From considered café counters to boundary-blurring tasting menus, the Danish capital has plenty to offer.
If Copenhagen's dining scene is one of the world's most exciting, that is largely down to its inventive tasting menus. From plant focused experiences drawing attention to seasonal Danish sea herbs, to courses assembled to mimic organs, it's no surprise the city is placed squarely on the culinary map.
In a city brimming with new talents and must-tries, it can be hard to know where to start – these are the city's most standout spots, from casual eats to the heavyweights.
Kadeau
At Kadeau, a wreath of roasted pumpkin seeds surrounds a bed of caviar and brown crab underneath (Image: Soren Reed)
Despite its Copenhagen location, Kadeau remains rooted in Bornholm, the small Baltic island where chef Nicolai Nørregaard grew up. It's there in the tang of wood smoke drifting from the open kitchen, and the welcoming dining room, with its dried herbs and sheepskin-draped seats. Most of all, though, it's there on the plate, with exquisite tasting menus built around island-grown and gathered produce. If summer's a time of abundance, winter's just as exciting: think a tiny 'sandwich' made from salted cherry leaves, or a dish of preserved plum-glazed duck.
Geranium
Geranium elevates plant-based elements along with fish and shellfish
Voted The World's Best Restaurant in 2022 – the year it removed meat from the menu – Geranium operates in a league of its own. Chef Rasmus Kofoed isn't one for culinary theatrics, but there's consummate artistry at play here, in plates like his trompe l'oeil razor clam, hand-painted with algae and charcoal, or a creamy, smoky dish of löjrom (bleak roe) with kale, crispy dashi and milk curd. The 'Universe' tasting menu involves around 20 courses – and if prices are steep, even by local standards, the bar's set formidably high.
Sushi Anaba
Sushi Anaba chef-owner Mads Battefeld glazes a piece of tuna nigiri (Image: Ditte Isager)
Set in Nordhavn's quaint old customs house, this place comes as a surprise: a meditative, 16-seater omakase restaurant where every detail has been considered. Behind its pared-back wooden counter, Tokyo-trained Mads Battefeld is a master of precision, crafting Edomae-style nigiri and snacks with exemplary Nordic seafood (brown crab from Jutland, say, or Icelandic sea urchins). The team's also behind two hip new Østerbro addresses: Aotori, a tiny yakitori bar where the grill's lined with sizzling chicken skewers, and the laidback Akaton, which only serves tonkatsu.
Alchemist
The signature eyeball-like dish at Alchemist is inspired by George Orwell's theme of surveillance
'Expect the unexpected' is Alchemist's tagline, and beyond its two-tonne bronze doors, anything can happen. With a menu of over 30 courses, dinners here can last six hours, from a chef bent on testing the limits of fine dining (and, sometimes, his guests) with freeze-dried butterflies, edible plastic bags or silicone tongues instead of spoons. As theatrical as Rasmus Munk's creations can be, they're grounded in exceptional technique, most evident in classics like his one-bite omelette or evanescent 'airy bread'.
Esse
Hosted within a restored 1895 warehouse, Esse's dining room features exposed walls and vaulted wood ceilings (Image: Emily Wilson)
Right now, this is one of Copenhagen's most thrilling places to eat, helmed by chef Matt Orlando. It's his follow-up to the legendary Amass, shuttered a few years back, and takes the same audaciously creative zero-waste approach. The result? A menu like no other, where fish bones might become noodles, the XO's made from pumpkin skins, and yesterday's sourdough is reborn in ice-cream form. Prices are something of a steal, particularly for this city, with the 12-course tasting menu coming in at under $260 a head.
Hart Bageri
Hart Bageri's signature City Loaf sourdough is baked with French and Italian wheat flours and grey sea salt
Which superlative bakery to head to next is always a quandary in this city, but Hart's Frederiksberg outpost makes for a strong starting point. Founded by Tartine's Richard Hart, it's famed for its butter-glazed cardamom croissants and exemplary seasonal specials (toasted almond-topped fastelavnsboller, say, oozing with burnt honey custard). The bakery made a guest appearance in season two of The Bear, when pastry chef Marcus made a pilgrimage here, emerging with two boxes' worth of pastries.
Amator
Amator's custom-made furniture is designed to create a homely environment
Word soon spread about Amator, a 50-square-metre space in Østerbro with the simplest of menus: omelettes, cooked by owner Mateusz Sarnowski, plus a handful of seasonal sides. It's artfully designed, with its communal oak table and minimalist, yolk-yellow signage, while Sarnowski rustles up his trademark eggs in a sliver of a kitchen. Cooked in organic olive oil, they're made with real precision and panache. Book ahead, or join the fast-moving queue.
Schønnemann
Schønnemann's dining room is open only for lunch service every day
In a city obsessed with smørrebrød, Denmark's buttered rye-based open sandwich, few places do it better than Schønnemann. In business since 1877, it runs like a well-oiled machine: the service is brisk, the tablecloths are linen and reservations are always required. Order two or three smørrebrød each: smoked eel and scrambled egg, marinated herring or caraway toast with a pyramid of shrimp. The traditional accompaniment? Beer, or a glass or two of ice-cold snaps, poured to the glass's brim.
Hija de Sanchez
Hija de Sanchez's taco shells are rolled and grilled in-house
For casually outstanding eats (no tasting menus here) drop by Hija de Sanchez's Meatpacking-District outpost. The food – served on paper trays – is a masterclass in Mexican flavours, from the slow-cooked beef barbacoa tacos to the freshly-made masa corn tortillas, washed down with tart hibiscus iced tea or pastel-pink palomas. Owner Rosio Sanchez is also behind Sanchez, where the prices are higher and the dishes taken up a notch.
Header image credit: Soren Reed
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