Nolita offers quality on a plate and in a glass

Nolita is a bistro and bakery located in Punavuori, Helsinki. The friendly and popular block restaurant opened at the end of 2023. Before opening, the premises had to be renovated, with not only the surfaces but also the kitchen being renewed.

Nolita is located in a traditional bakery space that has served for decades in the Helsinki city center area. Although the premises have been completely renovated, bread is still baked there. Restaurant manager Christian Angelov says that the breads produced in the Nolita bakery are made both for Nolita and its customers to take home, and for the two other restaurants owned by the Nolita owners, Elm and Nolla.
 

 

Nolita's bistro-style food is based on excellent ingredients and craftsmanship. The restaurant's drinks, on the other hand, focus on small batches from top wine producers. While everything is done with the aim of first-class quality, the relaxed atmosphere and affordable prices make it easy to stop by Nolita.

– We want to be a restaurant where you can stop by for a pepper steak and a glass of good wine. You don't always have to order the whole menu, it all depends on what the customer wants at that moment, Angelov says.

– In the same evening, we can have customers from sixteen to eighty years old. I find it nice to know that people come to us to enjoy themselves, to laugh and to do something fun with people close to them. That's the kind of restaurant we want to be.

Kitchen in through the windows

Setting up a new restaurant in an old commercial space can be complicated. Designing a new kitchen to modern standards, with all the necessary equipment, in an old, often small kitchen space requires vision and skill, and at the very least a lot of renovation. 

In Nolita, the space has been renovated up to the ceiling and floor - only the oven in the bakery has been left to serve the new restaurant-bakery. 

– The previous kitchen served a completely different business concept, so all the kitchen equipment needed to be renewed. Of course, the most important thing in designing our new kitchen was to make it work in the space provided. That's the starting point for every kitchen design: how to fit as many tools and utilities as possible into often small spaces so that the kitchen is practical and the work runs smoothly, says Angelov. 
 
The design work was carried out in collaboration with Metos professionals.

– Customer service at Metos is really good. We got a lot of help. A functional kitchen was the result of planning together - we were listened to and all the necessary equipment was put in the kitchen exactly as we wanted it.

A doorway too small for the appliances required a bit of problem-solving during the delivery and installation phase.

– The kitchen was designed on the basis of what appliances we needed, not what could fit through the doors of the old building! Angelov laughs.

In the end, this problem was quite small and easily solved: the restaurant window was lifted out of place and the equipment was brought in through the window.

Sustainability at DNA

The owner-couple behind Nolita is also behind two other restaurants in Helsinki, and they are particularly known for their responsible actions. Angelov says that a sustainable mindset is part of their day-to-day work and is reflected in many ways in Nolita's operations.

 

– Sustainability is built in and part of our everyday work. Of course, there is always room for improvement for everyone. However, I can honestly say that we act sustainably every day minimizing waste, and we also work towards this through the joint efforts of all three restaurants. As a team, we make the best possible use of all the raw materials, says Angelov.

Everyday sustainability is also supported by the replacement of end-of-life kitchen equipment.

– The new equipment has the benefits of saving electricity and using less water. For example, washing programs are faster and save both water and electricity. This will go hand in hand with advances in technology, Angelov says. 

A hall full of life

The daily routine that has been established in a year in a block restaurant continues, the door opens and customers enjoy themselves. What does the restaurant manager dream of for the future of the Nolita?

– It's probably the same dream as every restaurateur. That every day the hall is full of life and laughter, and people enjoy food and wine - and life.