Kappeli Coffee House

We unpacked a few items before heading out for for a short walk to stretch the legs after sitting for so long on the plane . Yes, it is late, however, at this time of year it is more like dusk.

We came across this beautiful café and of course the Hopwoods had to stop for a coffee at Kappeli Coffee House. The building was christened Kappeli (the Chapel) as it looks like a church. This café was excellent and we visited a number of times during our stay for our coffee and cake fix.

Kappeli was founded in 1840 by Confectioner Jerngren as a wooden booth in Helsinki's Esplanade, where pastries and lemonade were sold. The booth quickly fell into disrepair and it was necessary to build something new on the site. So the new Kappeli, designed by Hampus Dahlström was built and became the city's number-one summer venue.

In 1883, restauranteur Josef Wolontis obtained the restaurant's rental rights, and under his management Kappeli became Helsinki's nerve centre in the heart of the city, a meeting-place for poets and musicians and alike including the Hopwoods.Read more