Copenhagen can rightly be called one of the most gastronomic capitals of the world, boasting a constellation of world-famous Michelin-starred restaurants and unforgettable dining experiences. But besides, there is plenty of other exciting places, many recommended by Michelin Guide, that introduce you to a wide versatility of gastronomy and make you come back.
From a juicy burger and a new restaurant by a pioneer of Copenhagen restaurant scene to an Italian-Japanese exquisite blend and French-style family brunches.
We gathered four completely different restaurants, each with its own history, style, and flavors, but united by high professionalism, hospitality, and love for what they do.
BoBe
We started our gastronomic route with BoBe, quite a new restaurant that celebrates culture and literally brings beauty, pleasure and dreams to life. The food here is prepared with the finest ingredients and served with joy so that every visit is like a warm embrace — reminding you of a place where you feel surrounded by an atmosphere that soothes and relaxes you through sublime hospitality. In 2024, BoBe was recommended by the Michelin Guide.
The restaurant’s location in Copenhagen’s historic center is also reflected in its interior. Once inside, you feel an amazing vibe where past and present merge, thanks to the skillfully thought-out renovation by the renowned Danish design studio Atelier Axo.
Original wooden floors and tiles from 1731 blend beautifully with modern touches. This location on Gråbrødretorv has become popular for special occasions as well as for business and friendly lunches. Here you can enjoy with those you care about an environment that inspires joyful seduction and free thoughts.
The chef and the owner of BoBe restaurant is Bo Bech, one of Denmark’s most renowned chefs and a pioneer of Copenhagen’s restaurant scene. His dishes, made mainly from Scandinavian products, are a personal reflection of him as a chef, his background and his travels.
When we met Bo at the restaurant, he happily unveiled to us some interesting facts about the birth of the modern restaurant wave in Copenhagen and his creative approach to cooking. In Bo’s words, “Food should be as simple and honest as possible, but should definitely bring joy with its execution and flavor. All people are always trying to strive for the best in life: food, work, art, love. It is difficult to convey in words, but it is felt immediately when it happens. We want our restaurant to be a place where this feeling has a place, so that the best emotions and moments remain in the heart of each guest and he would like to come back again”.
At BoBe you can choose 2 different directions of your experience, the signature set menu “The taste of Bobe” — 7 servings as sharing dishes, to be chosen by the whole table (595 DDK), or À la carte menu.
This time we chose a second option and took freedom to decide on the dishes, starting our tasting with the small starters from the section “Finger food”:
-Deep-fried whole fjord shrimps with paprika (85 DDK)
-Grilled squid with white asparagus and caper leaves (65 DDK/a piece)
-Tartare of veal tenderloin with beetroot and soy (65 DDK/a piece)
-Jamon iberico de bellota (145 DDK)
Alongside with starters, the house-baked baguette with salted butter is served in a simple yet creative way.
The wine list at BoBe perfectly complements Bo’s culinary show — the staff is very thoughtful about the drink menu to enhance the enjoyable experience and create combinations that bring your meal back.
Sauvignon blanc, vacheron, sancerre, france, 2023 (165 DDK/glass) — a white wine we were suggested to accompany our small starters, perfectly accentuating the full flavor palette.
Followed by “Smaller courses”, including one of those signature dishes that is impossible not to try: Avocado with almonds is “classic Bo Bech”, seemingly very simple but unforgettable.
-Green almonds with avocado and curry (135 DDK)
-Raw langoustine with yuzu and hibiscus (145 DDK)
-Marinated salmon with bell pepper and chili (135 DDK)
“Larger courses” also combine comfort and surprise, reflecting Bo’s philosophy of honest but innovative cooking — exactly what you want to come back for as soon as possible.
-Turbot with fennel ravioli on gruyère (295 DDK) — here “ravioli” are simply made with solely slices of Gruyère cheese and stuffed with subtle fennel filling.
And we cannot resist to try this all-time favorite sides, equally enjoyed by kids and adults — Fries with fennel pollen and lemon mustard mayonnaise (75 DDK)
Wine suggestion: “Cuvée jean-jacques de boisson”, chardonnay, château de lavernette, pouilly-fuissé, 2021 (150 DDK/glass)
Unfortunately we didn’t have a chance to try desserts, but we heard they are something to be back for!
