Europe · Denmark
Where to eat in Denmark, region by region
Denmark is small, expensive to eat in and very good at it. Start with the dishes and drinks of each region, then the places that do them best: the starred kitchens of Copenhagen, the smørrebrød lunch room, the bakery that opens before the commute and the hot-dog stand that closes after the bars. City guides cover Copenhagen, Aarhus and Odense.
138places
4regions
41starred tables
22towns
Going to Denmark?Plan every meal across the whole country, or pick one city. Filter by region, save places, see them on a map.
Plan my Denmark food tripCopenhagen
89 places in 4 towns
What to eat
- Smørrebrød Open rye-bread sandwiches with cold cuts, fish, cheese or spreads, the usual weekday lunch.
- Stjerneskud An open sandwich of fried and steamed plaice topped with shrimp, mayonnaise and caviar or lumpfish roe.
- Dyrlægens natmad A dark rye sandwich layered with liver pâté, salted beef and meat jelly.
- Rød pølse and pølsevogn hot dogs Sold from sausage wagons with mustard, ketchup, remoulade and pickled cucumber; numbers fell from over 700 in the 1960s-70s to about 100 in 2021.
- Stegt flæsk med persillesovs Fried pork belly with parsley sauce and potatoes, chosen as the national dish in a 2014 vote.
- Frikadeller Pan-fried spiced meatballs of pork or veal and pork.
- Kanelsnegle and tebirkes Sankt Peders Bageri bakes cinnamon snails on Wednesdays plus tebirkes and brunsviger (Copenhagen by Mie).
- Kardemomme snurre Cardamom buns made throughout the day at Juno the Bakery.
What to drink
- Beer Carlsberg and Tuborg are major exports and pilsner is the dominant style; small local breweries have grown since the 2000s.
- Mikkeller Mikkeller Bar pours its craft beer on tap; Mikkeller beer is also sold at Torvehallerne and Reffen.
- Akvavit / snaps A clear spirit flavoured with caraway and/or dill, usually drunk chilled in one gulp from a small glass.
- Gammel Dansk The most popular Danish bitter.
- Specialty coffee Coffee Collective began in 2007 on Jægersborggade; filter coffee is the most popular method and Denmark ranks fifth in per-capita consumption.
- Natural wine Bars such as Bar Vivant (Nørrebro) and Ancestrale (Vesterbro) are listed for natural wine.
Where to start
- Geranium 3 starsCopenhagen · Creative, Contemporary · €€€€Per Henrik Lings Allé 4, Parken National Stadium, Copenhagen, 2100 Ø, Denmark · +45 69 96 00 20Add to my trip
- Jordnær 3 starsGentofte · €€€€Gentoftegade 29, Gentofte · +4522408020Add to my trip
- Kadeau Copenhagen 3 starsCopenhagen · Bornholm-inspired Nordic cooking · €€€€Wildersgade 10B, København · +4533252223Add to my trip
- Alchemist 2 starsCopenhagen · Theatrical, holistic dining with about 50 courses · €€€€Refshalevej 173C, København K · +4531716161Add to my trip
- Koan 2 starsCopenhagen · Korean-inspired · €€€€Langeliniekaj 5, 2100 Copenhagen, Denmark · +4528747840Add to my trip
- Kong Hans Kælder 2 starsCopenhagen · Fixed seasonal menu blending French, Asian and Nordic · €€€€Vingårdstræde 6, København K · +4533116868Add to my trip
- a|o|c 2 starsCopenhagen · €€€€Dronningens Tværgade 2, København K · +4533111145Add to my trip
- Akmē 1 starCopenhagen · Japanese technique with French gastronomic tradition · €€€Sandkaj 39, 2150 Nordhavn, Copenhagen, Denmark · +4531637473Add to my trip
Towns
Zealand & islands
4 places in 4 towns
What to eat
- Smoked herring (Bornholm) The island's signature local product, with traditional smokehouses operating since 1866.
- Sol over Gudhjem Bornholm's famous local dish, which chefs compete to make each summer at Gudhjem harbour.
- Bornholm smoked fish Bornholm is known for its smoked fish.
- Lakrids by Bülow Licorice made in Svaneke on Bornholm and sold widely across Denmark.
