From croissants to coffee: the best breakfast spots in Oulu

What is it? Radisson Blu Oulu hotel’s à la carte restaurant, serving an excellent brunch on Saturdays and Sundays.

Why we love it? Restaurant Ule fills its weekend brunch tables with Nordic and classic treats. Together with the stylish dining room, decorated with candles and flowers, the experience offers just the little touch of luxury that makes a weekend feel special. From what we’ve seen, Ule’s brunch is also a popular place to celebrate special occasions with a glass of sparkling wine. Brunch includes a comprehensive selection of cold starters, hot main courses and a tempting dessert buffet. The starter buffet features traditional Nordic flavours such as cold-smoked salmon and blackcurrant herring, eggs with prawn Skagen and archipelago bread. The intense flavour of the parmesan biscuits is seriously moreish, while the roast beef is beautifully tender. Hot options include roasted salmon with tzatziki, as well as fresh sausages that are particularly tasty. There are also several vegan options and a vegetable soup. Desserts include fresh options such as a slightly tart strawberry shot, alongside rich mango cheesecake and salted caramel profiteroles. The white chocolate ice cream and raspberry sorbet at the ice cream station are enough to tempt even grown-ups into building their own sundae, and don’t miss the crumble! There’s also a selection of chocolates.

Time Out tip: Special diets are well catered for at brunch, but if you can’t find anything suitable at the buffet, it’s worth asking the kitchen about other options. Overall, the brunch has plenty to suit different ages, making it a good choice for families. If you’re visiting on a weekday, the hotel breakfast at Restaurant Toivo is also an excellent option!

Address: Hallituskatu 1
Opening hours: Mon-Sat 11-24, Sun 11-23, brunch Sat-Sun 11-15
Expect to pay: Adults €36.90, children €1 per year of age up to the age of 12.

What is it? Lapland Hotels Oulu’s restaurant, serving northern flavours at both breakfast and dinner.

Why we love it? Oula Kitchen & Bar’s breakfast is a deep dive into the best flavours of Lapland and northern Finland. Aesthetics are part of the breakfast experience, and it’s impossible not to admire Anu Pentik’s magnificent ‘Pilven reunalla’ artwork, made up of 250,000 pieces of porcelain and soaring above the atrium. The breakfast buffet is in a league of its own: the seasons add their own twist, but at its heart is always a high-quality spread of northern flavours, including reindeer, various types of fish, cloudberry jam and Finnish squeaky cheese. Delightful specialities include tar malt bread and tar cheddar, spruce shoot pesto and whitefish with juniper berries. Reindeer makes several appearances at breakfast, from black sausage to reindeer pies, which disappear from the table at quite a pace. The chef cooks omelettes to order, with fillings including reindeer, cold-smoked salmon and mushrooms. The creamy oat pearl porridge or yoghurt can be topped to taste with anything from lingonberry and cranberry powder to blueberry granola or, if you dare, salmiak powder. The sweet selection includes super-cute miniature cinnamon buns, butter-eye buns, parsnip cake and chocolate Swiss rolls. Fresh northern flavours also feature in the drinks, including blueberry juice and sea buckthorn smoothies. Coffee and tea are served at the table, and speciality coffees are included with breakfast.

Time Out tip: Breakfast is extremely popular, and especially at weekends there are plenty of guests who aren’t staying at the hotel, so booking a table is recommended.

Address: Kirkkokatu 3
Opening hours: Breakfast Mon-Fri 6.30-10, Sat-Sun 7.30-12
Expect to pay: €34 per person

What is it? A café, restaurant and bakery just off Rotuaari, housed in a beautiful pink building.

Why we love it? Puistola Bakery’s breakfast stands out from the rest of the city’s offerings: instead of a buffet, there’s a small selection of hot dishes every Saturday. On weekday mornings, croissants and yoghurt bowls are available. Puistola’s Saturday breakfast menu features classics such as eggs benedict, avocado toast and American pancakes. Portions are reasonably sized and the food itself is excellent, so if you’re settling in for a long breakfast, it’s worth ordering two dishes or adding something else from the café counter. The eggs benedict is soft and rich, with a pleasantly salty hollandaise. The English muffin from Puistola’s own bakery is delicious and not at all dry. The avocado toast is built on Puistola’s intensely tangy sourdough and is fresh with a lovely touch of acidity. The American pancakes are the most delicious way to finish breakfast, and we wouldn’t skip them: blueberry jam and mascarpone cream top the dish off perfectly.

Time Out tip: Puistola has a unique atmosphere and is one of the city’s most popular cafés, so tables fill up quickly on Saturdays. It’s also worth picking up some treats from the in-house bakery to take away: there’s usually a selection of buns, sourdough doughnuts, croissants and loaves.

