Finland's 16th best café and 94 points from Falstaff: our tiny café in Mikkeli made the lists!
In 2026 Kirjala café in Mikkeli was ranked number 16 on the list of Finland's 30 best cafés, and the international Falstaff Coffee Guide Nordics 2026 gave our café 94 points out of 100. Falstaff gave the coffee a full 40/40. In this post I, Väinö from Kirjalan Paahtimo, tell you what these lists are, how we did and why this is such a big deal for us.
Written by: Väinö Siitari, son of roaster Olli and the official online shopkeeper who lives among the parcels in the café's basement
Hi again! Or however you want to take it, have you remembered to read the earlier messages? Meaning our blog.
Now there's news that nearly sent my sixth coffee of the morning down the wrong way. Our tiny, living-room-sized café on Nuijamiestenkatu, with a kitchen of about two square metres, has made it onto two highly respected lists this year. And no, neither list was made by anyone in our family. I checked.
Blimey, there's been some work behind it, and not just work, but hundreds of hours of squabbling with my dear sister Anna. So let's tell it properly.
Finland's 30 best cafés 2026: number 16
Finland's 30 Best Cafés is Helsinki Coffee Week's annual list, where nearly 200 coffee professionals each name their five favourite cafés in Finland. So it's not about who shouts loudest on social media, but about where the people in the industry go for coffee themselves. And that warms our hearts in a special way.
On the 2026 list Kirjala café is number 16. We've now been on the list four years in a row:
| Year | Ranking |
| 2026 | 16th |
| 2025 | 19th |
| 2024 | 19th |
| 2023 | 13th |
We came second in the list's public vote. So you, our dear customers, absolute gems, are apparently even keener than the professionals. Thank you for that, I don't know what we've done to deserve you.
We're the only café from Mikkeli on the whole list, and most of the cafés are from Helsinki, Tampere and Turku. So for a small-town living-room café, number 16 is quite a trick. Well, it's not really a trick at all, because Anna and the whole café crew work for this every morning from 6 am. Although the work is rarely done all that hard. Productively, maybe?
Falstaff Coffee Guide Nordics 2026: 94 points and full marks for the coffee
Falstaff is originally an Austrian food and wine magazine, whose café guide now rates cafés in five countries: Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Lithuania. Cafés are scored on a 100-point scale, and the points are split into four parts.
Falstaff's guide gave us 94 points out of 100:
| Category | Points |
| Coffee | 40/40 |
| Food | 28/30 |
| Style and atmosphere | 17/20 |
| Service | 9/10 |
So the coffee got full marks. When I told dad Olli, he didn't say anything, but after a moment there was a suspiciously energetic drumming of fingers from the corner of the table, old drummer that he is. But in my opinion we should have got a full 10 for service. Maybe we lost a point because Noora sometimes has a bad day, and it was probably exactly on the day of the review.
Falstaff's write-up also mentions that Olli built his first roaster with a local blacksmith, my godfather Juha Piiroinen, and that some of our coffees are named after the streets of Kirjala, where the roastery got its start. Falstaff's list of the best cafés in Finland is included too.
And if the 28 points for food surprise you, let me remind you that it's all made in a two-square-metre kitchen. The almond croissants, sourdough toasts and Harry's banana bread speak for themselves.
Thank you, truly
These lists don't happen by themselves. They happen because you come for coffee, bring your dogs, chat with the next table and come back again. Huge thanks to every customer, the café crew, dad Olli at the roastery in Heimari and everyone who voted for us in the public vote.
Welcome
If you want to taste the coffee that got a full 40 points from Falstaff, come to our café at Nuijamiestenkatu 21 in Mikkeli or order the same coffees from our online shop to your home. Orders over €59 ship free. Remember that our coffee also makes a great gift, if you want to share an out-of-the-ordinary coffee experience with a friend, or even enjoy the moment together with them.
And if you're in Mikkeli for the first time, welcome: the café is open weekdays 7:30 am to 5 pm and Saturdays 9:30 am to 3 pm. Dogs are welcome too, as long as they're on a lead and on the floor.
Coffee greetings,
Väinö from Kirjalan Paahtimo
Praise can go to the whole crew, especially Anna. Complaints to Noora.
Kirjala café in brief
Kirjala café is Kirjalan Paahtimo's street-level café in Mikkeli, at Nuijamiestenkatu 21. The café opened in May 2020, and the coffee is roasted at our own roastery in Heimari. In 2026 the café was ranked number 16 on the list of Finland's 30 best cafés and got 94 points in the Falstaff Coffee Guide Nordics 2026.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Finland's 30 best cafés list?
It's Helsinki Coffee Week's annual list of the best cafés in Finland. The list is chosen by nearly 200 coffee professionals, who each name their five favourite cafés. In 2026 Kirjala café was ranked number 16.
How many points did Kirjala café get from Falstaff?
Falstaff Coffee Guide Nordics 2026 gave Kirjalan Paahtimo 94 points out of 100. The coffee got a full 40/40, the food 28/30, style and atmosphere 17/20 and service 9/10.
What's the best café in Mikkeli?
Kirjala café is the only café from Mikkeli on the list of Finland's 30 best cafés in 2026. It has been on the list four years in a row.
Where is Kirjala café and when is it open?
The café is at Nuijamiestenkatu 21, 50100 Mikkeli. It's open Monday to Friday 7:30 am to 5 pm and Saturdays 9:30 am to 3 pm.