- Lammefjord asparagus White and green asparagus grown in the polder west of Copenhagen, a May to June crop.
What to drink
- Western Zealand wineries Røsnæs Vingård, Barfod Vin, Dyrehøj Vineyard and STUB Vingård lie close together.
Where to start
- Dragsholm Slot Gourmet 1 starHørve · Restaurant inside the 800-year-old Dragsholm Castle hotel · €€€€Dragsholm Allé, 4534 Hørve, Denmark · +4559653300Add to my trip
- Hotel Frederiksminde 1 starPræstø · €€€€Klosternakken 8, Præstø, DenmarkAdd to my trip
- Kadeau Bornholm 1 starÅkirkeby · €€€€Baunevej 18, Vestre Sømark Pedersker, 3720 Åkirkeby, Denmark · +4556978250Add to my trip
- MOTA 1 starNykøbing Sjælland · €€€€Annebergparken 50, 4500 Nykøbing Sjælland, Denmark · +4560436300Add to my trip
Towns
Funen
13 places in 3 towns
What to eat
- Fynsk rygeost Cheese smoked over freshly harvested oat or wheat straw (Wikivoyage, Funen).
- Rygeost Smoked caraway cream cheese, an original speciality of Funen.
- Æggekage Danish omelette, usually topped with bacon, tomatoes and chives (Wikivoyage, Funen).
- Jødetorsk Cod seasoned with curry powder and salt, simmered in butter and onions (Wikivoyage, Funen).
- Seafood at Kerteminde, Svendborg, Bogense Wikivoyage recommends these three towns for Funen fish and seafood.
What to drink
- Albani Odense brewery making lagers and darker beers (Wikivoyage, Funen).
- Local microbreweries Vestfyen (Assens), Refsvindinge and Midtfyns Bryghus (Brobyværk) (Wikivoyage, Funen).
- Aquavit with lunch Traditionally served with Danish lunches; most brands are imported (Wikivoyage, Funen).
- Ærø whisky Ærø has whisky distilleries and smokehouses.
Where to start
- ARO 1 starOdense · Modern Cuisine · €€Østerbro 32, Odense, 5000, Denmark · +45 42 83 23 15Add to my trip
- Fuego Street GrillOdense · Argentine asado, empanadasLerchesgade 4, 5000 OdenseAdd to my trip
- PinsameOdense · Roman pinsa flatbread, since 2018Åløkke Allé 40, 5000 OdenseAdd to my trip
- The Pie ProjectOdense · Micro-bakery with savoury piesVintapperstræde 49, 5000 OdenseAdd to my trip
- Den Gamle KroOdense · Classic Danish cuisine, in the historic quarterAdd to my trip
- Falsled KroFalsled · Village inn known internationally for its gastronomyAdd to my trip
- Kok og VinOdense · French brasserie, seasonal menus from Funen ingredientsAdd to my trip
- MadeleineOdenseAdd to my trip
Towns
Jutland
32 places in 11 towns
What to eat
- Limfjord oysters The official season runs from 1 October to about the end of April; Pacific oysters now outnumber the traditional European flat oyster.
- Aarhus Bay fish Fish caught in Aarhus Bay and landed at the harbour, alongside Samsø vegetables and Djursland ingredients.
- Skagen seafood Skagen has a fish auction; Ruths Brasserie and the Brøndums Hotel restaurant serve local seafood.
- Svinkløv walnut cake The historic Svinkløv Seaside Hotel restaurant is known for its walnut cake.
- Sønderjydsk kaffebord A festive coffee-and-cake spread associated with Sønderjylland.
- Tversted ice cream Ice cream best eaten at the beach, in north-west Jutland.
What to drink
- Aarhus Bryggeriet Recommended for local beer.
- Aalborg akvavit Aalborg is the best-known Danish akvavit brand named in the source.
- Stauning Whisky Well-regarded whisky that is exported.
- West-coast and northern breweries Hvide Sande Brewery (opened 2018) and Fur Brewery near Klitmøller.
