Santa’s Salmon Place: The Best Salmon at Santa Claus Village

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Several years ago, I stumbled upon a place called Santa’s Salmon Place at Santa Claus Village in Rovaniemi. It was located right in the heart of the village in a wooden cabin that resembled a lavvu of sorts.

When you walked inside, the smell of wood-fired salmon assaulted your senses, and there was no way you were walking back out that door!

I immediately put that on my Rovaniemi winter travel guide for others to visit and enjoy just as I had. Fast forward all these years later (and a move here!) and Santa’s Salmon Place is still one of my favorite places to eat in Rovaniemi, and it is a place I bring everyone who comes to visit to.

In this guide, I will briefly discuss why you should visit, what’s on the menu, and where to find them. Unfortunately, Santa’s Salmon Place has had a few moves since that initial spot, but they have found a good home at SCV and should not be moving any more in the future. They have also expanded and will open a second lavvu this winter!

Let me know if you have any questions in the comments. Thanks!

About Santa’s Salmon Place (+ Opening Hours)

I am not entirely sure when they opened, but I never saw them pop up until post-pandemic travels. So I assume it was a 2020-2021 project (especially as I was chatting with a worker yesterday and he mentioned he has been there all five years).

Visiting Santa’s Salmon Place at Santa Claus Village is one of the coziest things to do in Rovaniemi! There is limited seating and they DO NOT take reservations. They have now expanded to offer a second cabin adjacent to the main one. It will open in November 2025.

When you go inside, you will be seated at one of the few areas surrounding the fire. The staff will give you a menu and will come back to grab your order!

While your food is being prepared, you can enjoy being by the warm fire and inside! It is a welcome respite from the cold!

Santa’s Salmon Place is open daily from 11am until 7pm. You can find them at Pukinpoiku 5 at Santa Claus Village.

This is a little off the main drag, so you will need to take a right on a path where you see ‘Santa’s Pets’ and continue for two minutes until you see the wooden cabins on the left side. There is a map at the end of this guide.

Santa’s Salmon Place Menu

On the menu at Santa’s Salmon Place is… salmon! A large piece of salmon is €25. It comes with a warm roll and a potato salad on the side. It says ‘a Finnish salad’ on the menu, but I have been here around 8 times and it has always been a potato salad (which is tasty).

There is also an option for €6 to get a Lappish cheese with cloudberry jam. I often get this and enjoy it! There is also a cake which I never get, as I am typically filled up just by the salmon alone.

As for drinks, you can get soda, coffee, tea, hot berry juice, or glögi (a non-alcoholic Christmas drink). They also have beer and mineral water. Drinks are all €3 and under (except the beer, which is €3.50).

Wait Time

Since they don’t take reservations, expect a 15-30 minute wait in the high season. Once you’re seated, it will take around 10-15 minutes to get served everything.

Thankfully, with their small menu, they always have salmon going and ready to serve pretty quickly!

Tips for Visiting

There is not too much to know before heading to Santa’s Salmon Place, but here are a few tips and notes for your visit:

• Try to go outside of busy lunch/dinner hours (or be the first there).
• They take card for payment.
• Please don’t loiter and hang out for too long once you finish eating… there is almost always a line to get in here!
• One portion is pretty large! You can split it between two people if you’re not overly hungry. I often go and my partner and I will split one portion and a side of Lappish cheese. We are usually pretty full after!
• This is not a vegetarian-friendly place unless you’re okay with just the Lappish cheese and dessert offering.

Isn’t there another salmon place at Santa Claus Village?

Yes. At some point over the last few years, another salmon spot opened at Santa Claus Village and it is the same concept, which I always found a little weird. It is called ‘All About Salmon’ and it is located in the original spot where Santa’s Salmon Place was located.

I never understood why the same style of business opened there but maybe there is a reason beyond my knowledge. I have heard this place isn’t as good as Santa’s Salmon Place, so I have never felt compelled to try.

You can see on the map below where Santa’s Salmon Place is located. This guide ONLY discusses my many experiences there and that is where I recommend heading to.

Where to Find Santa’s Salmon Place (Map)

Do you have any questions about visiting Santa’s Salmon Place? Let me know in the comments!

Feel free to also check out my Santa Claus Village restaurant guide if you’re looking for additional places to eat during your trip to Christmas town!