7 pizza places to try in Helsinki
Helsinki might not be the first city that comes to mind when you think of pizza. And yet here we are. From pizzettas to Neapolitan awarded pizza dough, and a one-woman show that bakes exactly 32-pizzas a day, all where regulars are happy to queue for some of the most talked-about pizza spots in town. Something has been quietly rising in Helsinki, and it’s worth exploring.
1. Pizzeria Luca – Naples by the Baltic Sea
What? The original, Pizzeria Luca, on the “Island of the happy”, has been making Neapolitan pizzas long enough to have shaped what the city expects. The menu rotates special editions alongside the classics. It is a neighbourhood pizzeria in the truest sense: not because it is modest, but because it belongs to the people who live near it, and they are not inclined to let it go.
Where? Lauttasaari neighbourhood
2. Three Belly’s Pizza – modest with local ingredients
What? On another note in Töölö neighborhood, Three Belly‘s brings Naples style pizza to a cosy bistro where the dough is made in-house to its own formula, the mozzarella is fior di latte, and the menu sits comfortably between Neapolitan tradition and signatures that nod to local Helsinki ingredients. It is the kind of place that earns its neighbourhood, through modesty rather than hype and that is exactly the kind of place that Helsinki welcomes.
Where? Töölö neighbourhood
3. Kaisan Pitseria – 32 pizzas a day
What? Then there is Kaisan Pitseria. Kaisa Aalto worked at some of the best pizza spots in Helsinki and nowadays she creates her own. She co-founded Goose Pasta bar, one of Helsinki’s most beloved restaurants, and then stepped away from it in 2024 to pursue her next passion project. What she wanted, it turned out was her own pizzeria, small enough, unhurried and a place where stories unfold. Open only on weekdays, Kaisa bakes 32 pizza doughs a day on Korkeavuorenkatu. When they are gone, she goes home.
The menu has three options: margherita, pepperoni, and the chef’s special, which changes according to the mood and weather yet always gets an interest. Photography is not permitted inside. Kaisa does not want a queue around the block. She does not want to be a trend. She has said, plainly, that she is doing this for herself — and that 32 pizzas covers the bills, covers a bad day, and covers everything she needs. Helsinki’s response? Everyone is talking about her place and everyone loves it.
Where? Kaartinkaupunki neighbourhood
4. Blondie Slice Pizza – your one slice stop
What? Blondie has turned Vaasankatu in Kallio to be the city’s most popular street for a slice stop. New York-style, unapologetic and generous by the slice, six rotating options, prices around 5-6,5 e per slice. Get the house pie and definitely the mushroom. Rumour has it that the pepperoni with hot honey is the one that makes you come back. Make sure to order mayo for dipping the dough corners. The queue is real and it is worth joining. If you’re too full and still have the corners left, take them with you and reheat the next day for your breakfast carb. Also Blondie’s hype continues with a recent opening and sister restaurant Bar Blondie.
Where? Kallio neighbourhood
5. Pizzeria Izza – toppings according to the changing seasons
What? Some steps away, towards central Helsinki, Pizzeria Izza answers the same casual pleasure from a Roman angle. Pizza al taglio, also sold by the slice and priced by weight is a dough that rises slowly. With a result that is light and crisp and unmistakably its own thing. The toppings change with the season. There is no hype here but it can get buzzying. A very good slice of Rome in the middle of Kallio, which is exactly what it sets out to be.
Where? Kallio (in between Karhupuisto and Hakaniemi)
6. Third Place Pasta Bar – pizzettas & vinyls
What? For a groovy background spinning on vinyl records, and some of the best pizzetta to feed your appetite (without the expected food coma) head to Third Place Pasta Bar. Given the name and its diverse and busy events, Helsinkians have literally found their third place. Plot twist, the place is known for its fresh pasta but famous for its pizzetta.
Where? Töölö – again!
7. Daddy Greens PizzaBar – from a pop up to the top
What? And then there is the one that started as a pop-up van at Helsinki Restaurant Day in 2016 and refused to stay small. Daddy Greens in 3 areas around Helsinki (Töölö, Iso Roobertinkatu, Kallio) was born from the partnership between a Finnish chef and a New Yorker. The pizza they make reflects exactly that: dough cold-fermented for standard 48 hours, fired in a handcrafted gas oven, producing a crust that is charred and chewy and tangy in the way that only happens when Naples and New York decide to agree on something. Three locations now. The conviction has survived the scale.
Where? Töölö, Kallio, Punavuori (Iso Roobertinkatu)
+ 1 more! Putte’s – a legend
What? A homely pizza place with cool vibes and great music. Located a stone’s throw away from the iconic Stockmann Department Store and even more iconic, Art Nouveau era Yrjönkatu Swimming Hall. Owned by the Helsinkian “super chef” Antto Melasniemi – a guy who has not only played Helsinki’s creative food scene for as long as one can remember but also the keyboards of HIM, Finland’s greatest love metal band! – Putte’s pizzas are from another world in both their taste and imagination.
Where? Kalevankatu, Kamppi neighbourhood (also in other parts of town)
What Helsinki’s pizza scene says about Helsinki is what its coffee scene says, what its restaurant culture says, what the city keeps saying in different ways:
Doing one thing properly, without noise, without needing to be noticed, is its own kind of statement.
Come hungry. Come as you are. Let each neighbourhood tell you where to go, and then return to the one that stays with you.
In Helsinki, there is almost always one place that keeps you coming back for more.