Where to eat in Rovaniemi with kids – family restaurant guide

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If you’re planning a Lapland getaway then you’ll likely be wondering where are the best places to eat in Rovaniemi with kids. Prices are slightly higher than in the UK, menus can look unfamiliar, and when you’re travelling with children in -20°C temperatures, you really just want somewhere warm, relaxed and easy. The good news is that Rovaniemi is used to families. While it’s not packed with international chains, there are plenty of places where children are welcome and you can eat comfortably without it feeling like a formal fine-dining experience. This guide will cover family-friendly restaurants, fast-food options, supermarkets, keeping costs down and eating at the popular attractions. If you’re gluten free you’ll also be pleased to know that Finland is fabulous at it – you’ll find loads of options in the restaurants and supermarkets! Let’s dive in – here are the best family-friendly places to eat with kids in Rovaniemi:

What’s the food like in Rovaniemi?

Rovaniemi has a mix of casual pizza and burger restaurants, Finnish and Lappish cuisine, café-style lunch spots, buffet dining, hotel restaurants and a few higher-end Arctic meal experiences. Portion sizes are usually generous, high chairs are commonly available and staff are generally relaxed about children. However, prices are a bit higher than in the UK. Main meals in casual restaurants often sit in the mid to upper teens in euros, and traditional Lappish dishes can cost more. Planning ahead makes a big difference, especially for families eating out multiple times per day. It’s worth having some idea of where you might want to eat when you’re out and about exploring in Rovaniemi, which meals you’ll prepare yourself and also bringing some snacks along for the kids. Here are some food options for your trip:

Eating at Santa Claus Village

If you’re spending a day with the kids at Santa Claus Village, there are several cafés and restaurants within the village area if you don’t want to head back to the centre of Rovaniemi to eat. These are convenient, especially with younger children who need warming up quickly, but food is priced at typical tourist levels. Many families choose to have a substantial breakfast beforehand and then keep lunch simple while visiting the village. You could bring some snacks or picnic bits and a flask of hot chocolate to keep costs down. At this particular fast food outlet, pizzas were priced at around €17-€20 and the average burger price was about €9. We didn’t purchase any food so I can’t comment on the quality – instead bringing our own biscuits, marshmallows and skewers to make s’mores and some drinks.

Fast food restaurants

If you need something quick, warm, predictable and budget-friendly after a long day in the snow, there are several fast food options in central Rovaniemi. There’s a McDonald’s in the city centre, which can be reassuring with younger children who prefer familiar food. It’s generally cheaper than most sit-down restaurants and useful for a fast meal before heading out again. Kotipizza, one of Finland’s largest pizza chains, also has a branch in Rovaniemi and offers takeaway and casual dine-in options. Scanburger, a Finnish fast-food chain serving burgers and fries, is another practical choice if you want something speedy. Fast food may not be why you travelled to Lapland, but when the kids are cold and tired sometimes convenience wins! I would recommend avoiding Burger King though – we ventured in there when we first arrived hoping for a quick meal after our flight and waited 40 minutes for our food! (For an idea on prices – 4 adult meals cost €38.)

Casual sit-down family restaurants

If you’d prefer something a little more relaxed but still child-friendly, Rosso is a reliable option in central Rovaniemi – it serves pizza, pasta and simple grill dishes in an informal setting that works well for families. Kauppayhtiö is another central choice known for burgers and casual dining, particularly popular with families who have older children or teenagers. Both offer warm indoor seating and a relaxed atmosphere that feels comfortable after a long day outdoors. I’ve added a menu photo from Rosso restaurant here so you can see what sort of food is on offer and the typical prices:

Eating at Lapland Winter Park

If you’re visiting Lapland Winter Park, the website states that you can’t bring your own food but you definitely can – no-one checks and there are plenty of Kota huts for a picnic in the warm or toasting marshmallows. (There was even a couple cooking their dinner on the fire when we visited!) However, I would definitely recommend opting for the buffet in the on-site restaurant. The food was fabulous and pretty much the entire buffet was gluten free (which was such a rare treat for Finn and I!), plus there were drinks like tea, coffee and fruit juice included. You can eat as much as you like and there was plenty of variety for kids and adults (even fussy eaters!). There were nuggets and chips – perfect for little visitors – and loads of dishes like meat in sauces, rice, potatoes, salads and vegetables. Pre-book the combination ticket with the buffet included as it’s far cheaper than adding it on separately – it was an extra €15pp and great value for money.