Address: Gråbrødretorv 11, 1154 København K
Opening hours: Monday to Sunday 11.30am – 12pm
Instagram: @restaurantbobe
LEVI
Located in the heart of Copenhagen, LEVI is and extremely elegant and sublime space for informal dining, serving Italian and Japanese cuisine and offering one of the best wine lists in the city. Excellent service, simple products, design and excellent craftsmanship come together to create an unforgettable experience.
The restaurant’s name is a tribute to the legendary Italian grappa producer Romano Levi, whose craft showcases grappa in its highest form, where the product and packaging were completely unique.
LEVI Founders Jesper Boelskifte and Peter Trauboth, who share a deep love of grapes and a passion for flavours, brought their idea to life with the help of Danish designer Johannes Torpe, creating an atmosphere that embodies and unites old Italy and Japanese sophistication in a modern metropolis.
The interior of the restaurant is laconic but with a special charm, a combination of Art Deco and Italian vintage. In addition to producing the legendary grappa, Romano Levi was also known for his hand-painted engravings of wild women running through meadows and vineyards.
The restaurant’s creators were greatly inspired by Romano Levi’s style and expression, and have teamed up with artists to contribute to the restaurant’s design, honouring the genius and creating a universe in his spirit.
You can come here for lunch, a quick espresso at the bar or to dine with a glass of wine, your favourite cocktail or a shot of aromatic sake.
Having cast our lot, lunch or dinner, this time luck was on the side of the first option and we happily discovered day-time ambience of LEVI.
The restaurant’s kitchen is led by the young and talented Italian chef Gabriele Rizzo, who has an extraordinary command of technique and rare insight to create seductive and unprecedented dishes.
How to choose from such a variety of dishes to get to know LEVI cuisine as closely as possible? Following Chef’s suggestions, we tried the most of the highlights on the menu, which also offers tasting experience in a form “Omakase Condivisa” (available for dinner only).
First small bites appeared:
-Shiso Leaves, Spicy emulsion & Ginger
(65 DDK)
-Lardo Toast (68 DDK)
-Oysters, Horseradish & Gooseberries juice (110/2pc)
One of the absolute LEVI bestsellers — Rice Cake, Mazara Prawns & Chili (245 DDK)
A cocktail list offers a number of creatively twisted classics, both great for an aperitif or just to be enjoyed on its own. We tried balanced and refreshing The Caprese Gimlet — Japanese gin, lemon, honey, simple syrup, and basil oil.
While presenting the dishes, Gabriele helped us to make a better acquaintance with LEVI philosophy: “The restaurant’s cuisine is at the crossroads of Italian and Japanese culinary traditions, and these cuisines are united by the ability to turn high-quality seasonal products into something impressive. We strive to create simple but memorable dishes. When we taste Italian food, honest and simple, we are amazed at how little it takes to create great flavours. What fascinates us about Japanese food is its elegance and sophistication, its exotic ingredients and sometimes very unexpected flavours. In my opinion it is a very interesting combination, the West and the East, so in order to combine these two cultures we have to experiment a lot, to be in constant search, so that our guests can enjoy the pleasure of the unexpected when these two cultures come together.”
Freshest of the freshest — Sashimi & Selection of daily catch (340 DDK)
Followed by tender and juicy Norwegian Scallop with Tomato Dashi and Lovage Oil (185 DKK)
Another must-try hit is Wagyu Striploin, Arancino & Wasabi (155 DDK)
Japanese inspired, full of umami flavor Kingfish collar, Yakiniku & XO Sauce (155 DDK)
These starters were complemented with sake Masumi “Sanka”, Junmai Daiginjo, Nagano, which thanks to its delicate and subtle profile, helped to balance all the intense flavors and rich textures.
Getting to the main courses, we tried:
-Spaghettoni, King Crab & Nduja (355 DDK)
-Turbot, Green Aspargus & Jus (295 DDK)
Wine suggestion: Kistler “les Noisetiers”, Chardonnay, 2021
Wine, like food, is given special attention at LEVI. The wine list boasts a large assortment of sparkling, white, deep red wines, mainly from Italy, but also wines from other producers are in no less demand. And of course — a premium selection of Japanese sake.
The staff is attentive to the guest’s preferences and will suggest the best accompaniment to make your wine rendez-vous very special.
Ending our journey with light desserts:
-Pistachio Gelato, Olive Oil & Salt (105 DDK) — fully vegan, made purely from pistachio paste blitzed with water and sugar, making it a perfect option suitable for everyone
-Hazelnut & Lemon Sorbet (135 DDK)
In the words of the restaurant’s creators, “Magic happens when subtle design is combined with gastronomic fusion that surprises,” which after all, is impossible to disagree with.