Where to start
- Frederikshøj 2 starsAarhus · €€€€Oddervej 19-21, 8000 Aarhus, Denmark · +4586142280Add to my trip
- Henne Kirkeby Kro 2 starsHenne Kirkeby · Small inn on the west coast of Jutland · €€€€Strandvejen 234, 6854 Henne, Denmark · +4575255400Add to my trip
- Alimentum 1 starAalborg · €€€Løkkegade 23, 9000 Aalborg, Denmark · +4593913767Add to my trip
- Bach & Nurup 1 starAalborg · €€Budolfi Plads 32, 9000 Aalborg, Denmark · +4553881253Add to my trip
- Domæne 1 starHerning · €€€Gødstrupvej 62, 7400 Herning, Denmark · +4570252326Add to my trip
- Gastromé 1 starAarhus · €€€€Grenåvej 127, Risskov, 8240 Aarhus, Denmark · +4528781617Add to my trip
- LYST 1 starVejle · €€€€Havneøen 1, 7100 Vejle, Denmark · +4575738500Add to my trip
- Pearl by Paul Proffitt 1 starKruså · €€€Fjordvejen 120, Sønderhav, 6340 Kruså, Denmark · +4522112844Add to my trip
Towns
Aarhus 20Aalborg 2Skagen 2Herning 1Henne Kirkeby 1Vejle 1Kruså 1Sønderborg 1Fredericia 1Agger 1Lønstrup 1
The three-star tables
- Geranium Copenhagen
- Jordnær Gentofte (north of Copenhagen)
- Kadeau Copenhagen Copenhagen
How to book and eat well in Denmark
- Dinner is the main hot meal, traditionally eaten around 6 p.m. at home.
- Lunch is the smørrebrød meal; Barr serves smørrebrød only at lunch and Palægade has more than 20 smørrebrød at lunch with a broader menu in the evening (Falstaff).
- Geranium: a Tasting Table article says guests book about three months in advance and pay a minimum of 1,500 DKK per person to confirm; expect at least three hours. The article is undated.
- Geranium opening days on its Michelin page: Wednesday dinner 18:00-23:00, Thursday to Saturday lunch 12:00-15:30, closed Monday, Tuesday and Sunday. Michelin lists free online booking.
- Tipping: a service charge is included in restaurant bills and tipping is normally unnecessary.
- Some places take no reservations or seat first come, first served: Bar Vivant takes no reservations; Botti seating is first come, first served.
- Seasonal opening: Kødbyens Mad & Marked in Aarhus is an outdoor market on weekends from April to October; Ingerslev Torv runs Wednesdays and Saturdays 8 am to 2 pm. Øens Have cooks from April to October.
- Many shops close around Ascension Day and Whit Monday.
- Julefrokost, festive Christmas lunch buffets, are held across December at workplaces and clubs; the sources give no booking lead times for them.
Etiquette
- Snaps is chilled and usually drunk in one gulp from a small glass; with traditional Danish lunches beer is always on the table.
- Service is included in the bill; tipping is not customary.
- Berta Bageri in Aarhus uses a self-service system with no cashier (Falstaff).
- At a pølsevogn, hot dogs come with strong unsweetened mustard, ketchup, remoulade and pickled cucumber; chocolate milk is a common drink.
- Lunch at home or work is traditionally a packed cold smørrebrød, the madpakke.
Eating by season
- Spring. Lammefjord asparagus is a May to June crop, strawberries run May to August, and wild garlic is picked March to June. The weekend meatpacking-district food market in Copenhagen opens for summer at the end of March.
- Summer. Brown crab is landed July to November and raspberries are in season July to September. Koldskål and Danish strawberries with cream are summer foods. Sol over Gudhjem is made each summer on Bornholm.
- Autumn. Limfjord oyster season starts 1 October, chanterelles last into November and game appears in smørrebrød. Some restaurants serve St. Martin's Day roast duck in November.
- Winter. Flæskesteg, stegt flæsk and æbleskiver are the classic plates, and Christmas markets serve gløgg. Nytårstorsk (poached cod) is eaten on New Year's Eve. Daylight runs roughly 9am to 4pm.
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Every place comes from a published source (Michelin Guide Denmark, tourist boards, Eater and other food writers). Many addresses, phone numbers and prices are not in those sources, so we leave them blank rather than guess, and we have not confirmed every place is still open. Hours and prices change, so confirm before you go. All city guides