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Location: Runeberginkatu 26, 00100 Helsinki
Year of Inscription: 2024
Venue Type: Beer Specialists / Neighbourhood Pub / Traditional
Map
Description
Gallery
| EBG Rating: | 8/10 |
| Choice/ Quality of Drinks | ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ 13 beer taps covering some European classics but not neglecting Finnish craft ales from small independent producers. With cider and extensive Fridge range, it is deserving to call this an excellent selection. |
| Style/ Décor | ❤️❤️❤️❤️ A corner pub with a pubby feel, more so than many Helsinki efforts, with its textured wallpaper and ceiling, browns and blacks, and furniture to match. Somewhere between a Czech Hospoda/English Pub/German Gaststatte in appearance. L-shaped and open plan. |
| Atmosphere/ Character | ❤️❤️❤️❤️ Neighbourhood life with its various rhythms and guises can be found here, whether that’s on quiet afternoons or buzzy evenings. It isn’t a raucous place though, this is a fairly restrained conversational sort of venue. |
| Amenities/ Events | ❤️❤️❤️ Toasties, board games, books, quiz. |
| Value For Money | ❤️❤️ Happy hour deals available, but not particularly cheap outside that. |
| Description | “The Contrarian”, a beguiling name for a pub. Töölö district is in need of good bars and this is its shining light. In service for over 20 years, it has become a well-known, reliable neighbourhood haunt. With its homely setup and décor, there is a sense of familiarity even when you’ve never been before that helps put you at ease, without seeming to have come from a template. The beer selection here is excellent and varies meaning you are unlikely to become bored on repeat visits. Don’t expect a raucous atmosphere here exactly, this is a pub where friends meet, partner’s come to chat and relax, but partying and karaoke etc will be happening elsewhere. You have to judge the pub on what it is trying to achieve. On that basis it is a superior venue in Helsinki. |
