Arctic Tasting 2023
Once again Arctic Tasting takes over the cafes and restaurants in the city center of Oulu as the competition for the most delicious tasting dish returns from August 30th to September 2nd.
Arctic Tasting is a food event aimed at food enthusiasts of all kind, where restaurants and cafes compete against each other to create the most delicious tasting dish.
Good food brings together
Visitors go around the restaurants with the help of Atla – Intelligent City Guide and rate the tasting dishes. Participating restaurants and cafeterias are listed also on this website, so you can also adventure without the app.
Participants of Arcting Tasting 2023 are Terwa Food Truck, ChocoSomnia, Hagia Sofia, Kise Bar & Kitchen, Kummeli Bar & Bistro, Magnolia Coffee & Bakery, Restaurant Lasaretti, Restaurant Torilla, Tähtitornin Kahvila, Gastropub Zivago & Mallassauna.
Welcome to Arctic Tasting!
Vote for the best dish here >
Restaurants and dishes
Savory and sweet, at lunchtime or during the evening, from Wednesday to Saturday! For several days, you can enjoy Arctic Tasting dishes. There are versatile, delightful flavors on offer!
Sweet & Sour Delights
ChocoSomnia, Hallituskatu 30
The dish includes a chocolate deluxe macaron with gold flakes on top (lactose-free, may contain traces of gluten) and a lemon curd tartlet (may contain traces of nuts). You can choose coffee or brewed tea as your drink of choice.
The Arctic Tasting dish is available Wednesday to Thursday from 11 am to 6 pm and Friday to Saturday from 11 am to 9 pm.
Perhaps the world's greatest blueberry pie
Tähtitornin kahvila, Linnansaari 1
Baked pie made from handpicked blueberries (gluten-free, lactose-free), served with old-fashioned vanilla ice cream (gluten-free, low-lactose). You can enjoy your dish with coffee or tea. If you arrive with your furry friend, the dish also includes our own creation, Dog Ice Cream, made from Finnish pork and beef (lactose-free, gluten-free, salt-free, and sugar-free).
The Arctic Tasting dish is available Wednesday to Thursday from 11 am to 9 pm, Friday from 11 am to 12 pm, and Saturday from 11 am to 9 pm.
Meze Selection
Hagia Sofia, Kirkkokatu 2
The meze, or appetizer platter, includes tzatziki, eggplant dip, ezme dip, and bread. The spicy flavors of Turkey combined with pure Finnish ingredients; for example, delicious lavash bread made with flour from Utajärvi. (lactose-free, suitable for vegetarians)
The Arctic Tasting dish is available Wednesday to Thursday from 3 pm to 8.30 pm and Friday to Saturday from 3 pm to 9.30 pm.
Summery Fishburger
Kummeli Bistro & Bar, Kajaaninkatu 17
The dish contains pike from Lake Oulujärvi, fresh lime aioli, fresh salad, and quick pickled cucumber. (lactose-free, can also be prepared gluten-free)
The Arctic Tasting dish is available Wednesday to Saturday from 5 pm to 9.30 pm.
Zander Ceviche
Ravintola Torilla, Saaristonkatu 4
The dish features zander from Lake Oulujärvi, flatbread from Koillismaa, and herb cream cheese. (lactose-free, can also be prepared gluten-free)
The Arctic Tasting dish is available Wednesday to Saturday from 5 pm to 9.30 pm.
Burger
Terwa Food Truck, Raatintie 7 (Kuusisaari)
A juicy burger with beef or veggie patty, coleslaw salad, pickled red onions, and sauce of your choice. (dairy-free, lactose-free)
The Arctic Tasting dish is available only on Friday, September 1st, at the Welcome to Oulu festival from 1 pm to 7 pm.
Charming Salmon pastrami sandwich
Ravintola Lasaretti, Kasarmintie 13 B
The dish consists of surface-smoked salmon, malt bread, red onion and wild sorrel (lactose-free)
The Arctic Tasting dish is available Wednesday to Saturday from 4 pm to 11.30 pm.
Chevre Burger
Kise Bar & Kitchen, Pakkahuoneenkatu 12
Consisting of Kujalan Tila’s burger steak, goat cheese, pickles, tomatoes, pickled onions and mayonnaise, the delicious Chevre Burger is finished with fresh arugula and devil’s sauce. In addition to the burger, the dish includes two pieces of wings (gluten-free) and small fries (gluten-free).
The Arctic Tasting dish is available Wednesday to Thursday from 3 pm to 12 pm and Friday to Saturday from 11 am to 2 am.
Sweet and savory nature offerings
Magnolia Coffee & Bakery, Torikatu 15-17 (Kauppakortteli Pekuri, 2. krs.)
The dish includes both sweet and savory pancakes. The savory one is filled with tasty salmon mousse, and the sweet one features whipped cream and a blueberry chia jam made from Finnish blueberries. (gluten-free, lactose-free, can also be prepared dairy-free)
The Arctic Tasting dish is available Wednesday to Friday from 10 am to 7 pm and Saturday from 10 am to 6 pm.
Mushroom Ravioli
Ravintola Zivago, Kirkkokatu 29
The dish includes homemade forest mushroom ravioli, mushroom foam made from local forest mushrooms and carrots, thyme-flavored oat fraiche, truffle oil, and vegan parmesan. (vegan)
The Arctic Tasting dish is available Wednesday to Thursday from 4 pm to 10 pm, Friday from 4 pm to 10.30 pm, and Saturday from 2 pm to 10.30 pm.
Schwarzwald Beer Chocolate Cake
Ravintola Mallassauna, Pikisaarentie 15
Chocolate, cherries, and cream – now that’s an unbeatable trio. The Schwarzwald Beer Chocolate Cake, made from Kirsberry cherry wine and Hailuodon Panimo’s own Dunkel beer, is a German chocolate delicacy that leaves no one cold. (lactose-free)
The Arctic Tasting dish is available Wednesday to Thursday from 2 pm to 10 pm and Friday to Saturday from 2 pm to 12 pm.
How can I take part?
Head out on an Arctic Tasting journey with your friends August 30th to September 2nd and explore your way into the mouthwatering embrace of affordable dishes.
1. Download Atla – Intelligent City Guide from your app store or visit atla.fi/en
2. Navigate to restaurants and cafes using the Arctic Tasting route found in Atla. The route is designed to make it easier to get around, but you can also diverge from it if you wish. Please note that the route and dishes will not be published until August.
3. Savor the tasting-sized dishes at the participating restaurants. Each restaurant will create one competition dish priced at 7,00 €. You can visit as many restaurants as you like during the event.
4. Vote for your favorite dish using the QR code available at the restaurant. Voting is open from 8 am to 10 pm during the event.
5. The winner will be announced on Sunday, September 3rd, on Arctic Food Lab social media channels. Make sure to follow us on Instagram and Facebook.
Restaurants
Participating in Arctic Tasting:
Arctic Tasting is part of the Arctic Food Lab culture programme
Arctic Food Lab showcases the unique ingredients grown under the sky of Oulu and northern Finland, as well as the culinary traditions that have emerged in arctic conditions. Our aim is to provide unforgettable Arctic Food Lab experiences for both local and international visitors, which cannot be found anywhere else.
Get ready to be delighted by the enchanting tasting dishes crafted from ingerdients grown under the pure and delicious Northern Finnish sky.
Instagram: arcticfoodlab
Facebook: Arctic Food Lab
Let’s choose the tastiest dish!
Score the dish on a scale of 1 to 5 (1=The dish still needs a lot of improvement, 5=The dish is downright perfect). Please note that you should only give scores for dishes you have tasted.