Savonlinna is a small town and the dining options are limited outside the high summer season. The Saimaa lake gives the area a real local speciality — lörtsy, a thin meat or apple pastry sold from a stand at the kauppatori, and muikku, fried lake vendace. During the opera festival a number of pop-up restaurants and high-end menus appear; for the rest of the year a handful of harbour-side bistros and pizzerias cover most of what's available.