Address: Pakkahuoneenkatu 15
Opening hours: Tue-Thu 8.30-19, Fri 8.30-20 and Sat 10-19, breakfast Sat 10-12
Expect to pay: Avocado toast €15, eggs benedict €16, American pancakes €8 (prices include coffee or tea and juice)

What is it? A café-bistro from a long-established local bakery, serving breakfast on weekdays and brunch on Saturdays.

Why we love it? The door barely stops swinging at Huovisen Leipomo’s Ilmarinkatu café on Saturday mornings. It serves one of the best-value brunches in town, which also makes it hugely popular: you might occasionally have to wait for a table, but luckily there’s plenty of seating. The whole city seems to descend on Huovisen Leipomo for brunch, with tables filled by all kinds of groups. The spread is varied, with both hot and cold dishes. Highlights include layered chia puddings served in cute little jars, deliciously crispy pinsa served hot (alternating with hot dogs), and a waffle station where you can make your own tasty waffle topped with Nutella mousse and strawberry jam. The overnight-baked porridge with apple and rhubarb compote, cheesy baked omelette and crisp croissants are also well worth trying. There are gluten-free options for both bread and sweet buns, and you can also ask the kitchen for gluten-free pinsa or another hot dish.

Time Out tip: On weekdays, a breakfast package is available until lunchtime. It includes coffee or tea, a filled savoury pastry or sandwich (such as a croissant or bagel) and a sweet pastry, which can also be swapped for overnight oats. There’s free parking for up to one hour in front of the café.

Address: Ilmarinkatu 16
Opening hours: Brunch Sat 9-12.30. Open Mon-Fri 7.30-17, Sat 9-14
Expect to pay: Brunch €19.90 per person, breakfast packages €9.90-€10.90

What is it? A restaurant at Nallikari’s Aalto apartment hotel, set by the sea and serving breakfast alongside Italian-style à la carte dishes.

Why we love it? Calm music welcomes guests out on the patio, which is one of Oulu’s absolute gems: the sandy beach and seafront boulevard stretching out in front of you instantly put you in holiday mode. The subtle seaside feel continues inside Bistoria Patio, with its wave-like ceiling and sunshine-yellow mugs, while every table has a gorgeous sea view. Breakfast is served buffet-style, with something for everyone, whether you’re after a lighter or heartier start to the day. Juniper herring and mustard herring with archipelago bread bring a taste of the sea to a breakfast spread that combines Finnish and international favourites, from oat porridge to chia pudding and Finnish squeaky cheese to croissants. You can top the scrambled eggs with parmesan, crispy bacon crumbs and chives. For something sweet, there’s a brownie that certainly doesn’t skimp on the chocolate!

Time Out tip: There’s plenty of gluten-free choice at breakfast, including various hot dishes and porridge, granola and brownies. You can also ask the kitchen for gluten-free bread and rice pies. In summer, you can have breakfast on the gorgeous seaside terrace!

Address: Nallikarinranta 10
Opening hours: Mon-Fri 7-10, Sat-Sun 8-11
Expect to pay: €21 per adult, €8 for children aged 0-12

What is it? A café in Otto Karhi Park, with plenty of outdoor seating during the summer months.

Why we love it? There can be a queue outside Puistokahvila Makia when it opens, and tables often fill up quickly during its popular breakfast. Set on the edge of the park alongside busy pedestrian paths, the café is a favourite with both locals and visitors who happen upon it, stopping by for either a quick or leisurely breakfast. Breakfast is served mainly as a buffet, apart from the hot dish, which you order when you pay. For the hot dish, you can choose between two different omelettes or a vegetable wok. The buffet includes sourdough bread and various toppings, crisp croissants (including vegan ones), jams and cheeses, fruit and vegetables, as well as overnight oats and yoghurt with toppings. Drinks include juices, coffee and brewed tea. It’s easy to put together a breakfast that suits you, and the omelettes have always been excellent.

Time Out tip: The staff can also provide more gluten-free options on request, including bread, muesli and biscuits. In summer, it’s lovely to sit out on the terrace and watch the world go by.

Address: Otto Karhi Park
Opening hours: Mon-Fri 7.30-19, Sat 9-19, Sun 9-18. Breakfast Mon-Fri 7.30-10 and Sat-Sun 9-13
Expect to pay: €17.80 (children €1 per year of age up to the age of 10)

What is it? A lunch restaurant whose breakfast buffet is probably the cheapest in the city centre.

