The Esplanade Chapel

thumb|right|Restaurant Kappeli in summer thumb|right|Restaurant Kappeli in January 2021 thumb|right|Interior of the restaurant Kappeli (Finnish for "chapel"), also known as Esplanadikappeli, is a restaurant in central Helsinki, Finland at the eastern end of the Esplanadi park, opened in 1867. The restaurant was known as a local favourite among poets, writers and artists during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. In August 2020 the building changed ownership from the city of Helsinki to HOK-Elanto, who currently also owns the restaurant itself.

==History== The history of the restaurant started from a wooden pastry and lemonade kiosk built by confectioner Johan Daniel Jerngren at the Esplanadi park in 1840. The kiosk resembled a church or chapel, and so it was known as Kappeli ("the chapel"). Even before Jerngren's kiosk there had been a kiosk selling milk at the site, owned by a shepherd boy. The name Kappeli might originate from this period, as pastor is Latin for "shepherd", and because of this the kiosk might have been called a chapel. After Jerngren's kiosk deteriorated among time, a new restaurant building designed by architect Hampus Dalström was built at its place, opened on 4 June 1867. The kiosk's nickname moved on to the restaurant.