Elite

The story

Crafted with passion, served with love

A Living Room Since 1932

Restaurant Elite first opened its doors on April 25, 1932, when restaurateur Ernst Mattas launched the place in a commercial apartment on Museokatu – just two weeks after Finland's prohibition ended. From the very beginning, residents of the nearby Lallukka artist home found their way down the hill to Elite, and the reputation of an artist restaurant took hold almost immediately. As filmmaker Heikki Partanen, who once lived near Lallukka, put it: "One flows here quite automatically, down the hill."

In 1938, Elite moved to its current address on Eteläinen Hesperiankatu, into a building designed by Jalmari Peltonen. The interior was decorated by Stockmann's architectural firm Jung & Jung, with handmade furniture by Werner West – a funktis interior that remains largely intact today. The White Guide, which recognises Elite at Fine level, puts it plainly: the décor hasn't been updated, and it's still as classy as it was back in the day.

Actors, Writers and a Charming Doorman

Over the decades, Elite's dining room has welcomed actors, musicians, writers, dancers and visual artists – whose works still hang on the walls. Actor Tauno Palo was among the most beloved regulars; according to staff of the era, he was a man of peace who, if an argument broke out at a table, would simply rise, point with his hand, and move elsewhere. His cream and onion steak remains on the menu to this day, named in his honour.

The connection to the Lallukka artist home next door runs deep. To mark the centenary of the Lallukka Artist Foundation in 2025, Elite added a new dish to its à la carte: "Mie Maksan" Lallukan lammaspullat – lamb meatballs with potato purée, creamy Meukow sauce and lingonberries – named after a legendary speech by Lallukka founder Juho Lallukka, whose catchphrase translated simply as "I'll pay."

Finnish Classics and Seasonal Flavours

Elite's Finnish cuisine is built on recipes that have stayed on the menu for decades. The salmon soup known as Jaren suosikki, Tauno Palo's cream and onion steak, and Vovan Vorschmack – named after a former doorman – are cornerstones of the à la carte. Alongside these classics, the kitchen follows the seasons: early in the year, traditional blinis and flambé weeks bring warmth to the darkest months, while summer opens onto a green terrace where Töölö life drifts by.

The influence of French cuisine has been woven into Elite's cooking since the 1950s, when dishes like pike perch with mushroom sauce shared the menu with French-inspired preparations and southern European wines. That blend of Finnish and French sensibility remains the kitchen's quiet signature.

The White Guide describes Elite's crowd as an eclectic mix of old regulars and curious newcomers – and that balance feels deliberate. The restaurant's own motto has not changed since 1932: "The world is always in a hurry. We are not."