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Restaurants
The days when Copenhagen’s restaurants were considered dull and uninteresting are long gone, as a variety of international cuisine have made their mark on the city, most notably French and Oriental. Allied to this growth has been a recent resurgence in Modern Danish, which uses the freshest local ingredients and infuses them with new flavours.
The selected restaurants have divided into five categories: Gastronomic, Business, Trendy, Budget and Personal Recommendations. The restaurants are listed alphabetically within these different categories, which serve as guidelines rather than absolute definitions of the establishments.
Local taxes of 20% are automatically added to the bill in Copenhagen restaurants. A service charge of 10% is also automatically added to the restaurant bill. The prices stated below are for a three-course meal and a bottle of house wine and include tax but not service charge or tip.
Gastronomic
Gastronomique
Gastronomique offers a totally unique restaurant experience, set amidst a leafy park, away from the bustle of the city, in a homely yet stylish venue. The cuisine is modern Danish and the views of the park are part of the relaxing gourmet experience. Specialities include foie gras, grilled turbot and glazed Norway lobster.
Fredericksbergs Runddel 1
Tel: (38) 348 436. Fax: (38) 348 436.
E-mail: lasse@powerpage.dk
Website: www.gastronomique.dk
Price: Dkk560. Wine: Dkk320.
Kong Hans Kaelder
This one-star Michelin restaurant claims to be housed in the oldest building in Copenhagen. Starters include foie gras and sautéed scallops with wild mushrooms, while the mains are of the likes of grilled turbot and other fresh seafood, with the signature dessert being chocolate soufflé. The food is served up on metal plates in the charming surrounds of the historical building, which is laced with arches and wooden floorboards.
Vingaardsstraede 6
Tel: (33) 116 868. Fax: (33) 326 768.
Website: www.konghans.dk
Price: Dkk500. Wine: Dkk250.
Le Sommelier
Another fine dining temple, complete with white linen tablecloths and immaculately attired waiting staff, which proves how much the Danes love top-class French food. This time the food is accompanied by a gargantuan wine list that caters for even the most demanding palate. There are rumoured to be almost 1000 different wines, with over 30 sold by the glass. Specialities include foie gras as a starter and a number of seafood and shellfish mains, depending on availability and season.
Bredgade 63-65
Tel: (33) 114 515. Fax: (33) 115 979.
E-mail: mail@lesommelier.dk
Website: www.lesommelier.dk
Price: Dkk315. Wine: Dkk250.
Pierré Andre
This minimalist restaurant has been offering French cuisine of the highest quality since 1996. It gained its single Michelin star one year later and has held onto it ever since. The roast foie gras is a particular highlight on an innovative and beguiling menu. Other specialties are caviar or salmon as starters and roe deer or millefeuille of lobster as mains. There are three set menus to choose from, including one mammoth nine-course extravaganza. Another plus is that they bake all their own bread and desserts.
Ny Østergade 21
Tel: (33) 161 719.
Price: Dkk500. Wine: Dkk250.
Restaurationen
This French restaurant has one Michelin star under its belt and this is well deserved. Restaurationen boasts high ceilings and the walls are adorned with black and white photos of the cooking team. Head chef Bo Jacobsen conjures up an impressive array of dishes with the freshest local produce. The menu follows the changing seasons but whatever the time of year booking is essential. The restaurant also bakes its own bread and makes its own sausages and hams, which are made with organic ingredients where possible.
Montergade 19
Tel: (33) 149 495.
Price: Dkk450. Wine: Dkk200.
Business
Alberto K
Alberto K is the centrepiece of the newly refurbished Radisson SAS Royal Hotel. The cuisine is Italian but the décor and mood are Scandinavian cool. The views from the location on the 20th floor are superb and make a spectacular setting for a business lunch or a longer dinner. One excellent signature dish is Danish rabbit cooked in Umbrian truffle oil. Alberto K also boasts an extensive, although mainly Italian, wine list.
Hammerichsgade 1
Tel: (33) 426 161.
E-mail: salescphzh@cphza.rdsas.com
Website: www.aok.dk/albertok or www.radisson.com/copenhagendk_royal
Price: Dkk500. Wine: Dkk250.
Cap Horn
By day, this is the perfect place for a smørrebrød sandwich in the pleasant canalside setting. When the temperature stays up at night, Cap Horn is also a good place for a relaxed business dinner by the water, with more substantial Mediterranean options, such as grilled fish and steak, on the menu. The excellent range of desserts at dinner is another plus point, as is the cosy atmosphere of this former jazz club.
Nyhavn 21
Tel: (33) 128 504. Fax: (33) 157 130.
Price: Dkk300. Wine: Dkk150.
