an elaboration on a post to my tiny VSCO Journal
This little area to the east of Helsinki’s center used to be very working-class and, some say, run-down, but recent years have seen a resurgence of popularity marked by gentrification and an influx of students and young couples.
The bar scene is apparently quite renowned, though as a non-drinker I’ll leave that for others to comment about. A weekday visit started out with a stroll around the Hakaniemi Kauppahalli (Market Hall), then coffee (filter, no cream, no sugar) at Good Life Coffee and ended with a great all-you-can-eat Moroccan lunch at Sandro (get there early to beat the crowd). The streets were mostly quiet which, while making the neighborhood slightly lacking in vibrancy, was a nice change from the city center. i’m sure the neighborhood picks up on the weekends.
some Kallio resources from VisitFinland.com (a lovely site in general!) and Helsinki This Week.
i can’t recommend Sandro enough for lunch. their Marrakesh Madness buffet is a steal (you can pay them at any time, apparently, some people pay before they get food, some after). highlights for me included the fish entree and the yellow bread — but again, get there early (e.g., 11, 11:15) before the crowd comes!