Helsinki, Finland – Gluten Free Big Macs, Hot Wings, and More!

On our way from Norway to Russia, we stayed in Helsinki, Finland for two nights. What a lovely place! I wish we had more time here and it was very gluten free friendly!

Know before you go: in Finnish: gluten free = gluteeniton; celiac = keliakia

Eating out (we used this restaurant card in Finnish):

• Bruuveri – we went for dinner here to watch the Russia v. Croatia World Cup Match and were surprised to see the menu labeled with what was gluten free (gluteeniton)! I asked if it was safe for someone with “keliakia” and the bartender said “yes, of course”. We had GF spicy chicken wings, potatoes and sausage with chili for dipping and they had delicious pear cider and strawberry rhubarb cider.
• McDonald’s – yep, McDonald’s in Finland (like Norway) has gluten free options. They have a great allergen list here. We shamelessly went for lunch and dinner one day because Daniel hadn’t had fast food in so many years (and probably won’t again until we’re back in Europe!). The Big Mac was his favorite and the fries were also GF. We also tried the GF Fresh McMuffin for breakfast on our last morning and it was good too.
• We took our bus pass (their public transit app is fabulous!) to the island of Suomenlinna fortress and wandered for a few hours – there we found soft serve ice cream that was GF and lactose free!

Big Mac (note the middle bun even!)

Even labeled GF!

Bruuveri

Grocery Stores:

• S-Market – great GF selection of bread, cookies, crackers, and frozen foods. We stocked up here before our train ride to St Petersburg, Russia.
• K-Market – also had great GF options.

Brands:

• Pirkka – they make a ton of gluten free foods!
• Semper – I was most excited about my favorite cookies (essentially the GF version of a Jammie Dodger in England)

Resources:

• Gluten-free in Helsinki – I wish we would have had time to try all of the recommendations on this page!