Turku’s best cafés

What is it? An art café on the riverbank, serving what many consider the best coffee in Turku.

Why we love it? The world can be a windy place. That’s why we need something steady, something we can rely on – like Cafe Art. Spread across several small rooms right next to Teatterisilta, this long-time favourite is a true Turku classic. Founded in 1992, it has become a beloved meeting spot. In summer, the terrace stretches far along the riverfront, in one of the city’s prettiest areas often described as a slice of Paris. As the name suggests, you’ll always find rotating art exhibitions here. The display cabinet is packed with delicious pastries – often around twenty options. Perennial favourites include a finnish classic mokkapalat (why don’t more cafés serve them?) and the Bengtskär salmon sandwich, a flawless savoury bite.

Time Out tip Cafe Art’s coffee is considered some of the best in Turku, and its baristas have won the Barista of the Year title seven times. The coffee is made with beans from Turun kahvipaahtimo, run by one of the café’s owners – and you’ll definitely want to take some home.

Address: Läntinen rantakatu 5
Opening hours: Mon–Fri 10:00–19:00, Sat 10:00–18:00, Sun 11:00–17:00
Expect to pay: Coffee €3.50 & Bengtskär salmon sandwich €4.60

What is it? A cosy little café near the old railway station, famous for its stunning cakes.

Why we love it? If there’s one thing Turku locals adore, it’s playing with dialect and dry humour. So the name Gaggui Kaffela and its whole vibe hit the mark: gaggui is the Turku dialect version of the Finnish word kakkuja (‘cakes’). This charming café was born out of pure love for cakes. The beautiful bakes are the main reason people come here. Gaggui Kaffela values clean flavours and genuine ingredients, using organic, free-range or outdoor-reared eggs. Even the coffee and tea can be traced all the way back to the farmers. The café also strives for zero waste.

Time Out tip: It’s worth dropping by at lunchtime too: on weekdays 11:00–15:00 you can order a lunch salad and a delicious sourdough toast with a changing topping, served to the table. This set is also available on Saturdays before 15:00.

Address: Humalistonkatu 15 a
Opening hours: Mon–Tue 11:00–18:00, Wed–Fri 11:00–19:00, Sat 11:00–18:00
Expect to pay: Cake slices €6–6.90, filled sourdough bread €7.40

What is it? A licensed café serving Danish-style breakfast all day.

Why we love it? The delightful little white wooden house Tiirikkala occupies was an Artek shop for years. People would peek in, nose pressed against the window, wishing they dared to step inside. Now everyone can. The café spreads across three floors and calls itself a licensed café. The upstairs is like a quiet hideout, perfect for sharing secrets. There’s something for everyone: all-day breakfast, lunch, plates, cakes, coffee, bubbles and cocktails. A long-time favourite is the All day breakfast, available Monday to Saturday – reportedly the only one of its kind in Turku. The Danish-style brekkie is made up of quality small dishes: alongside sourdough and butter you pick three items from the list (and more for an extra charge). My go-tos are usually gouda with jam + half an avocado with seeds + carrot cake. Add a mimosa and the day could hardly start better.

Time Out tip: On Sundays Tiirikkala offers a tasty plated brunch, also available as a veggie version. You should definitely book ahead – it usually sells out.

Address: Linnankatu 3
Opening hours: Tue–Sat 9:30–18:00 (kitchen until 17:30), Sun 11:00–16:00 (brunch 11:00–15:00)
Expect to pay: All day breakfast €18 per person, includes coffee, speciality coffee or tea &
2 slices of sourdough with butter or tomato pesto & three items from the list

What is it? A sleek café on Kakolanmäki, with baked goods you can’t help but fall for.

Why we love it? Can we talk about croissants for a moment? The croissants at Bageri Å will make your toes curl – people travel long distances for them. They’re made with sourdough. But Bageri Å is much more than that. The café, located on Kakolanmäki, is strikingly streamlined in style and serves sourdough-based products. The counter is filled with breads, buns and, of course, croissants. The coffee is roasted right in Kakola by neighbouring business Frukt Coffee Roasters. If you’re heading here on a summer Saturday, expect a queue out the door.

Time Out tip: Fancy levelling up your Friday night pizza? Bageri Å makes pizza dough for Fridays based on email pre-orders (and there’s usually a little extra at the counter). The dough is sourdough, so the result is delicious even from a home oven.

Address: Graniittilinnankatu 2
Opening hours: Wed–Fri 10:00–17:00, Sat–Sun 10:00–15:00
Expect to pay: Croissant €3.80, ‘voisilmäpulla’ €3.50, coffee €4

What is it? A café tent at Turku Market Square known for its impressive display of treats – and for opening early.

Why we love it? What could be more quintessentially Turku than torikaffet? A few years ago, people practically fought over the handful of chairs at the market, but now there are loads of options. One of the most popular is Cafe Eino, hidden beneath a large black tent. In summer it spills out onto a wide terrace; in winter the tent walls are shut tight and heat lamps keep the temperature at a surprising +20 even in freezing weather. From the outside you’d never guess how atmospheric it is inside. There are also cute little glass pavilions. Eino opens at 6:00, and its counter overflows with treats: the juicy tomato-mozzarella sandwich is a classic, and the salmon, whitefish and crayfish sandwiches are all must-tries. The Brita cake is also exceptional.

