Finland’s best lunch was once again selected in Edenred’s vote.
In the photo, Timo Majala, Entrepreneurs of Neste Matti and Liisa Station, employee Raija Kämäräinen, another entrepreneur Jouni Majala and Edenred’s working life expert Laura Lahtinen. Edenred
The best lunch in Finland can be found this year in Lapinlahti: Neste Matti and Liisa’s station won the nationwide vote for the second year in a row. This is the first time the same restaurant wins the vote for two consecutive years.
The second place in the vote was Ram’s confectionery from Mikkeli and Meriportti from Taivassalo for the third. Taivassalo in southwestern Finland has 1,700 inhabitants, so the sea gate can be considered as a surprise to the competition.
In the fourth place in the vote, Bistro Liekki from Vantaa was captured by Talvikkie, Puumala Poiju, a fifth place in Puumala, and a sixth place in Parkano’s Mäntypirtti.
Edenred also commissioned a survey in connection with the vote, which reveals that the most important thing for Finns in a restaurant lunch is a good service. The next most is the most widely desired selection and a suitable location. Healthy food is the fourth most important and the next price is most important.
– The clearest trend in restaurant eating is the importance of a diverse selection. Now it is already 2nd. More and more people want healthy ingredients from restaurant food, Edenred’s working life expert Laura Lahtinen says in the bulletin.
– Healthy is largely about salads and a variety of protein sources. Especially for lunch, you do not want to be heavy, but explicitly refreshing. A large number of voters in Finland’s Best Lunch competition tells about the importance of lunch culture in Finnish everyday life, he continues.
In the plans of an extension
Last year’s victory for Neste Matti and Liisa was turning around.
– Since 1990, our family has owned the station and the last 12 months have been the busiest in our history. It’s amazing. Before Finland’s Best Lunch win, we were concerned about the future because it was known that we had to stop fuel sales. When the gas station has to stop selling gasoline, it is a serious place, Matti and Liisa’s entrepreneur Jouni Majala says in the bulletin.
An average of 312 lunch diners visit the Matti and Liisa station.
– Our number of customers has grown so much that we are going to expand now. Of the current 150 customer seats, we grow to about 220 indoor spaces. And add parking, bigger kitchen, new dishwasher line. Success in this development work in competition brings certainty, Majala says in the release.
Finland’s top 10 lunch restaurants in 2025
1. Station of Neste Matti and Liisa, Lapinlahti
2. Rami Visulahti (Ramin Konditoria Kahvila Oy), Mikkeli
3. Barbecue Café Meriportti, Taivassalo
4. Bistro flame Talvikkie, Vantaa
5. Restaurant Puumala Poiju, Puumala
6. Mäntypirtti, Parkano
7. Bistro Well, Lahti
8. Täffä Lunch, Espoo
9. Frantsila’s peripheral flower, Hämeenkyrö
10. Lempilounas Oy, Turku
FACT
The competition is organized by Edenred, a provider of employment benefits. The selection was made by 91,542 Finns who voted in an open online vote and 5,554 different restaurants received votes. The competition took place between 1 and 21 September 2025.