Sounds barren?
Don’t worry, because now it’s not about that hot known place, but a relaxed and nature-friendly Restaurant Helvetin Portti (The Gate of Hell), next to Helvetinjärvi (Hell’s lake) National Park. Here you can enjoy wild boar and ostrich dishes Alkaen our own ranch, spiced with products from other local producers.
In our restaurant you can also enjoy coffee, pastries and ice creams – right in the heart of nature. We serve lovingly made, homely and meat-weighted food without unnecessary constellations.
At the turn of the millennium, we held a shop, barbecue place, pizzeria, restaurant and many other activities in the center of Ruovesi. Little by little, however, we got tired of the seven-day work week and the 12 – at worst, even 17-hour workdays. We decided to give up everything and move here into the wilderness, go to paid work and start living like “normal people”.
Mirja went to the local shop to work and Mika returned to drive a truck. The years rolled comfortably and even the children flew from the nest to each other. During the summer, chickens, turkeys, salmon and pigs were raised. Life was quite relaxed.
Despite a laid back life, we both dreamed of animals that could be kept all year round. Surprise, surprise, we ended up with wild boars! Gradually the herd of pigs grew and at some point it started to become professional.
Then came the year 2011. For more than 20 years, the neighbor’s mistress had been running a kiosk in the Helvetinkolu parking lot until she suddenly stated that “something else could be done.” The ladies exchanged jobs and Mirja became an entrepreneur again. At the same time, the development of Kankimäki’s operations began. Then came the ostriches. For a few more years, Mika tried to do two jobs at the same time but then had to admit and start working as a full-time host of the ranch.
The years have rolled by, and the place has gradually grown in reputation. Over the years, we have employed many wonderful people, both young and a little older.
In 2020, we opened our new 150-seat restaurant to replace a small kiosk, and a new expanded travel park was also provided for caravans. Currently we have a couple of caravans for rent, three saunas (like a yurt sauna), five cabins, a couple of sheds and much more nice. We are also happy to employ a lot of local young people, when in the summer, for example, we had as many as 13 employees.
We want to serve our customers as well as possible. In addition to wild boar and ostrich dishes, you will also find vegetarian and fish dishes in our restaurant so that you can find food for the whole family. You can get to know the animals of our home farm for free and the farm’s sandy beach is also available to everyone. You can get maps of Helvetinjärvi National Park for free from the restaurant’s information when you go on a forest trip. Dogs are also welcome visit our restaurant.
We warmly welcome you to Hell!
Entrepreneurs of Helvetin Portti
Mirja and Mika
Lets eat!
On the menu of our restaurant you will find wild boar and ostrich dishes for the whole family – ever for dogs!
The wild boars and ostriches on our farm are funny animals that you can visit freely. During the summer, you can also come across as many different animals as possible in the restaurant’s yard.
Welcome to stay in Hell! Of our five rental cottages you are sure to find a suitable option for your trip. At Kankijärvi cottage, for example, you can spend a longer holiday with a whole family.