Smokery & Southern Kitchen

Jäppilän Kievari (closest translation: Jäppilä’s Tavern) is a seasonal summer restaurant, caterer and retail food manufacturer with outlet shop. We offer Smoked and grilled entrees from the deep south, Smothered barbecue and raging cajun cuisine.

Our family’s old estate serves as a home base for the summer restaurant. Since the early part of the last century, this building has served as an official “Kestikievari” sanctioned by the government to act as a rest-stop for the travelling man or soldier, where one could get a meal and a place for the night and even a replacement horse for the journey ahead. Today some of this still holds. We offer a beautiful and relaxed lakefront atmosphere where a “southern comfort” style meal can be enjoyed along with a good mug of beer. We self-import a small but eclectic selection of beers, wines and bourbons.

Kievari offers a unique atmosphere for your birthday bash, wedding reception or Christmas party. Even though our leading gourmet is “southern cooking”, we excel in traditional local cuisine, among others as well.

We’re also proud to keep up with our family’s Finnish heritage by making traditional “lihapiirakka (meat pie)” by hand (tweaked from our great granny’s recipe). Also, a delicious Louisiana style vegan “vihis” version as well.

Hope to see you soon!