Best Restaurants in Copenhagen to Suit Every Craving

Copenhagen combines historic canals, elegant architecture and one of Europe’s most influential food scenes. Traditional Danish lunch restaurants and inexpensive cafés now share the city with plant-based kitchens, experimental tasting menus and some of the world’s most highly awarded restaurants.

This guide covers the best restaurants in Copenhagen for different budgets and occasions. Among the best places to eat in Copenhagen, you will find classic smørrebrød, affordable communal dinners, vegan tasting menus, romantic restaurants with panoramic views and Michelin-starred fine dining.

Exploring neighbourhoods such as Indre By, Vesterbro, Nørrebro and Christianshavn is easier without heavy luggage. Qeepl provides convenient luggage storage around Copenhagen, allowing you to leave your bags or suitcases in a secure location before heading to lunch or dinner. Prices start from €3.59 per bag per day.

What Should You Know About Food in Copenhagen?

Copenhagen played an important role in the development of New Nordic cuisine, an approach centred on seasonal ingredients, regional landscapes and preservation techniques such as fermenting, pickling, smoking and curing.

Traditional Danish food remains easy to find. Smørrebrød consists of rye bread topped with ingredients such as pickled herring, fried plaice, potatoes, eggs, roast beef or prawns. Other familiar dishes include frikadeller, fish cakes, roast pork and hot dogs served with mustard, remoulade, pickles and crispy onions.

The best food in Copenhagen extends well beyond Danish cooking. The city has excellent bakeries, casual Middle Eastern restaurants, Asian kitchens, burger counters and a particularly strong plant-based dining scene.

Lunch is generally served between noon and 2 or 3 p.m., while dinner commonly begins between 5:30 and 7:30 p.m. Traditional smørrebrød restaurants often operate mainly during lunch, whereas tasting-menu restaurants can require three to six hours.

Copenhagen is an expensive dining destination, but affordable options still exist. The estimates below are broad ranges in Danish kroner and should be checked against current menus before visiting.

Best Affordable Restaurants in Copenhagen

Affordable dining in Copenhagen ranges from open-faced sandwiches and burgers to porridge cafés and shared community meals.

1. Restaurant Schønnemann

Restaurant Schønnemann is one of Copenhagen’s oldest surviving lunch restaurants. It has specialised in traditional Danish food since 1877 and retains a classic interior with low ceilings, dark wood and closely arranged tables.

The menu includes smørrebrød topped with herring, fried plaice, prawns, potatoes, roast beef and pork, as well as several warm dishes. A full lunch generally costs around DKK 300–600 per person before beverages. The restaurant is in Indre By, close to Nørreport Station, the Botanical Garden and Rosenborg Castle.

2. Hallernes Smørrebrød

Hallernes Smørrebrød offers modern versions of traditional open-faced sandwiches at several Copenhagen locations. The Torvehallerne stall is particularly convenient for a quick lunch in a lively food-market setting.

Individual sandwiches generally start at around DKK 70–80, and most visitors can eat for approximately DKK 150–300 per person. Popular toppings include fried fish, roast beef, eggs, potatoes and prawns. Torvehallerne is beside Nørreport Station and within walking distance of Rosenborg Castle.

3. Gasoline Grill

Gasoline Grill began inside a former petrol station on Landgreven before expanding to several locations around Copenhagen. Its compact menu focuses on freshly prepared burgers made with organic ingredients.

The original burger currently costs around DKK 100, while a burger with fries and a drink starts at approximately DKK 150. A fermented mushroom patty is available as a vegetarian alternative. Central branches are convenient for visiting Kongens Nytorv, Strøget and the Designmuseum Danmark.

4. Folkehuset Absalon

Folkehuset Absalon is a community centre inside a former church in Vesterbro. Every evening, guests sit together at long tables and share a fixed meal served in large communal dishes.

Dinner currently costs DKK 75 from Sunday to Wednesday and DKK 100 from Thursday to Saturday, when dessert is included. Vegetarian meals are available, but dietary requirements should be selected when booking. Tickets frequently sell out, so reserving online is recommended.

5. GRØD

GRØD specialises in sweet and savoury porridge dishes. The concept began with oatmeal but now includes risotto, congee, chia bowls and other grain-based meals.

Breakfast bowls and savoury dishes generally cost around DKK 75–150, making GRØD one of the more accessible options for a filling meal in Copenhagen. The chain has several locations, including branches in Nørrebro, Frederiksberg and Torvehallerne.

Top Vegetarian Restaurants in Copenhagen

Copenhagen’s plant-based scene includes casual cafés, neighbourhood bistros and elaborate vegan tasting menus.

1. Restaurant ARK

Restaurant ARK is a fully vegan fine-dining restaurant and the first vegan restaurant in the Nordic region to receive a Michelin Green Star. Its cooking focuses on seasonal vegetables, fermentation, foraged ingredients and mushrooms grown at the restaurant group’s own urban farm.

The weekday nine-serving menu currently costs DKK 1,299 per person, while the longer Friday and Saturday menu costs DKK 1,499. ARK is on Nørre Farimagsgade, close to the lakes and Nørreport Station. Reservations are essential.

2. Bistro Lupa

Bistro Lupa is a completely plant-based neighbourhood restaurant in Østerbro. The menu uses vegetables, legumes, fermentation and locally cultivated mushrooms to create informal but carefully composed dishes.

