Copenhagen

Denmark Vitor
City InfoItinerariesThings to doRestaurantsHotelsDay Trips

Where to eat in Copenhagen: my 18 favourite restaurants

Nobody eats well following the tour buses. These are the 18 restaurants in Copenhagen I'd send a friend to: the cheap neighbourhood place, the one locals keep to themselves, the splurge that's genuinely worth it. No photo menus.

Aamanns 1921★ 4.5 · €€€ · ~€40–60 pp · Modern smørrebrødA refined, contemporary take on smørrebrød near the Round Tower, where chef Adam Aamann elevates the humble open sandwich with organic rye and seasonal toppings. Directions
Alouette~1500-2200 DKK tasting menu · Modern French-Nordic fine dining (1 Michelin star)Alouette is the one-Michelin-star restaurant with an entrance that has become part of its legend: you ride a graffiti-covered industrial freight elevator up to a bright, plant-filled loft on Amager. Directions
AOC~2000-2800 DKK tasting menu · New Nordic fine dining (2 Michelin stars)For a two-Michelin-star blowout that is not Noma or Geranium, AOC is the name that keeps coming up, and it earns it. Directions
Bæst~150-350 DKK · Nordic-Italian / wood-fired pizzaBæst is the Nørrebro restaurant food-minded Copenhageners recommend when you want a proper meal that is neither stuffy nor cheap-and-cheerful. Directions
Broens Gadekøkken★ 4.4 · € · ~€12–20 pp · Street foodA compact harbour-side street-food market right at the foot of the Kissing Bridge, between Nyhavn and Christianshavn. Directions
DØP (Den Økologiske Pølsemand)~40-55 DKK · Danish hot dogs / street food (organic)If you only eat one hot dog in Copenhagen, locals will point you to this little organic stand tucked beside the Round Tower. Directions
Geranium★ 4.7 · €€€€ · ~€450+ pp · New Nordic, tasting menuPerched on the eighth floor with park views, Rasmus Kofoed's three-Michelin-star Geranium has topped the World's 50 Best list, an ethereal, vegetable-and-seafood tasting menu of astonishing precision and beauty. Directions
Hart Bageri~35-70 DKK · Bakery / sourdough and viennoiserieBacked by the Noma orbit, Hart Bageri is the Frederiksberg bakery that food obsessives cite when they argue about the best croissant in Copenhagen. Directions
Höst★ 4.6 · €€€ · ~€55–75 pp · New NordicA warm, design-forward New Nordic restaurant that delivers an ambitious tasting-menu experience at a fraction of the famous-name prices. Directions
John's Hotdog Deli~50-70 DKK · Danish hot dogs / street foodRun by John Michael Jensen, better known as Sausage John, this is the hot dog stand that goes toe to toe with DØP in every Copenhagen food debate. Directions
Juno the Bakery~30-60 DKK · Bakery / pastries (cardamom buns)The cardamom bun at this small Østerbro bakery has become the single most-recommended pastry in Copenhagen, and the queue out the door most mornings tells you the internet is not exaggerating. Directions
Kødbyens Fiskebar~250-500 DKK · Nordic seafoodSet in a former butcher's shop in Vesterbro's Meatpacking District, Fiskebar is the seafood restaurant Copenhagen keeps coming back to, and it has held a Michelin Bib Gourmand for good-value cooking since it opened in 2009. Directions
Noma★ 4.6 · €€€€ · ~€500+ pp · New Nordic, tasting menuThe restaurant that rewrote modern gastronomy, René Redzepi's three-Michelin-star temple of foraged, fermented New Nordic cooking, repeatedly named the best restaurant in the world. Directions
Pluto~150-350 DKK · Danish / European small plates (share concept)Pluto is the loud, easy, share-everything bistro that keeps ending up on locals' shortlists for a good night out that does not turn into a tasting-menu marathon. Directions
PONY~200-400 DKK · Modern Danish / European bistroPONY is the casual Vesterbro sibling of the acclaimed Kadeau, and it is where locals go for genuinely serious New Nordic cooking in a warm, unpretentious bistro setting. Directions
Reffen★ 4.6 · € · ~€12–20 pp · Street foodCopenhagen's biggest street-food market, sprawling along the harbour on the old industrial island of Refshaleøen, with dozens of stalls in shipping containers serving everything from Danish to Korean. Directions
Restaurant Schønnemann★ 4.7 · €€€ · ~€35–55 pp · Danish smørrebrødA Copenhagen institution since 1877, this snug basement is the place locals take visitors for classic smørrebrød, open-faced rye-bread sandwiches piled with herring, prawns or steak tartare, washed down with ice-cold aquavit. Directions
RizRaz~129-149 DKK · Mediterranean vegetarian buffetIn a city where dinner adds up fast, RizRaz is the name that keeps surfacing in budget threads for one reason: a generous Mediterranean vegetarian buffet at a flat, friendly price. Directions