Copenhagen is one of those cities where food quickly becomes the reason for the trip.
Not only the famous restaurants. Not only the Michelin stars. But also the lunch places, the neighbourhood restaurants, the classic smørrebrød tables and the places you remember later for one specific moment.
On our latest trips, we collected a few Copenhagen restaurant notes. Some became full posts. Others are better kept short. Together, they say something about why Copenhagen is such an easy city to return to.
Schønnemann was our first lunch there, and it quickly became a new favourite in “Byn”.
Classic smørrebrød, old Copenhagen atmosphere and the kind of welcome that makes you feel like a regular even when you are not. It is one of those places that always seems impossible to book. After finally eating there, we understand why.
Read our note from Restaurant Schønnemann
Marchal is more complicated.
The room is beautiful, the address is iconic and the restaurant has been part of our Copenhagen visits for years. But our latest lunch also reminded us why we keep leaving with mixed feelings.
There were good moments, especially the gougères. The kitchen may be in better shape than on our last visits. Still, as a Michelin-starred lunch, it was not fully convincing.
Marchal also gave us one of the strangest hospitality moments we have had in Copenhagen, when a black Pikachu T-shirt suddenly became a problem at the door.
So there are two Marchal posts.
One about the lunch.
And one about Pikachu.
Read our Marchal lunch note
Read the Pikachu story from Marchal
Magny had ambition from the start.
A serious chef, a U-shaped counter, modern Nordic cooking and the clear feeling of a restaurant aiming high. But on our visit, the experience did not quite come together.
The room was uncomfortable, the air was heavy, some dishes felt uneven, and the service around a guest who did not eat meat left me surprised. There were good moments, but not enough to make the evening convincing.
Magny may become something. Just not yet.
Read our review of Restaurant Magny
Sankt Annæ is one of those classic Copenhagen lunch places that naturally comes up when talking about smørrebrød, snaps and old-school Danish lunch.
Tight seating, old rooms and the feeling of a proper Copenhagen lunch sitting. To be fair, the smørrebrød was not in the same class as on our first visit.
Maybe it was just one of those days.
Read the Sankt Annæ note in Copenhagen Restaurants: 10 Places We Ate
Silberbauers is Silberbauers. Never disappointing, and somehow it gets better after each visit.
Casual, French in spirit and full of the kind of atmosphere that makes a restaurant easy to like.
It also gave us one of the best lines of the trip. When the owner heard the Marchal story, he laughed and said Pikachu would be welcome there.
That, in one sentence, is hospitality.
Read our post from Silberbauers
Lille Mølle is harder for us to write a full post about.
Not every restaurant visit becomes a story. Some places leave more of a quiet impression. Lille Mølle had many of the things you expect from a Michelin-starred restaurant: calm service, the right tempo between the dishes and a small detour down to the wine cellar.
Almost every bottle was standing upright, including one from DRC, which gave my sommelier heart a small sting.
The Michelin event was the following week, and we both felt they would probably receive a star. They did.
Still, we never became truly excited. Maybe it was simply not our style of food. The cooking had that precise, Nordic feeling where the presentation sometimes speaks louder than the flavour. Sophisticated, yes. But often with the flavours playing second violin.
Then a broth arrived in the middle of the service, and suddenly there it was: bold, deep and delicious flavour. For us, that was the strongest moment of the meal.
But that is also part of eating out. Sometimes you can understand the quality without falling in love with the restaurant.
The problem with Copenhagen is not finding somewhere good to eat.
The problem is choosing.
Every time we leave, there are more places saved for next time. And somehow, even after several visits, the list keeps getting longer.
Earlier Copenhagen notes: Copenhagen Restaurants: 10 Places We Ate and Copenhagen Restaurants We Tried.
