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Where are all the restaurants?
Visitors from Switzerland, Germany or Italy often expect to find a café, bakery or open restaurant at any time. Around Ranua and Impiö, the choice is smaller and opening hours can be limited.
Why is the choice smaller?
- Distances are long and communities are small. A restaurant open every day is not viable everywhere.
- Many Finns eat at home. Cooking together, including outdoors, is part of everyday life.
- Eating out is expensive and often a treat rather than a routine.
- Some places open seasonally or mainly at lunchtime. Food is also served at hotels, service stations and supermarkets.
A meal we would happily have swapped
We were recently using vouchers at a formal restaurant: seven pieces of cutlery, three wine glasses, white tablecloths and butter shaped like flowers. As the third course with its French-sounding name arrived, a message came from our friends in Impiö.
The photo showed a fire and a makkara sausage on a stick. No elaborate table setting or advice on the wine’s mineral notes. Just fire, food and friendship.
We would have swapped immediately: the foam on the plate for sooty fingers, the carefully poured wine for smoke in our hair, the silver spoon for a stick we had carved ourselves. Our hearts would have been more at ease around that fire.
What does this mean for your stay?
If you want a hot meal in the evening, plan ahead. Mökki Tikka has a well-equipped kitchen, so you can cook whenever it suits you, comfortably and within your budget.
Tintti also welcomes visitors for meals at Mattilan talo in Impiö. Breakfast can be arranged in advance, as can supper or a hot meal. It is a lovely opportunity to sit down to a prepared table and enjoy local hospitality. Contact Tintti ahead of time to discuss your date, meal preferences, allergies and dietary needs. Agree the current options and price directly with her. Discover Mattilan talo Breakfast and evening meals are served only at Mattilan talo; there is no delivery to the cabin. Mattilan talo is about four kilometres from the cabin. For us, it is a wonderfully authentic place to eat with Tintti and get to know local people.
What to expect when eating out
- Friendly, straightforward service.
- Homemade food, often Finnish favourites such as salmon, stews and oven dishes.
- Simple, honest cooking.
- Sometimes lunch-only opening hours; booking ahead is recommended.
For us, a good meal in Lapland is about warmth and time together. It does not need an elaborate menu.
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