Run Your Own Pop-Up Restaurant On Restaurant Day

Eat. Drink. Enjoy! Words to live by for residents of Helsinki, World Design Capital 2012. As mentioned in a recent article, Helsinki hosted its 5th worldwide Restaurant Day. Restaurant Day is an international food festival of sorts, where anyone can be a restauranteur for a day. You can set up a pop-up restaurant, café or a bar in your home, office, the park, or even the beach!

Mexican street kitchen El Puesto, Helsinki

Godavari Kiska, Lahti

The first Restaurant Day originated in Helsinki, May 2011, with about 40 restaurants. The event has been repeated every three months since, with the last Restaurant Day hosting over 700 restaurants in more than a dozen countries.

Images: Dan Hill (City of Sound)

The website, and a handy smartphone application, has an interactive map that displays all the participants. If you’re an aspiring restauranteur with some exciting ideas, you have three months before the next Restaurant Day to prepare your menu. Otherwise, get the app and be ready for a unique brunch on the town!

Katto 14, Tampere. Living room? Restaurant!

Restaurant Day is part of a new food movement (including food truck pioneer Tio Tikka and his Camionette) that is reinventing the image of food in the city of Helsinki, where bureaucracy has long stood in the path of creative, spontaneous celebration and enjoyment of the social medium that is food.

Ullan Kakkukahvila, Lahti

The photos in this article were all taken from Restaurant Day’s Flickr channel. Click here to check out the entire photo set of 19 May’s 5th Restaurant Day. Be sure to follow Restaurant Day on Twitter, or become a fan on Facebook!

Helsinki is 2012’s World Design Capital. Visit Finland invited us to come over to explore the city’s design treasures. The ‘Design in Helsinki’ series highlights the best projects, concepts and designs we came across during our visit.