On Friday and Saturday evenings, its five-course tasting experience currently costs DKK 549 per person. The restaurant also serves more flexible menus on other days. Its warm dining room and quieter residential setting make it suitable for a relaxed dinner.

3. Beyla

Beyla is a casual plant-based restaurant in Carlsberg Byen. Its menu combines vegetables, mushrooms, bread and internationally inspired sauces in dishes designed for sharing.

The evening tasting menu currently costs DKK 399 per person and may include roasted vegetables, focaccia, plant-based dips and the restaurant’s signature fried mushrooms. Beyla also opens during the day for lighter meals and is close to the architecture, cafés and public spaces of the Carlsberg district.

4. 42RAW

42RAW is a plant-focused café in central Copenhagen. Although it is no longer exclusively vegetarian, much of its menu remains vegan or meat-free.

Options include smoothie bowls, chia porridge, salads, sandwiches, burgers and fresh juices. Most meals cost around DKK 100–200 per person. The café is on Pilestræde, close to Strøget, Kongens Nytorv and the Round Tower.

5. VeVe

VeVe originally opened as a vegetarian fine-dining restaurant but changed its concept in 2025. It now serves classic Thai food with both vegetarian and non-vegetarian choices.

A dedicated vegetarian tasting menu remains available, allowing diners to try several Thai-inspired courses rather than relying on a single meat-free main dish. VeVe is in Østerbro near the waterfront and the Kastellet area. The current menu and prices should be confirmed when reserving.

Romantic Restaurants in Copenhagen

Copenhagen offers candlelit cellars, panoramic dining rooms and intimate tasting-menu restaurants that work particularly well for a celebration.

1. Kong Hans Kælder

Kong Hans Kælder occupies a historic vaulted cellar in central Copenhagen. The restaurant has served fine dining since 1976 and focuses on classical French cooking with Nordic ingredients and detailed tableside service.

The current anniversary menu costs DKK 3,200 per person before beverages. Head chef Mark Lundgaard oversees dishes built around seasonal seafood, meat and elaborate desserts. The candlelit cellar is close to Kongens Nytorv and the historic streets around Strøget.

2. Geranium

Geranium is located on the eighth floor of Parken Stadium and is led by chef Rasmus Kofoed. Large windows look over Fælledparken and Copenhagen’s rooftops, creating a bright alternative to the city’s cellar restaurants.

The seasonal tasting menu currently costs DKK 4,400 per person before beverages. The cooking avoids meat from land animals and instead focuses on seafood, vegetables, herbs and foraged ingredients. Geranium holds three Michelin stars, and reservations are extremely competitive.

3. Kadeau Copenhagen

Kadeau Copenhagen presents the landscape and food traditions of the Danish island of Bornholm from an intimate restaurant in Christianshavn. Much of its produce is grown, gathered, dried, smoked or preserved by the restaurant’s own team.

The menu includes approximately 15 servings and currently costs DKK 4,150 per person before beverages. Kadeau was promoted to three Michelin stars in the 2026 Nordic Guide. The understated dining room and carefully paced service suit a long special-occasion dinner.

4. AOC

AOC is housed in a vaulted cellar beneath the historic Moltkes Palæ near Kongens Nytorv. Its dining room combines stone arches, soft lighting and contemporary Scandinavian design.

The shorter menu currently costs DKK 2,300, while the full AOC tasting menu costs DKK 3,600 per person before beverages. The cooking uses Danish ingredients in highly polished modern dishes. AOC holds two Michelin stars.

5. SILO

SILO occupies the seventeenth floor of a converted grain silo in Nordhavn. Its dining room provides wide views across the harbour, city rooftops and the new architecture of the waterfront district.

The current three-course menu costs DKK 695, while four courses cost DKK 795 per person before beverages. Vegetarian versions of the fixed menus are available. SILO offers a more accessible romantic experience than Copenhagen’s Michelin-starred tasting restaurants.

Are There Michelin Star Restaurants in Copenhagen?

Yes. The official Michelin Guide currently lists 22 Michelin-starred restaurants in Copenhagen and the surrounding area.

The most important change for 2026 was the promotion of Kadeau Copenhagen from two to three stars. Akmē, ESSE and Lille Mølle were among the Copenhagen restaurants newly awarded one star.

Although Noma reopened in Copenhagen on 5 August 2026, it is not part of the 2026 Michelin selection. The restaurant had not been operating in Copenhagen for long enough to be assessed for that edition.

Three of the most notable Michelin-starred restaurants are:

• Kadeau Copenhagen — three Michelin stars. Kadeau Copenhagen is led by founding partner Nicolai Nørregaard and builds its menu around ingredients from Bornholm. The approximately 15-serving menu currently costs DKK 4,150 per person.

• Geranium — three Michelin stars. Geranium is led by chef Rasmus Kofoed and serves a creative tasting menu based on seafood, vegetables and foraged plants. The current menu costs DKK 4,400 per person.

• Alchemist — two Michelin stars. Alchemist is led by chef Rasmus Munk and presents an immersive experience containing up to 50 culinary and theatrical impressions. The experience lasts approximately four to six hours and currently costs DKK 5,600 per person before beverages.