Kuopio, A City For A Foodie: Visiting Panza And Kauppahuone Gust. Ranin

Kuopio has become a great city for foodies like me. Now, in the city center you can find more than the fantastic Lihapiirakat (meat pies) from Hanna Partanen. Here you can find restaurants for all kind of tastes: Indian, Greek, Nepalese, Italian and of course, Mexican to just mention some of those. The bars and places to go for a drink have increased and modernized since my first visit to Kuopio 10+ years ago. And it looks like the cocktails are back! Sorry, Tom Cruise is not here.

We had a family night out yesterday. Only adults! And we had a very good time enjoying the food and drinks options from my city Kuopio.

First stop: Bar Y Restaurant Panza (Ravintola Panza)

I need to confess that I visit this place often. Literally, I am getting a big “panza” (belly, in Spanish) from their food. This is the closest to Latin American food I can get in town and I like that this place is quite relaxed.

 

The Entrance of Panza Restaurant (Ravintola Panza)

We went there on Saturday at 17:00 as we had also planned to go to see James Bond, 007 Spectre. Location of the restaurant is perfect. When you enter to the place, the aroma starts to hypnotize you right away.

The place is a mix of the typical Mexican elements, very colorful and funny. A little happy place. The waiter came quickly and we ordered mojitos without looking at the list. Oh no! There was no mint. What!! Well, I took a cold Mexican beer instead. Problem solved, it worked, too. We ordered nachos to share and I took the tacos with pork (Panza’s carnitas salsa verde) as main food. 

Oh no! No Mojitos this time. Pic of my previous visit, In memory of the missing mint

I ate the tacos so quickly that I forgot to take a picture, sorry! It looked like my partners in crime, were happy with the food as well. Presentation was good, very street food style. Fresh veggies, very soft and tasty pork and of course, the sauces were all perfect. And eating the warm nachos with the dipping at the same time while we talked about life and enjoyed the atmosphere… what else do you need?

One of the things I like the most about this place is the music. It is a fusion of Latin with a lounge style, but soft enough that you can actually talk to people.  

I took the Panzacota for dessert. I was very surprised that it was completely different than the Panzacota I ate two weeks ago when I was visiting there with a friend. No complains, this was better. The fresh berries on the top make me feel as “Yes, I can survive November in Finland. Again”.

Stop 2: Kauppahuone Gust Ranin

I have heard about this place before but, I visited yesterday for first time. Busy fall! It is a small lounge in the city center. The decoration is amazing; a combination of old style with a modern twist. From the marketing perspective, the products and ads were perfectly located. You know those are there but, it does not bother you. 

Loimu Glögi

This is a cocktails place and you can find as well Glögi which is the typical Christmas drink in Finland (or should I say fall-winter drink?). I love the cocktails selection, they use Finnish nature products such as berries. This time I just took the Glögi. It was excellent. We thought that this can be a perfect Christmas present for some friend. From Kuopio with love...

 

Great service but. where is Tom Cruise?

I like so much the concept I needed to check their website. For sure you will enjoy their videos, too. This one, Gustav dance  for example, describes the Finnish culture very well. Too many cocktails for him or what?

 

Both places were full when we were there. So glad that the Kuopiolaiset (people from Kuopio) are supporting these initiatives. Long lives to these places!

Muumi Pannari Kahvila: The Official Moomin Pancake Coffee Place In Kuopio

I love pancakes. Who does not?

I was visiting Kuopio city center one of these days after work, and I felt like I was too lazy to go home to cook for myself. I was not really fancying to go to a restaurant and eat all by myself, either. And then, I found a great partner in crime to share my indulgence: Moomin.

If you don’t know The Moomin family yet, let me introduce these adorable cartoons. Moomins are the main characters of the books and comic strips created by Tove Jansson. There is not childhood in Finland without it. In addition, Moomin products are very well branded and you can find almost everything, -from clothes, towels and decoration stuffs to forks and knives for the table.

Kuopio surprised me by establishing the first Moomin pancake coffee place in Europe. Location is very good, strategically near the main shopping area and close to the market. So, if you are visiting for holidays, you can just come to Kuopio city center and you will find the place easily. There you can find pancakes and other kind of coffee snacks such as pies and sandwiches. Of course, tea and coffee are also available.

 

Muumi Pannari Kahvila Kuopio

I have been there before, but this time I have the magnificent presence of Moomin itself. As I was replacing dinner with a pancake, I forced myself to eat a salty one. So, I selected the salami, tomato and cheese pancake. That is risk taking for somebody like me who believes in chocolate. 

 

This is not a pizza, it is a pancake

The pancake itself looks more like a pizza than a pancake but, it was good. Of course, the pancake has the brand price included but, I have no complains about the taste and the presentation. The service was fine, too. It looks like there was only one lady running the entire show, but it worked well in a non-rush hour visit. Food was served quickly, the place was clean and calm. Despite of Moomin being a cartoon, the place itself was decorate with a good adult taste.