Gustav Kitchen & Bar — Restaurant in Rovaniemi sub-region

A Truly Unforgettable Dining Experience at Gustav Kitchen & Bar!

My recent visit to Gustav at Rovaniemi was nothing short of exceptional. From the moment we stepped inside, we were treated to a warm and inviting atmosphere that set the tone for a fantastic evening. The personal touch of having "Gustav" himself greet us and recommend dishes was a lovely surprise, and his suggestions proved to be spot on.

The meal began with an impressive selection of bread and condiments, with the burrata cheese and pickles being particular standouts. The appetizers that followed were equally impressive, with each bite showcasing the kitchen's attention to detail and commitment to using only the freshest ingredients. The carrots, beef tartare, celery, and fish all combined to create a truly memorable start to the meal.

For the main course, we opted for the beef brisket, fried tofu, and white fish, each of which was expertly prepared and presented. The flavors were bold and exciting, with each dish complementing the others perfectly. Throughout the meal, the service was attentive and knowledgeable, with our server happy to answer any questions we had about the dishes.

No visit to Gustav would be complete without trying one of their incredible desserts. We were blown away by the creativity and skill that went into crafting each sweet treat, and the perfect ending to a truly unforgettable meal. Overall, our experience at Gustav was nothing short of exceptional, and we can't wait to return and do it all again. Five stars isn't enough – Gustav...

We expected more out of Gustav given the stylish website and reasonable Google score. Our experience unfortunately was the opposite. It seemed like a great website as the face of mediocre food. The dishes were served in smaller portions, which is fine, but this is typically the case when dealing with a finer quality of food. These were plated as if they were special but it was the same quality (or worse) as you saw in many of the Rovaniemi restaurants.

Our first three choices of wine were not available and instead of the Tuscan varietal we tried to get, we were suggested a Spanish Rioja. This was also minutes before the bartended walked into the dining room area, looked at the three bottles of wine on the bar back, and for some reason loudly asked, "OK, so what wines are we pushing tonight". I get it, I know how restaurants work, but when you go, you want that sort of stuff to be hidden. Instead, the service was just awful, the dishes while good, weren't great and were overpriced. The wine list prices are also heavily inflated. 95 euro offering for what you'd buy for under 20 euro at the market is excessive.

There are many other basic options that would have been less than the 240 euro we spent for average food. This appeared to be a concept of plating what looks like Michelin Guide but on an obvious budget. The 15 euro burger down the street provided a more authentic and...

One of the better restaurants in Rovaniemi. A bit of French, a bit of Japanese influenced and a nicely design restaurant.

We walked in with no reservations on a Sat. The inner section of the restaurant was still available for early dinner around 5pm.

For starters, we had sourdough bread and brown butter. What would have made it perfect was a lightly toasted bread to give the crunch and freshness. But unfortunately they can’t do it in the kitchen.

We have a cold dish with thinly sliced beef with pickles and radish. The black rice crisp was a twist in this dish to bring a new kind of delight in a bite - nutty, crunch and very additive.

For main course we chose the fish and beef. The portion is small but just enough for small eaters like us.

The beef with black garlic was a unique pairing. Black garlic’s umami glaze was deep and strong. We bit overpowering for the beef actually. The acidity of the roman lettuce with yuzu was underpowered.

Our dessert was forgotten and we waited over 20mins thinking that they are baking the burnt cheese cake. It was a disappointment. The cheese cake turned out rubbery.

Overall the experience was good and it felt like a little fine dining restaurant with our...