Time Out tip: Eino has a loyal crowd of regulars who come almost every morning. Try coming alone sometime and listen in on the ‘market-parliament’ to hear the hot topic of the day.

Address: Turku Market Square
Opening hours: Mon–Fri 06:00–17:00, Sat 07:00–17:00
Expect to pay: Coffee €3.20, Anne’s Brita cake €6.80, Eino’s salmon sandwich €7.20

What is it? A new café that has taken social media by storm with its beautifully crafted matcha drinks.

Why we love it? Opened in summer 2025 just off Turku city centre, Kotona & co. has a style all its own. You climb a few steps from the street into a new world of delicious aromas, warmth and calm. The café is often described as Danish-Japanese in style, and it fits perfectly. Kotona & co. is known for its high-quality matcha served in various drinks. The most popular is the Vanilla Seasalt Matcha Latte – truly worth trying (and very photogenic): a cold drink that’s the perfect balance of freshness and sweetness. Customers have also fallen for the café’s chunky chocolate cookies topped with flakes of sea salt, as well as its homemade filled breads and ice creams (flavours vary but may include honey, coconut or tonka bean).
There are always a few gluten-free and vegan options too.

Time Out tip: On Saturdays the café serves brunch, which always fills the place. The brunch usually includes homemade sweet porridge, scones with clotted cream and a bread plate with cheese and egg. It costs €20 per person, and they don’t take reservations.

Address: Yliopistonkatu 10
Opening hours: Tue–Fri 11:00–18:00, Sat 10:00–18:00
Expect to pay: Filled focaccia €11.50, Vanilla Seasalt Matcha Latte €7.50, chocolate-salt cookie €5

What is it? Award-winning, high-quality coffee in an elegant Alvar Aalto setting.

Why we love it? ‘If I want to treat myself to good coffee, I always go to Frukt,’ sighs my coffee-loving friend. Frukt Coffee is her – and many others’ – favourite café in Turku. It’s the showroom for Frukt Coffee Roasters, which operates on Kakolanmäki, and offers a wide selection of the roastery’s own small-batch coffees. This year Frukt Coffee was voted the sixth-best café in Finland and won the Best Coffee award. It’s located on Puutarhakatu in Maalaistentalo, a building designed by Alvar Aalto. The interior uses Aalto furniture and complementary pieces, resulting in a calming and harmonious space. The café serves numerous (and changing) coffees, plus quality teas and Bageri Å’s sweet and savoury goods. It’s absolutely worth taking Frukt’s coffees home with you.

Time Out tip You can also enjoy Frukt Coffee around Turku at places such as Bageri Å, Kaskis and Kakolanruusu. The company’s coffees are also supplied to top cafés across Europe, North America and Asia.

Address: Puutarhakatu 8
Opening hours: Tue–Sat 9:30–16:00
Expect to pay: Hand brew coffee €6–9, BMO (bolle med ost, cheese roll) €5.90

What is it? The most hidden café in Turku – a time-travel experience to the 18th century.

Why we love it? Don’t be put off by the City Hall construction site and the fencing – Cafe Qwensel is very much open in the courtyard of the Pharmacy Museum. At the moment you can only enter from one direction, via the riverfront. Qwensel’s setting is particularly enchanting in summer, when you can enjoy your coffee in the quiet courtyard, soaking up the atmosphere of days gone by – just a stone’s throw from Market Square and the bustle of the centre. The café charms in winter too, when you move indoors to the old chambers (watch your head on the low doorways). Trends don’t sway this place, and you won’t find a decaf latte here: they serve proper stovetop coffee from a copper pot. You choose your treats from the counter, but everything is served to the table on a beautiful tray with nostalgic tableware. Everything tastes homemade, with flavours that reflect the season. One classic is the Norwegian doughnut beloved by Turku locals, which you’ll only find in a handful of places.

Time Out tip: Cafe Qwensel’s Afternoon Tea is truly special: a tiered stand piled high with homemade seasonal treats. You must book it a few days ahead via their website, and you can choose classic, premium or vegan.

Address: Läntinen Rantakatu 13 B
Opening hours: Tue–Sun 10:00–18:00
Expect to pay: Stovetop coffee €3.50, Norwegian doughnut €3, cake slice €6.30, Afternoon Tea for two €42–47

What is it? A café in Turku Market Hall selling treats from the much-loved MBakery.

Why we love it? The piispis – a doughnut coated in pink icing (wrongly called a berliner elsewhere in Finland) – is a Turku icon. It’s one of the most popular café treats in the city. Piece of Cake, located inside the Market Hall, sells MBakery’s exceptional piispis doughnuts, unmatched in texture and flavour. You’ll also find must-try items like Turku chocolate and Turku liquorice balls (great souvenirs), plus a huge selection of MBakery products. MBakery was named Finland’s best bakery in 2015 – a fact Turku locals haven’t forgotten. The bakery has several cafés in the Turku area, but Piece of Cake is the only one in the city centre.

Time Out tip: On Fridays there’s a cake buffet: pay a fixed price and eat as much cake as you like. You start with three slices, and the price includes coffee or tea – you can upgrade to a speciality coffee or a glass of bubbly for an extra charge.

Address: Turku Market Hall, Linnankatu end
Opening hours: Mon–Thu 09:00–17:00, Fri 09:00–18:00, Sat 08:30–16:00
Expect to pay: Piispis €3.20, coffee €3, Salty Caramel Latte €6.50