Restaurant Backas
- Getting there
- In northern Vantaa, about a 25-minute drive from central Helsinki
Why it’s in the log
Restaurant Backas occupies a manor house in northern Vantaa that's been standing for roughly two centuries, restored rather than rebuilt, with a parkland garden around it that the restaurant uses for outdoor tables in season. The kitchen draws on Arctic and Nordic influences — game, foraged ingredients, cold-climate produce — rather than a generic European manor-house menu.
Because it sits in Vantaa rather than central Helsinki, it gets passed over by visitors who don't look past the airport connection the city is best known for. The manor setting and garden are the real draw, closer in spirit to a countryside estate than anything in the capital.
Best in the warmer months when the garden tables are open — it's a half-day trip out from Helsinki rather than a quick stop.
“Easy to overlook because it's technically Vantaa, not Helsinki, but the manor and the garden are worth the drive on their own.”