Welcome to À La Kämp and Kämp Bar—Hotel Kämp’s New Bar and Restaurant Bringing History to Life

Hotel Kämp, northern Europe's most legendary luxury hotel since 1887, unveils a new bar and restaurant. À La Kämp and Kämp Bar are the new hubs for dining and drinks at this Helsinki landmark, welcoming its first guests on November 14, 2025. The openings mark a milestone in the hotel's extensive refurbishment project, scheduled to be completed in 2026.

Breathing life into 138 years of history is no small feat. After a long-anticipated transformation, the grand dame of Helsinki—Hotel Kämp—now unveils two reimagined restaurant and bar concepts. Meet restaurant À La Kämp and Kämp Bar, two classics with a completely new look. 

Located alongside the stately Esplanade Park, the new spaces merge a restaurant and a bar under one roof, offering dining and drinks every day of the week. Together, À La Kämp and Kämp Bar pay homage to Hotel Kämp’s glorious past, all while leading the way for a new, timeless epoch. 

– The rebirth of Kämp is a tribute to the hotel’s long-standing heritage. The renovation celebrates the high level of craftsmanship, finest ingredients and meaningful moments that define Nordic hospitality, says Tuomas Liewendahl, General Manager at Hotel Kämp.

A Tapestry of Style, Art, and History

In every great city, there are certain places where its history is shaped. In Helsinki, those places have long been the bar and restaurant of Hotel Kämp. The story of these spaces is, at its heart, the story of Helsinki itself. 

Since opening in 1887, the walls of Hotel Kämp have witnessed the unfolding of Finland’s cultural and political life. From the outset, the bar and restaurant of the hotel became the natural gathering place for the elite of the late 19th century. Cultural lions, movers and shakers, and statesmen adopted Kämp as their own. Building on this legacy, the new design by David Archer and Julie Humphryes of London-based Archer Humphryes Architects is an act of revitalization. 

Archer Humphryes’ vision celebrates the many architectural strokes present in the building. In the new spaces, they have combined the elegance of Neoclassicism, the organic sensuality of Art Nouveau, and the optimism of the Belle Époque. Original architectural details—columns, capitals, and panels—have been restored and combined with polished mahogany, marble, satin brass, and soft velvets, creating a space that is both intimate and grand. 

The new restaurant and bar seats a total of 117 guests. 65 of the seats are indoors, under a high painted ceiling, and 52 are on the glassed-in terrace, the main dining area overlooking the Esplanade Park.

Historical Flavors and a Finnish Soul

Restaurant À La Kämp combines classic elegance with a Nordic sensibility. The kitchen weaves together a forward-thinking curiosity with authentic dishes from old menus of Hotel Kämp. The result: a culinary journey distilled from over 80 menus, from 1890 to present day. This is haute cuisine, reimagined through French techniques but with a decidedly Finnish soul.

On the menu, “Kämp Classics” has its own section. Highlights feature a protected salmon soup recipe, served tableside just like it was at the hotel in the early 20th century, as well as a “smörgåsbord”, a light starter reimagining the popular “sandwich table”—a buffet made of different sandwiches—of the late 19th century.

Sharing a space with the restaurant, the storied Kämp Bar has also been resurrected with a new look. Having long served as the capital’s social hub, the new Kämp Bar is designed to once more assume its role as Helsinki’s premier location for celebrations, ceremonies and important moments. The bar welcomes walk-ins, and the full À La Kämp menu is also available at the bar.

Kämp Bar’s concept evokes the tastes of early 20th century Helsinki society; think champagne, fine European wines and signature cocktails. What is new is a modern, Nordic twist, most notably seen in local ingredients and aromas. Not only does the new concept highlight historical tastes, but it also celebrates distinguished guests who have made an impact on the hotel, as well as the nation. Many of the signatures are concoctions built on historical nuggets, like the Marsalkka, named after a signature blend of the Commander of the Finnish Army and Finland’s 6th president, Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim. Or the Gellhorn, a dedication to pioneering humanist, author, and journalist Martha Gellhorn, regarded as one of the great war correspondents of the 20th century, who covered the Winter War in 1939–1940 with Hotel Kämp as her base.

Ushering in a New Era

The echoes of the hotel’s legacy is ever-present in the new spaces, and nowhere is it more vividly presented than at the Lemon Table. In the early 1900s, the bar of Hotel Kämp was home to a legendary circle of well-to-do gentlemen, formed around wealthy businessman John Grönlund. Grönlund was convinced that lemon was the perfect pairing to punsch, a popular drink at the time. Not only did the tartness of the lemon balance the punsch’s sweetness; according to Grönlund, the vitamin C of lemons was also a considerable health benefit. When preparing what would become his signature drink, Grönlund would squeeze fresh lemon juice directly into a bottle of punsch, shake it, then pour it into a cocktail glass. From his signature, the name “Lemon Table” was born.

Today, this history has been cleverly embodied in tactile ways. To commemorate the friend circle, a new seating area has been named the Lemon Table, complete with an engraved plaque. Furthermore, one of the bar’s signature cocktails, Lemon & Punsch, pays homage to Grönlund’s original drink, served in a hand-blown urn. In the restaurant, a signature lemon dessert makes the Lemon Table history come alive through flavors of white chocolate and limoncello. 

Meanwhile, the renovation of the entire Hotel Kämp continues. With the new Kämp Spa well underway, the tremendous refurbishment project marches on alongside the preservation of the building’s original architecture and spirit. The transformation will be completed in 2026, with Hotel Kämp remaining open throughout the renovation project.

Discover the new À La Kämp and Kämp bar at alakamp.fi and kampbar.fi.