Copenhagen Restaurants: Modern Nordic Cuisine, Recommended Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner Restaurants

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Copenhagen by Design

Restaurants

In between browsing stores and seeing sites, your day can easily be built around food. For too long, the country's most famous contribution to cuisine was the open-faced sandwich and Danish bacon. Then, three years ago, a group of chefs created an Århus Declaration (titled "Nordic Kitchen Manifesto") with the goal of boosting appreciation of local cuisine. Today, modern Nordic cooking is all the rage. It fuses French techniques with classic ingredients sourced from the farms, woodlands, and seas of Scandinavia. Suddenly foods once considered humble—berries, salt cod, barley—are starring on the best menus in the city.

A perfect day of feasting could start at Syrup (Læderstræde 32; 45/33-13-50-60; www.zirup.dk), a laid-back sidewalk café popular with locals recovering from the night before. Syrup serves a brunch tray of small dishes, including scrambled eggs, muesli, and bacon. At lunchtime, dine alfresco at Custom House (Havnegade 44; 45/33-11-01-30; www.customhouse.dk; entrées in the bar and grill from $21), which is actually three restaurants in one—a sushi bar, Italian restaurant, and American bar and grill—all housed in a converted hovercraft station overlooking the harbor. For a restorative afternoon tea and scones, go to the upstairs tearoom at A.C. Perch's Tea Shop (Kronprinsensgade 5; 45/33-15-35-62; www.perchs.dk; afternoon tea from $18). In Nørrebro, Nørrebro Bryghus (Ryesgade 3; 45/35-30-05-30; www.noerrebrobryghus.dk; entrées from $35) is an outstanding microbrewery whose founder was inspired by New York's Brooklyn Brewery. Don't miss the surprisingly delicious raspberry beer.

Be prepared to book dinner reservations well in advance if you want to eat at one of the hot spots—which include Noma (Strandgade 93; 45/32-96-32-97; www.noma.dk; 7-course menu including wine $250) and Formel B (Vesterbrogade 182; 45/33-25-10-66; www.formel-b.dk; 6-course menu with wine $270). Both are headed by young chefs who consistently design adventurous menus. Dinner at Noma, conceived by chef Rene Redzepi, might begin with langoustines from the Faeroe Islands in an oyster emulsion, followed by lobster with celery and elderberries. At Formel B, Rune Jochumsen and Kristian Møller serve turbot with braised tail of veal and a dessert of poached rhubarb with fragrant tonka beans. At either place, expect a dinner for two with wine to cost around $500. Both are fantastic, but if you have to choose, you may want to check out Noma, which just received two stars in the 2007 Michelin Guide.

Other standout Copenhagen restaurants:
Café Victor (Ny Østergade 8; 45/33-13-36-13; www.cafevictor.dk) is a classic Paris-style bistro that’s perfect for lunch when you need a break from city-center shopping.

Koriander (Store Kongensgade 34; 45/33-15-03-15; www.restaurantkoriander.dk) is an unusual thing in Scandinavia: a gourmet Indian restaurant housed in a gleaming white futuristic space—a sort of Stanley Kubrick–curry house.

Kalaset (Vendersgade 16; 45/33-33-00-35) is a brunch place on Nansensgade, a bohemian street worth exploring.

Café Europa (Amagertorv 1; 45/33-14-28-89) is a bustling café in the center of town, just opposite Georg Jensen and Royal Copenhagen that's great for breakfast.

Café Gglyptoteket (The Winter Garden, Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek; 45/33-41-81-28; www.glyptoteket.dk) is a fantastic little café with home-baked bread and cakes in the Glyptoteket museum. You have to pay the museum’s entry fee, but it’s worth it.