Locanda Scappi

The story

Crafted with passion, served with love

Benvenuti to Katajanokka

Locanda Scappi sits on Kanavakatu 1 in Helsinki's Katajanokka neighbourhood, run by a tight Italian-Finnish crew led by restaurant manager Francesco Cereda and head chefs Simone Portas and Stefano Mancusi. The three met at London's Bocca di Lupo restaurant, where the ethos was simple: know the story behind every product, make everything from scratch, and keep your hands covered in flour and smelling of garlic. That spirit travelled north to Helsinki, and Gambero Rosso awarded the restaurant 2 Forks in 2023 — a recognition that speaks to just how seriously this team takes their craft.

A Name with History

The restaurant takes its name from Bartolomeo Scappi, a 16th-century Italian chef who in 1570 wrote one of the world's first cookbooks, Opera dell'arte del cucinare. The volume presented over 1,000 recipes, introduced cooking techniques and kitchen equipment, and was the first cookbook ever to include illustrations. It also declared parmesan the best cheese in the world — a conviction the kitchen at Locanda Scappi seems happy to uphold.

The Food

The menu is compact and deliberate — "small menu, endless flavours" — structured around a build-your-own format that lets guests choose between a three- or four-course experience. Pasta is handmade throughout: tagliolini finished in a cheese wheel with butter and Grana Padano, pici alla carbonara with guanciale and pecorino, ravioli cacio e pepe with butter and sage, and scialatielli alle vongole with clams, garlic and chilli. The beef tartare uses Finnish beef, seasoned with Parmesan cream and hazelnut — a small but telling detail about how Italian technique meets local produce.

From the grill and braise section, a Tuscan cacciucco brings together baby octopus, red prawns, mussels, clams and white fish in a red wine stew, while the homemade Zampina sausage — pork, beef, lamb fat, caciocavallo, chilli — speaks to a kitchen that doesn't cut corners on charcuterie either. Desserts include a cannolo Siciliano with homemade Marsala shell and ricotta, and a semifreddo made with IGP Piedmont hazelnuts.

The Atmosphere

The team describes themselves as "a large, loud Italian-Finnish family that shares know-how and develops together." Guests are greeted by name. The space accommodates private parties, large groups and outdoor seating, and the bar runs wines and cocktails alongside the food. It is the kind of place where the warmth is structural, not performative — built into how the team was trained and how they choose to work.