Why we love it? Despite its unassuming exterior, The Flying Bull on Hallituskatu is a surprisingly atmospheric spot for lunch and breakfast. Floral wallpaper, wood panelling, vintage furniture and candelabras create a warm setting that encourages you to slow down on a weekday morning. The breakfast, served buffet-style, is certainly one of the cheapest in the city centre. There’s porridge, boiled eggs, yoghurt with toppings and everything you need to make a sandwich. For an additional charge, you can add dishes from the kitchen, including fried eggs, bacon, a smoothie or a tamagoyaki omelette. Juice and coffee or tea are also included in the price. The buffet alone is enough to fill you up, but the Japanese tamagoyaki rolled omelette is a fun addition to breakfast, and you’re unlikely to find anything similar elsewhere in the city. The soy sauce served with the omelette, seasoned with sesame seeds and coriander, adds another tasty kick. The Flying Bull works equally well for a quick, simple breakfast or a longer, more leisurely start to the day.

Time Out tip: The restaurant is close to the railway station. At lunchtime, there’s a buffet of Finnish home-style food.

Address: Hallituskatu 26
Opening hours: Mon-Fri 7-15, breakfast 7-10
Expect to pay: Breakfast buffet €7.90, fried eggs €2, bacon €2, tamagoyaki omelette €4, smoothie €3.50.

What is it? A café-restaurant next to Ympäristötalo with a focus on organic and locally sourced food.

Why we love it? As the name suggests, the local Health to Organic café-restaurants focus on healthy but tasty food. H2O Solisti is in Taka-Lyötty, just outside the city centre and a short walk from the railway station. As well as being healthy, its breakfast buffet is a very budget-friendly option. The restaurant itself is spacious and fairly quiet, so there’s plenty of room for larger groups too. The oat porridge, made with oats from Tyrnävän Mylly, is like velvet for your stomach, and you can add a dollop of jam or nut butter. The homemade bread rolls are crisp, tasty and just the right size. The smoothie is packed with vitamin-rich Finnish berries, and there’s also fresh juice and berry soup. A mini croissant with fig jam makes a lovely little dessert and is just the right treat if you fancy a croissant while still keeping things light. Coffee and tea are also included in the breakfast price.

Time Out tip: A similar breakfast is also available at H2O Campus on the Linnanmaa university campus. Both restaurants serve lunch too. The H2O Solisti website shows the carbon footprint of every lunch dish.

Address: Solistinkatu 4
Opening hours: Mon-Fri 8-14, breakfast 8-9.30
Expect to pay: Breakfast buffet €6.90

What is it? A café that has been serving customers in Oulu Market Hall for decades, keeping local traditions alive.

Why we love it? Kauppahallin Kahvila sits at the front of the more than century-old Oulu Market Hall and is also its liveliest spot: the café spills out across the aisles and attracts tourists and locals of all ages and backgrounds. Sit here and you might overhear everything from work meetings to the day’s hot topics among families with children and groups of older gents. For breakfast, the café serves rice porridge, with or without plum soup. The price also includes coffee or tea and rieska flatbread or rye bread, plus free refills! The counter also has popular salmon and whitefish sandwiches and rice pies. The rice porridge is silky smooth with just the right amount of salt. Plum soup is a traditional accompaniment that tastes like a trip back to childhood. The portion is just right for breakfast, and the beautiful market hall is a lovely place to pick up the day’s groceries while you’re there.

Time Out tip: The café also serves a recommended salmon soup lunch (Mon-Sat, €13.40), which you can eat out on the terrace in summer. Twice a week (Tue and Thu), there’s also a local speciality, rössypottu (€12).

Address: Kauppatori
Opening hours: Mon-Fri 8-18, Sat 8-16, rice porridge available Mon-Sat 8-11.30
Expect to pay: Rice porridge €7 (€7.50 with plum soup), rice pie with cold-smoked salmon €3.50

What is it? A traditional café on Rotuaari, formerly known as Jaanan Puoti.

Why we love it? Cafe Oulu is both a café and bakery shop, so you can have breakfast while picking up a fresh loaf of bread or some buns for an afternoon coffee. The selection is wonderfully traditional, with the counter stocked with much-loved products from several long-established local bakeries. You’ll also find, for example, excellent treats from French bakery Chez Flo, which have become popular with locals in recent years. There’s no dedicated breakfast menu, but you can pair a coffee, hot chocolate or another drink with a filled sandwich or bread roll, or perhaps a wrap made with traditional barley or potato rieska flatbread. There are also a few speciality coffees, as well as delicious almond croissants. Round off breakfast with something small or a little more indulgent, such as traditional chocolate rose biscuits or blueberry and quark buns.

Time Out tip: The bakery shop also offers a little taste of Kainuu, with products from Pekka Heikkinen bakery, including wood-fired bread made by hand using a sourdough starter that’s more than 100 years old. There’s also a soup lunch, which you can pair with a bun.

Address: Kauppurienkatu 3
Opening hours: Mon-Thu 9-17, Fri 8-17, Sat 9-15
Expect to pay: Coffee, tea or hot chocolate €3, cappuccino €4.50, orange juice €3.50, filled rieska wrap €3.90, French almond croissant €4.90, chocolate rose biscuit €0.60