Tinku brings dinner, music and Latin American culture together under one roof
Tinku began around a table at home. Today, Renzo runs the kitchen at their Latin American restaurant in Helsinki, while Ericka runs the floor, events and business. With Fiest, she keeps an eye on it all.
Location
Topeliuksenkatu 1, 00260 Helsinki
Known for
Peruvian cooking, Thursday music nights, and Latin American cultural events
From a table at home to a corner with big windows
It started with Renzo cooking for friends and Ericka gathering everyone around the table. Four guests became ten, then a successful pop-up built around Renzo's ceviche and empanadas convinced them to open a restaurant.
Ericka already knew the corner. She had passed its big windows on the bus to work for years. When someone offered her the space, she took it as a sign. They painted the walls green, the color of home for Ericka, who comes from Bolivia's Amazon region, and filled the room with fabrics and decorations from their own home.
Tinku is a Quechua word for gathering and the name of a Bolivian carnival dance. People cook for whoever turns up and invite them to eat and dance. Ericka wanted the restaurant to feel the same: Finns, Latin Americans and everyone else at one table.
Dinner, music, and gatherings all year round
Renzo's menu is rooted in Peruvian cooking, with influences from across Latin America and a few Bolivian family recipes. The drinks follow the same map. But the welcome matters just as much as the food. Someone says hola when you walk in.
On Thursdays, dinner gives way to live music, from Latin jazz and salsa to cumbia. The calendar also brings cultural celebrations, exhibitions and tango. Tinku puts the food, music and people of Latin America in one Helsinki room.
- Dinner service rooted in Peruvian cuisine, with flavors from across Latin America.
- Thursday music nights with a rotating set.
- A year-round calendar of cultural celebrations, exhibitions and events.
One place to see all of it
Each night has its own pace, staffing and kitchen load. Ericka's old setup showed little of it. She wanted something modern and simple: "This has to make my life easier. I am a super busy person and I need everything easy and in one place."
Fiest puts the day's sales, stock and waste in one view. Her team learned it quickly on the handhelds. Ericka still jokes that she would prefer three buttons to ten.
- Sees the day's sales, stock and waste in a single view.
- Handles refunds without going back to the counter.
- Uses the same setup on whichever device is free.
I can be in the park playing with my daughter and at the same time I can do everything from there.
Running it from wherever she is
Ericka can check sales and stock or issue a refund from her phone, whether she's on the way to work or in the park with her daughter. For an owner whose evenings run from dinner into live music, that means checking on the restaurant without going back.
- Checks sales and stock from anywhere.
- Handles refunds without returning to the restaurant.
More from the shift
A closer look at the room, counter, and details behind the story.
Walk us through your shift
Bring your menu, order types, and payment methods. We'll map how Fiest would handle a normal shift before you change anything.