Supermarkets and easy meal options

Rovaniemi has well-stocked supermarkets, including K-Market and S-market branches in and around the centre. You can easily buy breakfast items, yoghurt, bread, snacks, ready-made salads and simple evening meals. Supermarkets in Finland are clean, organised and straightforward to navigate. For families staying in apartments, popping to the supermarket for supplies is definitely a great way to save money. We spent around £115 in total on shopping whilst in Rovaniemi – opting for easy dinners of things like pizzas, ready meals and sausage baps – we definitely paid for convenience but it was worth it to keep things quick and simple. For breakfast we had scrambled eggs on toast with fruit each day – for your reference, the shopping in the photo below cost around €40.

Trying traditional Lappish food with the kids

If you’d like to try regional flavours, Ravintola Nili specialises in traditional Lappish dishes such as reindeer and Arctic fish. It offers a more traditional dining experience and prices are higher than casual chains, but it provides an authentic taste of the region. This option is usually better suited to older children who are open to trying something different rather than very young fussy eaters. We were also able to try reindeer at Lapland Winter Park as part of their buffet so, if you want to try some things without risking a big bill for things you might not like, opting for a buffet-style restaurant can be a great option.

Sampokeskus or Rinne shopping centres

There are two main shopping centres in the city – Sampokeskus and Rinne are both worth considering for a warm place to reset when travelling with kids in freezing temperatures. They’ve got toilets, places to sit and cafés where you can grab a cheap hot drink or a snack without committing to a full restaurant meal if you’re looking to keep costs down. If you do want a full meal, restaurants like the Chinese buffets are likely more affordable than more formal dining options and should be nice and quick with the kids. Lunch time prices are also typically cheaper, so opt for a midday meal to help keep things on budget.

Is eating out in Rovaniemi expensive?

Grabbing a bite to eat in Rovaniemi can be expensive when you’re travelling with kids. Finland has quite a high cost of living and Lapland is a popular winter tourism destination. Casual restaurant meals for a family can add up quickly, especially if you are dining out multiple times per day. However, with a mix of fast food, casual restaurants and self-catering, finding something to eat in Rovaniemi with kids is entirely manageable without costing a small fortune. To avoid spending loads on the extras, pack some giant marshmallows, skewers, biscuits, hot chocolate powder and a flask into your suitcase to bring with you to reduce your daytime spending when you’re out and about too.

Does Finland have good gluten-free food options?

As I mentioned at the start, gluten-free options are really easy to find in Rovaniemi. Finland has strong awareness of coeliac disease and gluten intolerance, and many restaurants clearly label allergens on their menus. The supermarkets also stock a wide range of gluten free products and it was all really clearly labelled. (We found some really tasty pizzas and got slightly addicted whilst there! 😂) As always when travelling, it’s important to communicate clearly about allergies, but overall Rovaniemi is considered a straightforward destination for families needing gluten-free food. Because my son and I are both gluten-free – I also packed some bread, burger buns and biscuits (plus the kids’ favourite peanut butter) into our suitcase to keep costs down and since I wasn’t sure how readily available it would be. With UK supermarkets like Aldi offering the products more cheaply than ever, we always pack some gluten-free food whenever we travel for both convenience and cost.

