The 12 best restaurants in Copenhagen

With the closure of Noma at the end of 2024 – still worth keeping an eye on for its upcoming pop-ups and collaborations in Copenhagen and beyond – the creative fine dining scene in Copenhagen is moving in a new direction. Alchemist, currently number five on the World’s Best list, is an outrageous sense-spinning experience, where under the watch of maverick chef Rasmus Munk, guests take in 50 small courses and an explosion of impressions. From snowballs that taste like tomatoes to dishes served on a silicone tongue, it’s like nowhere you’ve ever eaten before. 

Price: Blowout

Down a dark alley off the main drag beside Nyhavn, Goldfinch feels like a hidden secret, as if instead of being in a Northern European city, it’s down an alleyway in old Hong Kong. It’s part of Copenhagen’s New Asian Wave, the name given to the explosion of Korean, Chinese and Japanese restaurants that have opened in the city in the last few years. Expect sharing plates, glamorous cocktails, and sweet and sour pork with strawberries. Booking in advance is recommended – it’s the hipster spot du jour. 

Price: Mid-range

This low-key fine diner won a Michelin star in its first year – and it’s easy to see why. Alouette chefs Nick Curtin and Andrew Valenzuela create seasonal dishes with global influences, like mackerel with fermented cucumber beurre blanc or charred pumpkin with caviar and mulberries. Relocated in swanky new buildings in the heart of Copenhagen, the focus is on sustainable dining with fresh, refined Danish flavours. Once housed in a rock ’n’ roll neighbourhood, its relocation is a reflection of the chefs’ desire to make an even bigger impact. Book ahead.

Price: High-end

Sometimes when you’re visiting a new city, you want to get a real flavour for what life’s like there, as well as a good meal. Absalon is the absolute best place to find that, a community centre beloved by locals and visitors alike, especially for its long table communal dinners where for the tiny sum of 50 kr (around £5.50) you can eat a hearty, healthy meal and make friends at the same time. Good value and good cooking like this is really hard to find. Book online or turn up at 5pm to buy a ticket on the door. Don’t be late: dinner starts at 6pm.

Price: Budget

Renowned for creating Copenhagen’s best sourdough bread – amid stiff competition – Hart was founded by British baker Richard Hart, ex Tartine, and now has four outlets: the original on Gammel Kongevej, a second with outdoor seating and a view of the Marble Church at Holmen, another in Refshaleøen, and a fourth in Kødbyen. What we’re saying is, wherever you are in the city, you can’t miss it. Look out for the outstanding pastries, and riffs on British classics like sausage rolls.

Price: Average

From Ethiopian injera to Surinamese peanut soup, global cuisine is all the rage in Copenhagen today. But our favourite spot is this 16-seat, family-run Taiwanese restaurant. Almost everything is homemade, with crowd-pleasers including pillow-soft pork belly bao (‘Taiwanese hamburger’) and classic ‘potstickers’ – fried dumplings steamed on the inside, and crispy on the outside. If you’re lucky, Nihao YAO owner Lishiang will have made two off-menu bao – one filled with minced pork, the other with red bean paste.

Price: Budget

This Nørrebro charmer was named after a funk song – an apt choice, as it turns out. Fermented ingredients dominate its ‘next-level brunch’ menu, from the smashed avocado pepped up with a house-fermented hot sauce to the eggs benedict with homemade apple cider vinegar and miso hollandaise to the probiotic coconut yoghurt. The Sixteen Twelve is a fine place to refuel when you’re done checking out the independent shops and retro boutiques of cobblestoned Jægersborggade, in the heart of hipster Nørrebro.

Price: Average

The Michelin guide made culinary history when it awarded Selma a Bib Gourmand (for ‘exceptionally good food at moderate prices’). It was the first smørrebrød joint to receive the accolade – and the man responsible for taking the traditional Danish lunch to the next level was a Swedish chef. Nationalist feathers were ruffled, but open sandwich fans cheered: Selma puts a contemporary twist on the classic, using creative toppings such as herring with nettles, crème fraîche and fennel.

Price: Mid-range

You know you’ve arrived at this bakery in upmarket Østerbro when you spot the queue winding out the door. That is if you haven’t already caught the heavenly scent of Juno’s pillowy cardamom buns. Made by Swedish baker and Noma alumnus Emil Glaser, they’re well worth the wait, as are Juno’s other outstanding pastries and bread rolls. Seating’s extremely limited – and Juno only serves filter coffee – but it is well worth the wait.

Price: Average

Doomsday Deli is the city’s most talked about sandwich shop, serving thick oozy sandwiches of cheese and meat on slabs of a variety of breads – including gluten-free – from their shop in the heart of hipster Nørrebro. Gulbergsgade, the deli’s location, is something of a foodie hotspot, where you’ll also find the excellent Brus microbrewery, wine bar Pompette and new this year, Mirabelle Spiseria, a Sicilian restaurant from top chef Christian Puglisi.