Magu: The art of inspiring flavours

By Ndéla Faye | Photos: Robert Lindström

Restaurants Magu and LOBO, in central Helsinki, exemplify chef Felipe Moya’s vision and skill in creating dishes and spaces that are intentional, inspiring and inviting.

Chilean-born chef Felipe Moya’s work is guided by precision and deep respect for ingredients, from sourcing to the careful minimisation of waste. At Magu and LOBO, diners are invited to trust the process and experience a chef working at the height of his craft. That mastery has not gone unnoticed: Moya was recently shortlisted among the top three for Head Chef of the Year 2025.

Ecological values are at the core of Moya’s ethos. At Magu, this is evident in the food as well as in recycled glassware, restored furnishings and a kitchen that minimises waste, reuses equipment and favours slow, traditional preparation methods.

This year, the plant-based restaurant celebrates its eighth anniversary – and shows no signs of slowing down. “Our mission is simple: to use what grows in nature, to experiment, to expand the palate and to inspire,” Moya says.

Despite its fine-dining format, the 9- and 14-course menus are approachable and accessible, appealing both to vegans and to diners simply curious about what can be created using plants. The result is fine dining that feels refined yet grounded, guided by seasonal menus conceived as self-contained narratives. Vegetables, berries and mushrooms are preserved during warmer months, allowing the kitchen to remain creative throughout the winter.

Magu Restaurant. Photo: Andrew Taylor

Heritage on the plate

Located in Helsinki’s Katajanokka district, LOBO offers a five-course menu as well as add-ons, which can create an eight-course menu experience – with a seasonal, convivial bistro-style approach. For Moya, it is the clearest expression of his dual heritage, where Nordic ingredients – mushrooms, lake fish, roots and herbs – meet Latin influences and Chilean home cooking. “You’ll eat things you recognise, but in a way you’ve never had them before. The dishes are windows into my memories,” he says.

Nordic ingredients meet Latin influences and Chilean home cooking at bistro-style restaurant LOBO.

He recalls cooking under a laurel tree in Chile, with an open fire crackling and a football match playing unnoticed in the background, as everyone focused on the food and company. “LOBO is about comfort, discovery and sharing a table,” Moya says.

Together, Magu and LOBO reflect a chef’s vision and practice where rooted food is, above all, an act of connection.