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“Good food, slow service”

The Gingerbread House
Ranked #1 of 87 Restaurants in Hameenlinna
Price range: £14 - £30
Cuisines: European, Steakhouse, Scandinavian
More restaurant details
Restaurant details
Good for: Special Occasion Dining, Local cuisine
Dining options: After-hours, Reservations
Description: Restaurant Piparkakkutalo, "The Gingerbread House", is a traditional, popular and cosy restaurant at the heart of Hameenlinna next to the main church and the marketplace. The restaurant offers traditional European food with specialities and seasonal local ingredients. Restaurant Piparkakkutalo is located in a historical house. The house was built in 1906-07 as a home for merchant August Skogster whose department store was located next to the house. The house is designed by one of the most famous Finnish architect of that time, Selim A. Lindqvist. The house is a Jugend style building. Restaurant Piparkakkutalo is ideal for all kinds of lunch and dinner occasions, informal or formal. There are also dining cabinets and meeting cabinets available for private occasions. There is a cosy pub, Albertin Kellari, located in the basement of the Restaurant. The pub is fully licensed with a wide selection of beers, ciders and other drinks. Also a selection of tasty bar snacks is available. There is live music every week ranging from jazz to blues, roots etc. Also quiz and theme nights are organized regularly.
Reviewed 28 August 2018

We usually visit this place 1 - 2 times per year, it has never failed in food quality and slow service. So, take time to enjoy the old house, take few drinks and discussions with your friends...

Date of visit: July 2018
    • Value
    • Service
    • Food
Thank amigosracing
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Piparkakkutalo, Marketing at The Gingerbread House, responded to this reviewResponded 11 September 2018

Hello amigosracing,
Thank you for your review. Happy to hear that you enjoyed the atmosphere and food. Sorry to hear instead that you have experienced slow service. Naturally that is not what we want our customers to undergo. Hope to see you back in Piparkakkutalo!
Have a great autumn!

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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of TripAdvisor LLC
Reviews (278)
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28 - 32 of 278 reviews

Reviewed 18 July 2018

One of the best restaurants in town! Had a family meal here on the graduation day with meant that the place was heaving.
Food was lovely and expertly prepared, shame about the wait due to the place being full to the rafters.
Happily visit this restaurant again on our next visit!

Date of visit: June 2018
Thank Anne-Marie S
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Piparkakkutalo, Markkinointi at The Gingerbread House, responded to this reviewResponded 1 August 2018

Dear Anne-Marie,

Thank you for your review. We´re glad to hear you enjoyed your stay with us.
Have a great summer!

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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of TripAdvisor LLC
Reviewed 8 June 2018

+ The food in general is of high quality and well prepared
+ They use in season produce
+ Amazing smoky brisket (in may 2018)
+ Good salad/entree table during lunch

- Not the cheapest place you'll find
- Not the freshest coffee during lunch service

Date of visit: May 2018
    • Value
    • Service
    • Food
Thank catsaymau
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Piparkakkutalo, Marketing at The Gingerbread House, responded to this reviewResponded 13 June 2018

Dear catsaymau,
Thank you for your review. Nice to hear that you enjoyed the smoky brisket and the lunch as a whole.
Sorry to hear that you didn´t find the coffee fresh.
Hope to see you back in Piparkakkutalo. Have a great summer!

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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of TripAdvisor LLC
Reviewed 21 April 2018 via mobile

I enjoyed my lunch in this nice restaurant. They serve snails 🐌 (they were really good), offer a cute selection of wines, including sparkling wines, and the ambiance in general is very nice, although a bit suburban. Food is served quickly without unnecessary delays and the waitress is friendly, smiley and welcoming. So all in all the place is highly recommended. My only “but” is about ice cream. Vanilla was great, while chocolate had little pieces of ice in it. It usually happens when it is “re-frozen”.

My point: go there, enjoy your meal and do not order chocolate ice cream.

Date of visit: April 2018
Thank Elle_Ventrouge
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed 6 April 2018

I have visited this restaurant a few times and I always feel relaxed and refreshed after spending an evening in this beautiful old house with its ambiance of old-fashioned splendour. This place is ideal for an evening out with your significant other but also for a relaxing evening with friends.
The food was very good: nothing extra special but fresh and tasty and a typical Finnish menu. My fish had a muddy feel to it at first but it improved after digging deeper. My husband's steak was very tasty.
Service was a bit varied: our first waitress did not greet us in any way, just ushered us to our table and slapped the menus in front of us. Our second waitress was very friendly and attentive.
All in all, this restaurant is worth visiting for its unique old-fashioned (in a good way!) atmosphere and great Finnish food.

Date of visit: March 2018
    • Value
    • Service
    • Food
Thank Hanna H
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Piparkakkutalo, Marketing at The Gingerbread House, responded to this reviewResponded 10 April 2018

Dear Hanna,

Thank you for your feedback. We´re glad you enjoyed your stay with us.
The service you got from the first waitress is not by our standards and we apologize for it.
You´re warmly welcome back to Piparkakkutalo!
Have a great spring time!

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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of TripAdvisor LLC

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