In the drawers are food and drink menus from the collections of the Hotel and Restaurant Museum.

Drawer 1: In Finland, restaurant menus were written in French for a long time. In the early 1900s, most restaurant customers still spoke Swedish as their first language. À la carte menus at that time used French, Swedish, Finnish, and Russian. Menus often featured Swedish alongside French, and from the 1920s onwards, Finnish appeared more frequently.
Menus in the drawer:

• Restaurant Oopperakellari, Helsinki, 1907

• Hotel Kämp, Helsinki, 1900–1910s

• Restaurant Esplanadikappeli, Helsinki, 1927

• Hotel Seurahuone, Helsinki, 1910s

Drawer 2:
Menus in the drawer:

• Café menus from the 1930s–1960s

• Fazer, Helsinki, 13 August 1968

• Nissen, Vaasa, 1950s

• English Tearoom, Helsinki, 1930s–1960s

• Primula, Helsinki, 1950s

Drawer 3: In the late 1800s, the upper class enjoyed wines and other alcoholic beverages in fine hotels and restaurants. Selections were varied and drink lists were long. After Prohibition, only the State Alcohol Company could import alcohol, and hotels and restaurants purchased their drinks from it. With Finland’s EU membership, alcohol imports were liberalized. Beer and wine became more available and popular, which was also reflected in restaurant menus.
Menus in the drawer:

• Imatra State Hotel, 1890s

• William K., Helsinki, 1990s

• Hamburger Börs, Turku, 1980s

Drawer 4: A menu card lists the dishes served at a meal and sometimes the program. It is created for a single special occasion. In the 1800s, a new serving style was adopted, where dishes were served one at a time in the order listed on the menu card. A banquet table typically had three courses and between eight and twelve dishes. Over time, the number of courses was reduced to four or five.
Menus in the drawer:

• Pori, 4 November 1895

• Pori, 4 November 1895

• Hotel Seurahuone, Vyborg, 21 April 1897

• Hotel Kämp, Helsinki, 24 May 1888

• Hotel Kämp, Helsinki, 24 May 1888

• Restaurant Oopperakellari, Helsinki, 12 February 1898

• 14 December 1889

• Hotel Seurahuone, Helsinki, 26 April 1900

• Restaurant Kaivohuone, Helsinki, 12 July 1902

Drawer 5: For a long time, restaurants in Finland were seen mainly as places serving alcohol, and customers were primarily men. From the 1960s onwards, beer restaurants such as those run by Kantaravintolat Oy welcomed families to dine. Families became increasingly important customers in the 1970s and 1980s. Menus began to include dishes for children, typically foods thought to be child-friendly such as meatballs, sausages, and ice cream. Popular adult dishes were also offered in smaller portions for children. Sometimes, children’s meals were given playful names.
Menus in the drawer:

• Restaurant Torni, Helsinki, 27 March 1966

• Valkeala Motel, Valkeala, 1960s

• Restaurant White Lady, Helsinki, 1970s

• Taukopaikka Lahnajärvi, Lahnajärvi, 1980s

• Restaurant Omenapuu, Helsinki, 1990s

Drawer 6: During the war, the Ministry of Supply oversaw food rationing in restaurants. Restaurants were required to follow the Ministry of Supply Cookbook, which specified the exact size and contents of each dish.
Menus in the drawer:

• Imatra State Hotel, Imatra, 1940s

• Imatra State Hotel, Imatra, 1940s

• Restaurant Klaus Kurki, Helsinki, 12 November 1942

• Imatra State Hotel, 30 July 1945

• Ministry of Supply, HT 138, Group 2, 23 May 1945

• Hotel Pohjanhovi, Rovaniemi, 3 August 1947

• Hotel Aulanko, Hämeenlinna, 3 July 1948

Drawer 7: The first pizzerias in Finland were opened in the 1960s. Pizza, introduced by Italian restaurateurs, quickly spread everywhere. Many different types of restaurants have a pizza menu alongside their regular menu. Pizza can be served in fine dining restaurants, family restaurants, or even at service stations.
Menus in the drawer:

• Pizzeria Muskotti, Pori, 1970s

• TelePizza, Helsinki, 1990s

• Restaurant Varras, Helsinki, 1980s

• Fat Lizard, Espoo & Helsinki, 2010s