The Best Restaurants to Book in Copenhagen Right Now

The decades old Fu Hao introduced many Danes to dim sum. Photographer: Sara Sjolin/Bloomberg Photo by Sara Sjolin/Bloomberg /Photographer: Sara Sjolin/Bloomb

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(Bloomberg) — Welcome to Five Top Tables, a column from Bloomberg Pursuits to guide your dining decisions in major cities around the world, including New York, London, Paris, Manila, Cape Town and New Delhi.

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In the past dozen years, Copenhagen has swept into the top ranks of the world’s dining destinations. The city’s restaurants have come to define the now iconic New Nordic cuisine, featuring forward-thinking dishes built on ancient techniques like foraging and fermenting. There are more than 29 Michelin stars spread across 19 restaurants in Copenhagen, and its culinary landscape continues to evolve from cardamom buns to space bread and similar high-concept dishes. Meanwhile, Denmark has just been named the winner in the culinary world’s Olympics, the prestigious Bocuse d’Or Europe. 

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Copenhagen — and the food world — has recently had to acknowledge the consequences of serious abuse allegations leveled at René Redzepi, co-founder of world-famous Noma. (Redzepi has issued an apology and resigned from the restaurant.) But Denmark’s capital city has much more going on beyond Noma. From a new wave of Korean kitchens to reinvented smorrebrod (open-faced sandwiches) to a genius way with local seafood, Copenhagen’s food scene continues to expand.

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New: Ouri, Latin Quarter

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Nestled in a charming backstreet, Ouri taps into the increasing popularity of Korean food across Copenhagen. In a white-lit, minimalistic room with wooden tables and clay pots, friendly waiters guide diners through a small menu centered around sharing dishes.

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There’s homemade kimchi (30 kroner, or $4.60), the crispy pork cutlet don-gaseu (219 kroner) and chef’s recommended tteokgalbi — coarse chopped, chargrilled beef wrapped in king oyster mushrooms (239 kroner).

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Alongside your meal, order glasses of makgeolli, the funky, milky white Korean rice wine. At Ouri, it’s sourced from Yunguna Brewery, which makes it in partnership with the two-Michelin-starred restaurant Koan. Because Ouri is already popular with the locals, it helps to make reservations in advance whether you’re going for dinner or its one lunch service, on Saturdays. Sankt Peders Stræde 24a; ouri.dk/

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Business Meal: Esmee, Kongens Nytorv

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There’s plenty of reasons Esmee is popular with local finance and business crowds: It’s got well-spaced tables, an understated air of luxury and terrific food. And then there’s its central Copenhagen location on historic Kongens Nytorv,  just a few streets away from the private equity and legal hubs around Sankt Annæ Plads, and within easy reach of the metro, the Royal Theatre and five-star Hotel D’Angleterre. 

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The elevated French-brasserie-style menu features the signature Esmee toast with gruyere, truffle duxelles and jamón ibérico (145 kroner), and thinly sliced raw halibut with winter radishes and first-harvest olive oil (225 kroner). Main courses include sea bass baked in salt and wine leaves with sauce vierge (425 kroner) and market-price Danish wagyu steaks. The extensive wine reflects Esmee’s French influence and features offerings from classic regions like Meursault, Gevrey-Chambertin and Sauternes.

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For dessert, take a risk and try the caviar soft-serve ice cream (425 kroner). There’s a generous roster of lunch salads too, a welcome perk for anyone who’s grabbing meals out several times a week. Kongens Nytorv 8; esmee.dk/