Kommandanten
Denmark’s only two-star Michelin restaurant continually delivers and is the perfect venue for impressing clients, as well as severely denting the platinum card. The restaurant enjoys an effortless style, with silver service set against long windows, wooden floors and a quietly contemporary elegance. The main culinary influence is French and the service is first rate. Sample dishes include duck breast with port wine sauce, pork shank with morels, as well as fried Norway lobster à la nage served with aniseed and spring onions, although there is also a ‘special’ menu offering six small dishes for a fixed price of Dkk690. The wine list contains in excess of 1000 wines, many available in half bottles.
Ny Adelgade 7
Tel: (33) 120 990. Fax: (33) 931 223.
E-mail: kommandanten@kommananten.dk
Website: www.kommandanten.dk
Price: Dkk600. Wine: Dkk250.
Peder Oxe
Situated right on Grabrodretorv, the city’s most beautiful square, Peder Oxe specialises in traditional Danish cooking and is a good place to get to grips with the nation’s culinary larder. The décor is suitably old fashioned. It may attract too many tourists for some tastes but the quality of the food is still high, with specialities like the eponymously named oxe burger and the oxe steak.
Grabrodretorv 11
Tel: (33) 110 077.
Website: www.pederoxe.dk
Price: Dkk340. Wine: Dkk140.
Soren K
Located in the Black Diamond, the Royal Library, Soren K continues to win praise from the Danish press for its super-modern minimalism. This is a splendid venue for impressing clients. The décor is bright and trendy, with modern lines and colours. Fresh seafood – such as grilled halibut with beetroot risotto, balsamic vinegar and oyster vinaigrette – is a speciality but all the produce is of the highest quality.
Søren Kirkegaards Plads 1
Tel: (33) 474 949.
Website: www.soerenk.dk
Price: Dkk500. Winde Dkk300.
Trendy
Barstarten
One of the hottest new nightlife venues in Copenhagen, Barstarten also offers very good food. At weekends, locals and savvy visitors flock to this funky venue, for the DJ sets and the buzzing atmosphere. The normal menu includes fresh Mediterranean dishes – highlights are the Mediterranean polenta with roast vegetables and the grilled fish – which are served with fresh salads. The Sunday brunch menu is also good value. Booking is advisable, seeing as only 25 covers can be catered for at once.
Kapelvej 1
Tel: (35) 241 100.
E-mail: bar@barstarten.dk
Website: www.barstarten.dk
Price: Dkk235. Wine: Dkk160.
Formel B
Formel B is an unexpected find in a busy part of the city. Head chef Singh Gill performs culinary wonders with the freshest of local produce in a stylish setting that just manages to avoid being pretentiously hip, with polished wooden floors and a sleek, minimalist look. The cooking is French with a funky accent and is not to be missed. The restaurant’s six-course menu is among the best in the city.
Vesterbrogade 182
Tel: (33) 251 066. Fax: (33) 252 092.
E-mail: bordbestilling@formel-b.dk
Website: www.formel-b.dk
Price: Dkk450. Wine: Dkk250.
Godt
Run by an Anglo-Danish husband and wife team, this small and colourful restaurant has already managed to secure a single Michelin star, with rumours of another one on the way. The focus is on fresh local meats and seafood given innovative culinary twists. There are a very limited number of tables in this two-storey top-class restaurant so, as Godt is no longer one of Copenhagen’s most closely guarded secrets, booking as far ahead as possible is strongly advised.
Gothersgade 38
Tel: (33) 152 122.
Price: Dkk460. Wine: Dkk250.
Konrad
Konrad, one of the leading lights of the modern Scandinavian culinary revolution of the mid-1990s, remains one of the most respected restaurants in the city. In tribute to the English design guru and restaurateur, Terence Conran, Konrad’s geometrically clean and stylish interior, DJ bar and cool clientele ensure this venue’s continued popularity. A hip restaurant with equally hip clientele, this is the place to see and be seen. The food combines French with Danish in an imaginative way, including such offering as beef carpaccio with cauliflower, served with lemon and parmesan and stuffed crab and lemon sole, with oyster sauce, saffron and bacon. At weekends, after midnight, the restaurant transforms into a stylish cocktail bar.
Pilestraede 12-14
Tel: (33) 932 929. Fax: (33) 935 696
E-mail: goog@living.dk
Website: www.restaurantkonrad.dk
Price: Dkk400. Wine: Dkk230.
La Petite Bourgogne
A place for lovers of burgundy wine and burgundy cuisine, La Petite Bourgogne specialises in classic Burgundy dishes, something of a novelty so far from its home but worth checking out. Starters include such rarities as jerusalem artichoke soup with mushroom croutons and soured cream, while the mains will delight with duck breast from Bresse, served with figs or rabbit in bacon, served with Dijon sauce. There is also a selection of Burgundy cheeses. The restaurant is becoming increasingly popular and booking is advised. Open daily from 1800-2200.
Kultorvet 5
Tel: (33) 910 949. Fax: (33) 690 581.
E-mail: mail@niscos.dk
Website: www.lapetitebourgogne.dk
Price: Dkk300. Wine: Dkk200.
Budget
Ban Gaw
Ban Gaw is a bustling Thai restaurant that serves up very good food. The spicier dishes may be a bit too tamed down for Western palates but the food is fresh and well prepared and, of course, excellent value. The décor is as simple and unpretentious as the food.
Istedgade 27
Tel: (33) 228 438. Fax: (33) 225 968.
Price: Dkk150. Wine: Dkk60.
Den Graeske Taverna
This is one of the many ethnic restaurants in Copenhagen, also offering the best value. All the Greek mainstays are here, lovingly recreated and served up in cheerful surroundings that are always packed, making booking ahead advisable.
Rosenvaengets Alle
Tel: (33) 267 443.
Price: Dkk160. Wine: Dkk80.
Pasta Basta
Fifteen different types of pasta dishes are on offer at this popular budget restaurant and the options are imaginative, with fettuccine in a white wine sauce with grilled salmon strips, garnished with salmon caviar and saffron. The unfussy, unpretentious surroundings are bright and airy and are also home to an all-you-can-eat daily buffet. As well as being good value for money, Pasta Basta is family friendly and has over 150 seats, able cater for large groups.
Valkendorfsgade 22
Tel: (33) 112 131.
Website: www.pastabasta.dk
Price: Dkk120 (à la carte); Dkk75 (fixed-price buffet). Wine: Dkk110.
Shark House Deli
This small, lively deli is perfect for anyone looking for a tasty and quick lunch in the trendy Nørrebro area of Copenhagen. The Italian and French deli food on offer is among the cheapest in the city and great value for its high quality. Most people grab something ‘to go’ but there are tables in summer for a more leisurely meal.
Blagardsgade 3
Tel: (33) 353 135.
Price: Dkk100. Unlicensed.
Spicey Kitchen
This small curry house claims to have been Denmark’s first when it opened. Today, Spicey Kitchen is always busy, due to the great-value curry dishes that are served up. The Pakistani fare is simple and filling and is perfect for those about to delve into the netherworld of Christiania nearby. The décor is little changed since the times when the building used to house an old pharmacy.
Torvegade 56
Tel: (32) 952 829.
Price: Dkk100. Wine: Dkk60.
Personal Recommendations
1th
This restaurant is something of a local secret, which is set to remain that way unless it changes its booking policy. Diners have to book weeks in advance and then receive an ‘invitation’ to come around for dinner in this homely yet impeccably stylish second floor venue. The set menus take diners on a unique culinary journey, lasting the entire evening, through many different cuisines and styles of cooking. Owner Mette Martinussen’s favourite dish is rumoured to be sausages and therefore these often feature on the menu.
Herluf Trollesgade 9
Tel: (33) 935 770. Fax: (33) 936 769.
Website: www.1th.dk
Price: Dkk900 (including wine).
Café Victor
With an L-shaped bar/café and restaurant, Café Victor, a small bistro/bar situated on the corner of Ny Østergade and Hovedvagtsgade, is a smart but fast and friendly venue serving excellent Danish food and proving popular with celebrities. The menu features herring in various guises, good salads and mainstream cuisine of pork, steak and fish. Fresh oysters are served daily. This is an excellent, chatty place for lunch and good for a relaxing dinner.
Ny Østergade 8
Tel: (33) 133 613. Fax: (33) 911 340.
E-mail: cafevictor@sovino.dk
Website: www.cafevictor.dk
Price: Dkk160; Wine: Dkk120
Cascabel Madhus
Vegetarian heaven is the best way to describe this popular, good-value restaurant. Cascabel Madhus is located off the main tourist trail but is still close to the city centre and, as it does not feature in many guidebooks, it is a good place to eat like the locals do in unfussy surroundings. The menu revolves around vegetarian curries and rice dishes. Open Monday-Friday, 1100-1730.
Store Kongensgade 80-82
Tel: (33) 937 797. Fax: (33) 937 786.
Website: www.cascabel.dk
Price: Dkk160. Wine: Dkk140.
Restaurant Ida Davidsen
Proving that there is no such thing as ‘just a sandwich’, Ida takes the Danish smørrebrød tradition to new heights. Her 200-plus creations include such delightful toppings as smoked salmon, beef tartar and caviar. Open only from Monday to Friday, this is a real Copenhagen institution, with walls bedecked with old family photos. Diners should remember, however, that this is a lunch venue and Restaurant Ida Davidsen closes at 1700 (the kitchen at 1600).
Store Kongensgade 70
Tel: (33) 913 655.
Price: Dkk85-150. Unlicensed.
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