Travel
Explore the country’s gourmet side from Copenhagen’s Michelin-starred restaurants to seafood safaris in the wetlands.
ByAdrienne Murray Neilsen
Published October 18, 2023
• 9 min read
This article was produced by National Geographic Traveller (UK).
Copenhagen is a treasure trove for the food-loving traveller, but there are many gastronomic adventures that await visitors beyond the capital. Denmark’s beaches, forests and islands are home to local producers rediscovering everything from botanicals and foraged sea vegetables to traditional bakes and plenty of creative takes on the classic smørrebrød open sandwich. Here are seven experiences in the captial and beyond.
1. Break bread with the locals in Copenhagen
In the heart of Vesterbro, Folkehuset Absalon is perhaps one of Copenhagen’s best-kept secrets. Well off the tourist trail, this former church has been transformed into a thriving social space, hosting popular communal dinners and a raft of fun cultural events from bingo nights to yoga workshops. It was founded by the entrepreneur behind the retail chain, Flying Tiger. The changing daily menu is posted online, and guests sit shoulder-to-shoulder around long communal tables for a two or three course meal, such as Thai curry or traditional roasts, served family-style. It’s one of several folkekøkkens or ‘community kitchens’ found across the city. These offer some of the capital’s cheapest meals and are a great way to meet Copenhageners. Meals from DKK 50 (£5.70), Sunday to Thursday / DKK 100 (£11.50) Friday and Saturday.
2. Take a gourmet getaway at a fairytale castle in Zealand
On the Odsherred peninsula, one of Denmark’s oldest castles overlooks Zealand’s scenic northwest coast. The beautiful 13th-century Dragsholm Slot is now a luxury hotel with an acclaimed restaurant, and is located just an hour’s drive from Copenhagen, ideal for a gourmet getaway. Inside its atmospheric cellar, Dragsholm Slot Gourmet holds a coveted Michelin star, helmed by chef Jeppe Foldager who serves seasonal Nordic fare with ingredients farmed and foraged from the surrounding fields, forests and sea at Lammefjorden. For a less pricey indulgence, the castle has the farm-to-table Bistro, or across the cobblestones, there’s casual Madhus, housed inside the red-brick former stables, where visitors can enjoy drinks, snacks and light meals including classic smørrebrød open sandwiches. A two-course meal at Dragsholm Bistro costs from DKK 395 (£45). Tasting menus at Dragsholm Slot Gourmet from DKK 1,800 (£205). Double rooms from DKK 1,595 (£180) B&B.
3. Splash out in Scandinavia’s culinary capital
Hidden among herb gardens and greenhouses, in a gorgeous, light-filled and wood-furnished space, Noma serves innovative haute cuisine with a surprisingly informal tone for such an esteemed venue. October 2023 marks 20 years since it opened, ushering in the New Nordic food revolution, cementing Denmark as culinary powerhouse. 2024 looks set to be the last chance to snag a table, before the pioneering restaurant closes to become a test kitchen. Luckily, Copenhagen hosts fourteen Michelin-starred restaurants, and many more superb dining experiences. Among them, Geranium is a previous ‘World’s Best Restaurant’ winner; located, rather unusually, inside a football stadium, it recently eschewed meat to serve only pescatarian and plant-based dishes. Others reshaping Copenhagen’s food scene include cutting-edge venue The Alchemist, which whisks guests through a theatrical 50-dish tasting menu marathon, while Koan and Ja Tak are the notable newcomers of an exciting new Asian culinary wave. Tasting menus range from 975 DKK (£110) at Ja Tak to 4,900 DKK (£560) at The Alchemist.
4. Make some street food pitstops in Copenhagen
Feast on flavours from all corners of the globe at Reffen. Found in the former industrial site of Refshaleøen, this hip street food market is a vibrant summertime hangout, where stalls offer a rainbow of cuisines from Thai to Argentinian, Indian to Kurdish. Best reached by bike or boat, this reinvented creative district also has a skatepark, climbing wall and galleries. From the picture-postcard Nyhavn neighbourhood, take a short stroll over the bridge to another excellent spot, Broens Gadekøkken. In summer, there’s often live music and in winter, an ice-skating rink. Just across the river, Torvehallerne is the place for a gourmet bite: sample sushi or smørrebrød and peruse the impressive seafood and vegetable displays. Further south, Banegaarden is hidden in leafy railway sidings at Vesterbro, and offers soul food from the US’s Deep South, Tunisian couscous and a pretty bakery. Dishes from DKK 80-150 (£9-17).
5. Enjoy a Baltic beach retreat in Bornholm
Beloved by Danes for its sandy beaches, bucolic countryside and quaint fishing harbours, the island of Bornholm enjoys more sunshine hours than anywhere else in the country. It’s also one of Scandinavia’s most enticing culinary destinations, with its traditional smokehouses turning out smoked herring, the local delicacy. The small towns of Hasle and Nexø are good places to get your fill. But it’s Kadeau, a restaurant in the island’s south, that’s really put Bornholm on the gourmet map. Founded by three local friends, this Michelin-starred restaurant is an ode to the island’s bounty of locally grown and foraged ingredients (tasting menu DKK 2,300/£265). Bornholm is also home to artisan producers like liquorice-maker Lakrids by Bülow, and craft breweries Penyllan (tour with tastings DKK 250/£29) and Svaneke (tour DKK 110/£13). Alternatively, join the popular BeerWalks tour (from DKK 250/£39). All per person.
6. Set sail on a seafood safari through the Wadden Sea wetlands in Jutland
Buffeted by bracing North Sea winds, Denmark’s west coast is defined by wild nature and sweeping stretches of sand. In the north of Jutland, Limfjorden is an expansive sea inlet cutting right across the peninsula that’s famed for its abundant shellfish. While in Jutland’s southwest, the Wadden Sea National Park, is a UNESCO-recognised bird-spotting paradise, where thriving oyster banks lie in tidal zones, within easy reach of the seashore. In these parts of Denmark, locals have been slurping oysters since the Stone Age, and today, seafood-lovers can join organised tours to forage for the briny delicacy between October and April. SortSafari and Naturcenter Tønnisgård operate around the southern island of Rømø, while safaris from the Wadden Sea Centre set out from its mainland base to forage, shuck and cook your catch. JyllandsAkvariet has excursions in Limfjorden. Most tours last between two or three hours and involve trekking over mudflats at low tide (waterproofs and wellies essential). It’s worth visiting southwest Jutland in October to coincide with the phenomenal Sort Sol or ‘Black Sun’, when thousands of starlings take flight in dramatic swirling murmurations. Tours from DKK 285 (£32).
7. Master the art of Smørrebrød in Copenhagen
Few things are more quintessentially Danish than wholesome rye bread, moreish sweet pastries or scrumptious smørrebrød open sandwiches, and Copenhagen Cooking Class offers an excellent hands-on introduction to these Scandie staples. Located a few blocks from the historic Nyhavn waterfront, the school has modern, well-equipped facilities with classes taught in English, where you can hone your pastry and bread-making skills or learn how to craft Denmark’s much-loved lunchtime classic. This traditional open sandwich consists of a single slice of bread, heaped high with layers of savoury toppings and garnishes, like eggs, herring, prawns and beef, the combinations of which, as you’ll discover, Danes are most particular about. Alternatively, head to chef Adam Aamann’s newest outpost, Aamanns Genbo in the up-and-coming Carlsbergbyen district, where you can taste modern interpretations of smørrebrød that are a feast for both the mouth and eyes. Classes from DKK 650-1,100 (£74-125) per person.
Published in Issue 21 (autumn 2023) of Food by National Geographic Traveller (UK).
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