant in Helsinki sub-region

A Mixed Bag of Culinary Delights and Service Stumbles

Upon entering the restaurant, I had high hopes, as the ambiance suggested a place where everything was well thought out. However, my overall experience was a bit of a rollercoaster—excellent in some respects, yet lacking in others.

Firstly, the crowd. The restaurant was buzzing with customers, and while it's always a good sign to see a full house, it became clear that the service was struggling to keep up with the demand. Our server was polite and knowledgeable, but the timing of the dishes and attention to detail faltered as the evening went on. While not a dealbreaker, it certainly detracted from the overall experience.

Moving on to the food: the flavors were solid. The main course was cooked to perfection, tender and seasoned just right. However, the appetizers, though tasty, fell short in presentation, giving off a rather bland and unremarkable first impression. It felt like there was a lack of attention to how things should look, which was a disappointment given the high standard the rest of the meal seemed to aim for. That being said, the aioli served with the dish was simply fantastic and made up for some of the shortcomings. Creme brule was also fantastic!

One notable downside was with the drinks. We had to return Tom Collins as the proportions were completely off, making the drink unbalanced and unpleasant. Fortunately, the staff was quick to address the issue, but it still left a bit of a sour note.

On the positive side, the wine we selected—a 2018 Louis M. Martini Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley—was an absolute highlight. It complemented the meal beautifully with its rich flavor profile and added a layer of sophistication to the overall dining experience.

In summary, while the food was generally very good, a few small but crucial details—like the rushed service, the poorly made cocktail, and lackluster presentation of some dishes—left me with mixed feelings. I’d return for the flavors, especially the amazing aioli and wine, but I hope the restaurant fine-tunes their service and drink preparations to match the quality of their...

First of all - we need to say that we (Swiss + Finnish Wife) have been a big fan of this restaurants in Helsinki and Tampere - so we had dinner at least twice a year. Usually we go for the tasting menu with the selected wines.... So way " have been" fans... A/ Yesterday Sunday December 28, 2014 we went to your restaurant in Helsinki - we booked over the Internet - but no reservation was found... no problem B/ We got a table in the back of the restaurant - but there was no light and it was extremely cold and freezing so we ask the waiter if we can have another table...he said not... finally your receptionist came and offered a table in the front with light.. C/ Still cold and freezing but happy we started to order - a five dish tasting menu with wine tasting....sorry not available..please look at the menu... D/ We looked at the menu and (tried) to order a soup, lobster and meat and a bottle of american wine (98 USD)...waiter came back sorry not lobster ... E/ After 10 waiter came back sorry this wine is not any longer available F/ We ordered a Priorat ...and he came back...sorry not available ...at the end we got a soup (excellent) and meat (veal cops and waygu) which was also excellent in a freezing environment ( we had to request woll blankets) and a still available bottle of wine (30min from ordering...

My fiancé and I visited this steakhouse because the online menu mentioned ribeye under premium cuts. Unfortunately, the menu they have did not reflect this, so we went with the Wagyu sirloin. The ambience seemed great as we were entering, but they shoved all diners into a corner, almost on top of each other, while the rest of the restaurant had wide open seating. The pair to our left was blasting Arabic music from their phones, FaceTiming friends, and yelling for service. It was loud, and we could barely hear each other. The food came out 4-5 minutes after ordering, and the man carrying the food tried giving our meal next to the pair sitting to the right of us. We ordered medium, and got blue rare. The asparagus was hard as carrots (didn’t even know that was possible), but the salad was okay (reason for two stars). We took a few bites of our 90 euro steak, paid our bill as fast as we could so we could escape the yelling match and loud music. We went across the street and got sushi, it was great. I don’t recommend, I’ve left one google review ever, but this has earned my second. The waitress may have helped if we complained about the food, but we just wanted to leave ASAP. So no discredit to the waitress,...