Book a self-catering apartment to make things easier

If you’re travelling as a family, staying in a self-catering apartment can make a big difference both for the convenience and overall cost – eating out for every meal could quickly become one of the biggest expenses of the trip. Having access to a kitchen allows you to prepare simple breakfasts, refill your hot chocolate flask, make packed lunches and cook easy evening meals without relying on restaurants each time. For families with younger children especially, flexibility matters. Being able to come back from the snow, warm up and eat on your own schedule is often far less stressful than trying to secure a table when everyone is cold and tired. Plus, if you’ve got fussy eaters, better to spend a fiver on a supermarket pizza than £20 for something similar in a restaurant.

Apartments also give you more space to dry gloves and boots and relax properly after long days outdoors. Many families choose to eat out once per day and self-cater the rest of the time, which keeps spending manageable while still enjoying local restaurants. We stayed at Piriko Apartments, in central Rovaniemi, and it was a fabulous base. It came with loads of amenities (including sledges!) and a fully equipped kitchen with everything you’d have at home. For lots of options, take a look at my article: Where to stay in Rovaniemi with kids – the best hotels, apartments & igloos.

What did we eat in Rovaniemi?

I thought I would put together a little food diary from our trip to Rovaniemi with the kids – including where we went and what we decided to eat for each meal during our stay.

Day 1: We arrived in the evening after our flight from the UK and hopped into an Uber from Rovaniemi airport. I’d packed a picnic for the plane but we were starving once we arrived. After ditching our bags we popped into Burger King (hoping for a quick meal) but as I said above it was insanely slow so perhaps try somewhere else for fast foot in Rovaniemi. We then went to the nearby supermarket to grab some food for the next day.
Day 2: We tucked into some scrambled eggs and fruit for breakfast, and packed our bag with marshmallows, skewers and biscuits from home to keep us going whilst we visited Santa Claus Village and enjoyed a husky ride. This was followed by a late lunch of pizzas and fruit when we got back to the apartment. For dinner, we had sausage baps and oven chips – not particularly healthy but easy and tasty! 😂
Day 3: Another breakfast of scrambled eggs, toast and fruit. Then we hopped on the shuttle bus for our day at Lapland Winter Park. (Fabulous – would highly recommend!) The buffet was brilliant so we ate absolutely loads of food to make the most of it and enjoyed trying some traditional Finnish food too. We got back around dinner time and refuelled with peanut butter on toast, crisps and fruit in the evening before having a quick nap and then heading out on an aurora hunt.

Day 4: Yet another breakfast of scrambled eggs, toast and fruit. Then we hopped on a shuttle bus for our snowmobile safari which the kids loved! We popped into the supermarket again on our way back to grab some more supplies and feasted on pizzas again for lunch (they were so good!). After a rest and then some sledging, I threw some ready meals into the oven for ease on our final evening – cottage pies or curries and I added some frozen vegetables to make the meals a bit healthier! (Mum guilt!)
Day 5: For our final morning we had a quick slice of toast and some fruit whilst getting packed up to head home. I cooked up some pizzas the previous night so these could be thrown into a bag with some crisps and fruit for our lunch on the plane ride home. (Cold pizza is my go to when I can’t be bothered to make sandwiches and it always goes down a treat with the kids!)

For our full itinerary, with all the details about what we got up to on our Lapland adventure, check out my article: 3 days in Rovaniemi with kids – the perfect family itinerary!

Final thoughts

Rovaniemi is well set up for families when it comes to food – there are plenty of places to eat with the kids and the supermarkets are brilliant for self-catering options. You’ll find familiar foods, relaxed dining spaces and plenty of warm indoor places to recharge after time out in the snow. It may not be a budget destination but, with a little planning and a flexible approach, finding something to eat in Rovaniemi with the kids can be straightforward and stress-free. Have a fabulous trip and, if you’d like more information about our Lapland getaway, I’ve written lots of guides covering just about everything! Make sure you check out my other articles to make your trip run smoothly: