Where to Eat in Copenhagen

Here in Copenhagen, Restaurant Relae is a must. Chef Christian Puglisi does a delicious, modern, vegetable-based cuisine. Before dinner, spend an hour strolling through the lovely street where it’s located. It is filled with small artisanal craft and food shops. Jaegersborggade 41, 45/(0) 36-966-609. Rene Redzepi chose this as one of his favorite places.

As part of the Standard, a combined foodie hot spot and jazz club in the old Copenhagen customs house, Almanak focuses on traditional Danish flavors prepared using seasonal ingredients including berries, fruits, seeds, nuts, herbs, and everything in between – with dishes such as glazed baked beetroot with fresh blackberry, fennel, sorrel and smoked cheese, and wild duck confit with baked plums. With an all-star staff, the focus is on service, flavor, and a rich experience that draws from local nature and changing seasons to shape the taste and feel of the menu. The concept behind the Standard is compelling. It is home to three different fine-dining restaurants, including Almanak, which occupy the building while also having access to and working closely with the Standard’s jazz club. The goal is to create a robust and vibrant atmosphere. Photo courtesy of the Standard.

Situated in the old Copenhagen customs house, Verandah focuses on providing a contemporary gastronomic Indian restaurant experience. The restaurant’s aim is to deliver high quality Indian food in an informal environment that is visually influenced by Danish culture and design. The restaurant serves Indian dishes as well as traditional Indian drinks and has a lounge area. The concept behind The Standard is compelling. It is home to three different fine dining restaurants including Verandah which occupy the building while also having access to and working closely with The Standard’s Jazzclub. Their goal is to create a robust and vibrant atmosphere. Photo: The Standard

Kadeau is a restaurant with roots based firmly on the small Danish island of Bornholm. The menu, ambiance, and spirit of the food seeks to convey the charm, simplicity, smells and fresh quality of the island in culinary form. Kadeau has been extremely popular and recently re-located to Christianshavn. When they did, they re-named and re-branded their old location into Pony. The restaurant has been awarded one Michelin star. Photo: Marie Louise Munkegaard (Kadeau)

A visit to Denmark must include trying the country’s famous, impossible-to-pronounce open-faced sandwich, smørrebrød (I’m fairly certain that only native Danish speakers can pronounce it properly -"SMUHR-bruth”). Smørrebrød translates to “buttered bread,” and a traditional smørrebrød lunch usually includes three or four small sandwiches ranging from potatoes and radish to egg salad. The once working-class lunch gets a chefy makeover at Aamanns where the smørrebrød is served on homemade rye bread. The restaurant design is charming, with big stencils of radishes and cows on the walls. Order the smørrebrød trio for lunch, and ask to have it paired with a biodynamic wine.

These guys take a lot of pride in the food they prepare. Things are made from scratch daily, and they focus on sourcing high-quality ingredients based on taste and what’s in season. Beyond just smørrebrød and the usual Danish lunch menu, Told and Snaps is a fully functional restaurant. They also have an assortment of traditional snaps, both purchased and homemade variations. As this is a traditional Danish lunch restaurant, it’s not typically open for dinner.