Address: Ny Østergade 24, 1101 Copenhagen K
Opening hours:
LUNCH
Mon – Sat: 12.00 – 15.00
DINNER
Mon – Thu: 17.30 – 01.00
Fri – Sat: 17.30 – 01.00
Instagram: @levi_cph
POPL
Run by the team of the world-famous Noma, POPL Burger, located in the heart of Copenhagen’s Christianshavn neighborhood, first started as a pop-up restaurant and burger bar, has come the way beyond its initial intention.
Here, people come together for the simple joy of a perfectly-cooked burger, made with great respect and love for the products and nature. The name POPL comes from the Latin word “populus” meaning community of people and also refers to the wood of the poplar tree.
The burgers served at POPL were originally invented at Noma when, during the COVID-pandemic, the restaurant closed. The chefs, led by brand chef René Redzepi, decided to shift their focus to something that could be sold as a takeaway — they eventually settled on a burger. Several months were spent developing a classic and vegetarian burger, and Noma was opened as a temporary burger restaurant and wine bar. The burgers proved so popular that a long line lined up outside every day, prompting the Noma team to open a standalone restaurant — thus POPL Burger came into being in December 2020.
The restaurant team is headed by a young chef Toni Toivanen, who started his professional career in his hometown of Helsinki and then at Noma restaurant.
The menu at POPL is simple but very powerful. The main character of the menu — the burger — as well as the side dishes to it, change seasonally. All recipes are carefully thought out, and great attention is paid to ingredients and flavor. The beef used is organic from the west coast of Denmark, and the vegan burgers are handmade in Noma’s fermentation lab.
And saying honestly, visit to Copenhagen without stopping by the famous POPL Burger can be considered a gastronomic trip gone awry. Even if you have a soft spot for the burger, once you try it here, you will love it forever.
Being fans of it ourselves, we did not hesitate to plan it for a proper tasting.
Chef Toni along with his team met us with great hospitality to tell and show us POPL’s best. “Our core team are professionals from all over the world who bring energy, dedication, attention to detail and to everything we do, — says Toni. Before this place, my focus was fine dining. The burger concept is more simple but still very interesting, and here I can implement and merge the elements of fine dining, play with them to diversify and show that burgers can be not only tasty but also aesthetically pleasing and creative. We make our burgers using the same innovative techniques as Noma, but with a focus on affordability and simplicity.”
We started our tasting with the set menu, which is very popular option here:
POPL MENU (365 DDK)
Seasonal starter, Burger of your choice, Sides to share for the table.
To be ordered by the entire table.
Optionally, you can add extras to choose from:
-Coral tooth mushroom sandwich (+80 DDK)
-Dry aged beef burger (+100 DDK)
Drink menu offers both cocktails & organic wines, available in bottles and by glass.
We started with tangy and spicy aperitif — SPICY MEZCALITA — Mezcal, Chilies & Lime (115 DDK)
As sesasonal starters, we tried 2 different variations:
-THE POPL BIBIMBAP, a mouthful of the best that the season has to offer, this dish changes daily based on what’s most flavorful that day. Topped with a koji and tomato water emulsion.
-GREEN PEAS “CHAWANMUSHI”
Getting ready for the burger, we tried a seasonal version, which was exceptionally delicious MONKFISH SANDWICH with grilled roses, yuzu crème fraiche and fermented ramsons, currently replaced with another not less appealing option — DRY BEEF BURGER — 60 day dry aged Finnish beef, oxtail reduction glaze, mushroom and truffle duxelles (250 DDK)
Wine suggestion: DOMAINE LA MONTAGNETTE, CARAMBOUILLE ROUGE, Organic Rosé wine from Southern Rhône, France
And alternatively we went for POPL classics, a hit from the day 1 — CHEESEBURGER — Organic beef, red onions and cheddar (150 DDK), *Add 6g of black truffles (+150 DDK)
Wine suggestion: DOGLIANI, SAN LUIGI, CASCINA CORTE, Italy, 2021 (95/475 DDK)
Any burger will be well complemented by Fries & Dips:
-FRIES seasoned with POPL Spice mix (60 DDK)
-Black truffle mayo (30 DDK)
As for the dessert, we decided to leave this part of the menu for the next time, but when we saw Toni walking towards us with sweet ending prepared especially for us, it was hard to deny such a pleasure:
-ELDERFLOWER SOUFFLE
With crème anglaise and berries (140 DDK) — this one is must-try even if you’re out of space in your stomach
-ALMOND SORBET
Fresh berries and roasted kelp oil (95 DDK) — perfect for a light and refreshing final touch to cleanse your tastebuds
The final touch — another well-balanced drink on a side of Negroni-style: THE BURGHER — Gin, Apple Vermouth & Amaro (115 DDK)
Address: Strandgade 108
DK-1401 Copenhagen
Opening hours: Mon – Sun 17.00 – 22.30
Instagram: @poplburger
Esmée
Just a few steps away from the Royal Danish Theatre and Charlottenborg Palace, ESMÉE is a tribute to the classic incarnation of the French restaurant, with its inherently elegant atmosphere and authentic cuisine in a stylish, modern interpretation.
