O’Learys

There are some negative reviews for this place based on slow service and pricing, and I must say they are somewhat on the money. I am however a long-​time return customer, and concentrate more on the food & drinks plus the ambiance when giving my score. Let’s anyway deal with the negatives first.
The service is generally slow, it is a fact. It’s been like that for years, and the first time I went there I was surprised. Do they really think you go there without any time pressure? This is an airport. People often need to hurry at airports. Improve the speed of service (hire more people) and communicate when the kitchen falls behind! It’s understandable it may happen at peak times. But the customers need to know it. Luckily, I have been informed about the time to wait at least on two occasions. I’m not sure whether they extend this part of service to non-​Finnish speakers.
The prices, sure they are high. But it is what it is. Consider two things: 1) this is Finland and Finland is expensive, 2) this is an airport and airports are expensive. Now, combine the learnings. See where I am going with this?
Let’s proceed with the positives. The food. It’s pretty good. No-​nonsense burgers, some salads and stuff. I always have the Boston Celtic Cheese Burger or whatsitsname, so no comment on other offerings. The beer selection is better than average at better than average airport restaurants. In other words, it’s quite alright. When you fly, you may be hours away from your next decent meal. It’s a good idea to sit down and have one when you can.
The ambiance is nice. It’s a sports bar kinda place with sports on several screens. It’s on the second floor which makes it pretty peaceful and relaxed. The pricing is pretty high, which keeps most families with small children away. Sorry, but it’s a positive at an airport. I recall there also used to be a good view from the restaurant, but Helsinki airport is improving its services, and there’s now a new bar or something between O’Leary’s and the windows. Oh, well.
If I have the time and lack lounge access, you can usually find me here. O’Leary’s is easily among the better experiences at this airport.

Too expensive burgers and snacks. Beer is ok but they really should focus on service when customers are so short of time in the airport. Hire more people!

Overpriced drinks and tasteless food. I ordered a margarita for 12 € and got the smallest drink I have ever seen. They didn’t have the shrimp pasta I wanted, and the pasta Alfredo was extremely boring. A plus was that they had electric outlets by the table so I could charge my phone.

O’Learys positioniert sich als Sports-​Bar und hat dementsprechend größere Mengen Fernseher plaziert, die aber glücklicherweise leise sind.
Den Kommentar aus dem englischen Beitrag konnte ich nicht nachvollziehen, alle Bedienungen hier sind sehr zeitorientiert. (Vielleicht hat sich die Situation ja gebessert.) Ich bin direkt am Empfang abgeholt worden. Die erste Frage war, ob ich etwas Zeit mitbringen, da in der Küche derzeit 30 Minuten Warteschlange wären. Auch beim Espresso hinterher, der vielleicht fünf Minuten gedauert hat, gab es direkt ein «Entschuldigung, dass es so lange gedauert hat».
Das Essen ist in Ordnung, die Preise sind halt Flughafen-​Level. Es gibt Bar-​Food. Ich hatte eine Salat mit Hähnchenbrust, gebackenem Ziegenkäse, Walnüssen und getrockneten Aprikosen. Der war insgesamt ganz lecker. Der Salatgrundlage fehlte das Dressing, daher kam dieser Teil etwas geschmacksneutral daher.

Terribly organized waitresses and kitchen. Takes forever to get seated, place the order. Even the drinks and food take forever. Very expensive, quality is ok. Seems enough staff around they are just not organized. The place needs a manager!!!