Copenhagen

Restaurants

About Copenhagen Restaurants

Travelers unaccustomed to traditional Scandinavian cuisine may pause before dishes like pickled herring or fish dumplings. However, these classic foods offer much insight into Denmark’s culture and history. Seafood and shellfish – from oysters to plaice to shrimp – appear prominently on menus and are consumed regularly. Perhaps the most familiar Danish dish is the smørrebrød, an open-faced sandwich, generally on dark rye, piled high with toppings like smoked salmon, eel, roast beef, and liver pâté (to start!). If fish doesn’t suit, roast pork, duck, and venison also prove popular, or you may want to sample the incredibly popular fried sausages sold by roadside vendors. Naturally, Copenhagen’s local Carlsberg beer is a must, or you can cultivate a taste for aquavit, a strong, caraway-scented brandy. Great places to sample traditional Danish cuisine include upscale Noma and Ida Davidsen, whose family-run eatery makes incredible smørrebrød. Copenhagen’s most highly ranked restaurants specialize in Danish-French cuisine and include Kommandanten and Kong Hans Kælder. And for sublime Italian, Era Ora is hands-down the top contender. -- Kelly Sigmon, Senior Editor