There are some places you want to return to again and again. ESMÉE is exactly such place in Copenhagen, once visited it a couple of years ago, we fell in love with this beautiful project and immediately planned a new visit while in Copenhagen.
Drawing inspiration from the Mediterranean, the restaurant’s Southern European cuisine is reflected throughout the interior, which was designed by renowned Scandinavian design studio Space Copenhagen.
Founders of Space Copenhagen Signe Bindslev Henriksen and Peter Bundgaard Rützou used many shades of green color in upholstery and on the walls, adding a lot of green plants and trees in the whole space of the restaurant, thus creating a noble and naturalistic interior. And mirror panels create even more space and add a touch of sophistication.
Divided into three zones, ESMÉE offers the perfect place to socialize, whether it’s a morning coffee, a business lunch or a gourmet dinner with a glass of wine or a signature cocktail. And recently the restaurant has launched Sunday brunches, which we anticipated to discover.
The restaurant’s cuisine is based on classic French dishes with an accent on Scandinavian flavors, and is headed by brand-chef and co-owner Andreas Bagh, whom we met on our first visit to Esmée and were pleased to meet again.
“We launched our brunches recently and they gained a great popularity from the very beginning, — says Andreas. After all, how nice it is to get together with family and friends on a day off and have a carefree time without thinking about household chores. Our restaurant is very versatile — you can dine here, have a romantic dinner or just gather with friends for cocktails and appetizers, and we are very happy that now we have another opportunity to treat our guests with leisure Sunday brunch, pampering them with new tastes and ideas.”
The À la carte brunch menu offers a variety of signature appetizers, oysters, caviar, hot entrées, desserts and pastries.
We tried a little of everything, starting with Bread & cold Starters:
-Josephine oyster natural with condiments (78 DDK/piece)
-Josephine oyster “Bloody Mary iwith red piment juice, black pepper & horseradish (78 DDK/piece)
-Sourdough bread with whipped butter (66 DDK)
-Smoked salmon with capers dill & cream cheese (128 DDK)
No brunch without Eggs! And they are so versatile here. We tried 2 different options, both are one the most desirable among the guests:
-Soft boiled egg with black label Rossini caviar 5 gr & soldiers (130 DDK)
ESMÉE uses the famous caviar brand ROSSINI, which it has been cooperating with for many years.
-Lobster egg florentine with spinach & spicy hollandaise (375 DDK) (For even more luxurious taste, you can request to add some Caviar as an extra)
As for a beverage accompaniment, we opted for special Brunch cocktails, which the restaurant stuff prepare right in front of your eyes, bringing a trolley with all the necessary ingredients for cocktails to the table.
-PAMPLEMOUSSE MIMOSA — “Citrusy, Fresh, Hint of Bitterness”, Crémant de Bourgogne, Pink Grapefruit, Passion Fruit
“The most iconic brunch cocktail with a tropical twist”
-BRUNCH MARTINI — “Slightly Boozy, Fruity, Refreshing” French Gin, Plum & Orange Liqueur, Rhubarb Bitters
“Inspired by the famous Breakfast Martini, it is as light as a breeze and as refreshing as a summer’s day”
Sweet part of the menu is also very promising, including an absolute ESMÉE bestseller — Soft service Ice cream, boasting the best of seasonal flavors.
-Vanilla soft ice with danish strawberries, chantily & strawberry coulis (175 DDK)
Another worthy dessert is a Basque-inspired, heavenly creamy Cheesecake with rhubarb compote (95 DDK)
Address: Kongens Nytorv 8, 1050 Copenhagen
Opening hours: Monday – Sunday 12.00 – 24.00
Instagram: @esmee_cph
Text: Marina Timo
Photo courtesy: EATWEEKGUIDE
